The Tripod

­Trinity students looking to simplify their internet use now have the option of using CampusLive.com, a one-stop Web site with links to widely used college resources. Trinity College has become one of 87 schools with a personalized CampusLIVE homepage, which can be accessed by going to www.campusLIVE.com/Trinity.

The site includes links to commonly used Trinity Web sites, such as Trinity Webmail and Blackboard, as well as links to Hartford weather, restaurants, entertainment and news. There are also customizable links to popular sites such as Facebook, YouTube, and Pandora.

Ryan Durkin, Chief Strategic Officer (CSO) at CampusLIVE, thinks that students at Trinity will enjoy the convenience and flexibility of the site. The site is designed to act as an all-inclusive homepage for on-the-go college students.

"The best part about CampusLIVE is that everything can be customized," Durkin said. "Tools can be moved around on the page. News, links, and theme backgrounds can be switched back and forth. It allows a student to customize their university to fit them and their needs. And it's a lot of fun."

The simplicity of the Web site is what differentiates it from comparable sites, such as the Daily Jolt, a homepage for Amherst College students, designed to help organize relevant Amherst Web sites. Focused on being a homepage, each CampusLIVE page is limited so everything a student needs is accessible, without the student having to "scroll and scroll and scroll to get the information they want," Durkin said.

Trinity is one of 20 schools in the most recent batch of CampusLIVE colleges, making a total of 87 schools launched since the site was founded in 2007 at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Made up of young, motivated alumni, the CampusLIVE team, said Durkin, "is constantly working to make the product better and better, and connect with more and more colleges and universities."

While there is a strong focus on New England schools, CampusLIVE has been launched at colleges across the nation. "We look for fun students who are outgoing and actively like to interact with fellow students," said Durkin. "We look for colleges with a strong sense of community, as well as excitement."

Other Connecticut schools with CampusLIVE homepages include the University of Hartford and Quinnipiac University, and fellow NESCAC schools include Amherst College and Tufts University. The next CampusLIVE release is planned for December.

So far, the Web site has been successful in its path toward becoming "The College Homepage."

The CampusLIVE team has recently been recognized in BusinessWeek as number three on the list of 2008's Best Entrepreneurs 25 and Under. They have also been honored by Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and the Massachusetts Office of Business Development.

"We want to be the first thing you as a student see when opening your Internet browser," said Durkin. "We want to be that helpful. That important in a college student's daily life."

Student feedback is encouraged to improve the Web site. Trinity students can e-mail CampusLIVE at feedback@campuslive.com, and the team would be happy to "make new additions to the site, and make it even more perfect for students," said Durkin.

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