So, we’ve got websites like LinkedIn, Facebook, Yelp, and Twitter. Sure, we love them, but they don’t seem to have truly captured the notion that a university is a city in and of itself, with its own unique culture and needs. What if there was an online world for just us students? A better network that caters to–and connects–college life?
That’s the kind of innovative thinking that sparked Sean Thorne’s brainchild, Hallspot. Sean, a junior at UO, came up with the idea for Hallspot back in September when Facebook and Twitter failed to be entertaining enough to save him from the monotony of the lecture he was seated in. From his boredom, the concept of Hallspot sprang to life, and he began to share the idea with family and friends. Did they like it? Well, we’re talking about an exclusive networking and social media platform for university students. Wouldn’t you?
Armed with enthusiasm, determination, and support, Sean decided to turn his concept into a reality. His first mission was to capture the attention of friend and fellow student Adam Tirella, who happens to be a graphic designer. Adam is now the co-founder of Hallspot. Since its conception, Hallspot’s team has grown to include 15 highly gifted undergraduates and professionals who have raised over $150,000 to fund their project and recruit top-tier talent. They even won the concept round at the Willamette Angel Conference a couple of weeks ago, which scored them another $2,500! I’d like to see you raise that much cash in 8 months!
Here’s the caveat: Sean and his sneaky Hallspot gang are keeping the details of the site’s features top secret until their launch this fall. Clever of them to bait us like that, isn’t it? And they’ve already got over 4,800 University of Oregon students on the hook who have pre-registered in anticipation of the site’s launch, mostly thanks to their “Hallspot Goes Greek” (#hallspotgoesgreek) contest: they’re giving $1,000 to the philanthropy of the house with the most members who pre-registered for Hallspot last week (update: Kappa Kappa Gamma won this contest). According to me, this automatically makes them the bee’s knees–even though it’s not like they weren’t that cool already.
If you check out their site and catch the Hallspot bug like me, you might want to like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter so that you can get the inside scoop on all of the really awesome surprises they’ve got in store for you this coming fall. I can’t tell because it’s a secret, but trust me, they have some really cool campaigns up their sleeves. And don’t go giving me any of that “secrets don’t make friends” junk, either. Don’t you watch Pretty Little Liars?
Anyhow, the bottom line is, the buzz about Hallspot is spreading like wildfire despite their secrecy. What we know for now is that Hallspot is probably going to be just as cool as we’re expecting it to be, and it’s being built by students for students. With a private portal for each campus, they’re set to launch at University of Oregon this fall (which makes sense, since we’re the most glorious campus in all the land), and if all goes well, they’ll expand their reach to include the rest of the PAC-12. After that, Hallspot goes nationwide. This is kind of a big deal, ladies, so I highly suggest you get in on the action and pre-register now!