For those of you not in the “know,” I am the current News Editor and Webmaster for Colorado School of Mines The Oredigger. I usually try and write at least one article for every issue. This week I was able to write two very good articles. So enjoy what’s going on at CSM:

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TheFacebook.com Coming to Mines

Andrew Ferguson

Editors Note: This is part one of a two part article. Part two will follow shortly after CSM’s official release on TheFacebook.com.

In case you have not heard of TheFacebook.com, it’s the latest tool in social networking for college campuses. Chris Houghes, co-founder and “Press Guy” for TheFacebook, describes it as, “an online directory that connects people through social networks at colleges and universities. We wanted students to have control over what information they would like to provide to their peers’ screen names, favorite movies, classes, and friends. Thefacebook [sic] is a resource for both information and communication, but at the same time, is fun to use.”

Already implemented at over 370 schools nation-wide, including CU Boulder, CSU, Colorado State, and DU, Facebook boasts almost 1.75 million users, not bad for only being active for just over a year. Perhaps even more interesting is how fast Facebook is growing. With a quarter million new registered users each month and an additional 50 schools added, it’s only a matter of time before Facebook incorporated into the lives of all 16 million estimated college students. With all their growth, it’s no wonder Facebook has topped almost a billion-and-a-half visitors in the last 30 days. Quinn McGinnis, a Freshman at the University of Washington, estimates he spends about an hour a week on Facebook. However, McGinnis also admits that his time is atypical, with many friends he knows spending in excess of 10 hours a Facebook.

In a recent interview with MSNBC, Mark Zuckerberg, co-founder and self-proclaimed Master and Commander/Enemy of the State, briefly talked about the origins of the site, saying, “The idea for the website was motivated by a social need at Harvard to be able to identify people in other residential houses — Harvard is a fairly unfriendly place.” One week later, Facebook was born.

The premise of Facebook is simple, make finding people at your college easy. Once you find them, you can then create social groups, such as “1.50 Hotdogs at Costco” or “Do Better Things Than Watch the OC,” which should be pretty self explanatory. You can also “poke” people, which Facebook describes as a feature with “no specific purpose,” and leave comments on a users “wall.”

Within the last few weeks, rumors about Colorado School of Mines addition to TheFacebook.com have been growing. This may be part to email sent out my Freshmen Class President Spencer Alexander urging all Freshmen to email Facebook for CSM’s addition. Alexander’s reason for adding the Facebook comment in his email echo those of many other students campus wide: my friends are on Facebook and I want to be too!

Fear not, Orediggers! In a recent email correspondence with Houghes, he wrote that “CSM should be added within the next 30 days.”

So, within the next 30 days, you should be able to logon to http://www.thefacebook.com and register your account. Here is what you need to know:

When registering your account, you will need to use your @mines.edu email address. This is the way that Facebook validates the fact that you actually go to Mines. Once you’re registered, you can begin updating your profile. Basic profile information includes your Mines status (student, graduate student, alumni, faculty, or staff), year of graduation, concentration, what on-campus building you live in, birthday, home town, and high school. Extended info delves into more persons areas such as screen name, sexual interests, relationship status, political views, interests, hobbies, and the likes.

Once you begin to find friends, you can begin to leave messages for them, either in their mailbox or on their wall. You can also begin to join groups, such as the aforementioned “1.50 Hotdogs at Costco.”

Part two of this article will cover, in part, student reactions to the Mines addition to Facebook. If you have a comment or question regarding CSM’s Facebook addition, email aferguso@mines.edu.

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And now about CSM’s new broadcast club:

CSM Radio in the Works

Andrew Ferguson

Three weeks ago, Justin Regina had a great idea, start a CSM radio station. Within a week, Regina had over a dozen responses. The first meeting was very informal and went something like, “Hi, my name is Justin Regina and I want to start a radio station. What are your thoughts?” Things took off from there.

Two of the attendees immediately offered to broadcast CSM sports. Others offered to help with the technical and managerial aspects. Things were shaping up nicely for Regina’s concept. Then Stephanie Savage, a Mineral Economics graduate student, stepped into the picture and everyone turned to listen to her infinite wisdom. Between 1997 and 2002, Savage actually worked as a radio station DJ and later hosting her own show, “The Hangover Brunch,” on Saturday mornings, which even won a few awards. However, Savage did not work at just any radio station, she work at CU Boulders KUCB-FM, which later became KVCU-AM 1190, just a stones throw away from Mines.

With that, things began rolling, fast. Regina changed the focus from what the group wanted, a radio station, to what the group needed, organization. Regina suggested that the group file for status as the official CSM Radio Club. By forming a club, Regina felt that the station would have a better chance of getting off the ground. In addition to funding provided by ASCSM, a club would also be able to leverage the fact it wasn’t just a fly-by-night concept.

Next, attention turned to what to actually do when the club was finally formed. It would be far to expensive to jump straight into an over the air broadcast, thus the decision was made to start with an Internet-only broadcast. This would allow the club the iron out all the kinks while still having a far-reaching audience. The Internet-station would be run just as an over-the-air station would be, so that when the time did come to go on air, it would be a relatively seamless transition.

Regina has already made contact with several sports’ coaches who have expressed interest in a CSM radio station. Regina has also been in contact with several administrative and technical officials who, while not explicitly agreeing to the project, have indicated interest. Furthermore, Savage believes that it is reasonable that Mines could be broadcasting on the Internet within the year, however, she noted that getting on the air will prove to be a much trickier, and expensive, endeavor.

If you are interested in the CSM Radio Club, please contact Justin Regina: jregina@mines.edu

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