The current generation of college students is proving adept at using new technology to create personalized websites showing a wide diversity of interest groups.
Most students at the University of Wisconsin are familiar with the official, red and white university homepage “My UW-Madison.” Fewer students are aware of Madison’s unofficial university homepage, a website created by students and dedicated to their interests, www.thebadgerweb.com.
This independent site offers the chance to register for free email, post parties, trade books, rate professors, upload funny pictures, find rides back home, have discussions via message boards and chat online. Articles posted have titles such as “The Sport of Beer Pong.” The “Seize the Caption” contest challenges users to come up with a clever caption for the funny picture currently on display. So far, the site has 647 registered users.
UW junior Bobby Wargolett, a computer science major, has created three websites, each with a different purpose.
“One is for a company and is part of my summer job, one is for a band my friend is in and one is for the fraternity I joined,” Wargolett said.
He added that each of these sites has different targeted users. The website for the truck-permit company shows up in related search engines for that interest group. The band’s website targets the band’s fans. On his fraternity website, Wargolett has included a “member’s only” section and has contact information for those interested in the fraternity.
Many who run websites have shown interest in computers for a significant period of time. Wargolett said he first became interested in computers in the fifth grade and has been passionate about them ever since.
He noted it is quite easy for students with little experience to create websites at no cost.
“The UW computer science department gives its majors free websites,” Wargolett said. “But even if you’re not a major, you can get what you need for free on Yahoo or Geocities.”
Wargolett said it was relatively easy for those interested in creating websites to teach themselves the basics.
“I taught myself everything I know,” he said. “As a computer science major, I found it fun, and it really wasn’t hard.
UW sophomore Vicky Georgas said she was open to the idea of creating her own website but was not in any hurry to do so.
“I don’t know the slightest thing about computers,” she said. “But I’d think about creating my own website. When people come up with profiles on AIM it’s kind of an introduction to creating personal websites.”
Georgas added that the site intrigued her, because it was unofficial. “I would use it,” she said. “Anytime something is unofficial it’s going to be more honest and down-to-earth.”
