Campuscentral.com - For Life Outside the Classroom

As an American that attended a Canadian university, I can personally attest that in terms of college websites, Americans have had it better- they had Facebook first, The College Life- and my friends never failed to point this out to me. Now, Canadian universities have something to brag about- Campus Central. Students from all over the country can sell books, create events, link together, share blog entries; basically, enrich their lives outside the classroom. Eventually the site will allow students to look for and rent housing. There is also a section of student-composed articles covering sports, sex, and entertainment, among other subjects.

“CampusCentral’s main purpose is to link post-secondary students across the country enabling them to buy, sell or trade textbooks with each other, search through classified listings, and most importantly, interact with each other in a community environment.”

Campus Central’s offerings may appear very similar to facebook, but Campus Central is specifically appealing to facebook’s original target audience that the website has strayed from in recent years- the college community. Moreover, Campus Central provides services that are lacking at many Canadian colleges by providing a forum for classifieds, exchange, and housing.

Can nationalism drive a website? Facebook is still ridiculously popular in Canadian universities, and I am unsure (even if Campus Central offers a housing directory) as to whether students will be fully and actively use the site’s services that overlap with those on facebook.