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On February 4th 2009 JuicyCampus released a statement stating they will no longer be able to operate due to the current economic times. Juicycampus will cease operations February 5th 2009 because of financial problems and inability to make the site profitable. "[http://www.usnews.com/blogs/paper-trail/2009/02/04/juicy-campus-will-be-shut-down.html]"
On February 4th 2009 JuicyCampus released a statement stating they will no longer be able to operate due to the current economic times. Juicycampus will cease operations February 5th 2009 because of financial problems and inability to make the site profitable. "[http://www.usnews.com/blogs/paper-trail/2009/02/04/juicy-campus-will-be-shut-down.html]"

However, another possible reason for the shutdown was a lawsuit by a [[University of Delaware]] student against the owner of the site. "[http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20090205/NEWS/90205017/-1/updates]"


==References==
==References==

Revision as of 21:35, 6 February 2009

JuicyCampus.com was a website focusing on gossip, rumors, and rants related to colleges and universities in the United States. As of February 5th, 2009, it is now defunct, having gone out of business.

The site describes itself as an enabler of "online anonymous free speech on college campuses." Through various services such as IP cloaking and offering of anonymous IP servers, it allows users to post messages and comments without possibility of identification. Readers can vote on which posts they find "juiciest," or most provocative. As of March 16, 2008 the site contains rumors for 59 colleges and universities.[1] As of October 2008, JuicyCampus has expanded to over 500 college campuses. Much of its content is related to fraternities and sororities.[1][2]

The creator of JuicyCampus, identified in a The Chronicle of Higher Education article as a Duke University alumnus named Matt Ivester,[3] described the website as within a trend of "gossip 2.0." The 2005 Duke graduate said that he sees the trend as "pretty entertaining."[1] Timothy Chester, chief information officer of Pepperdine University, described the purpose of JuicyCampus in a letter written to Google as to create a "virtual bathroom wall' for abusive, degrading, and hateful speech."[3]

History

The website began operation in August 2007[3], and was closed indefinitely on February 5, 2009 due to lack of revenue.

On December 8, 2007 from a computer at Loyola Marymount University, a student allegedly posted a threat to shoot random students on the campus' "Alumni Mall". The quote reads, "I am going to shoot and kill as many people as I can until which time I am incapacitated or killed by the police." The Los Angeles Police Department apprehended the suspect, junior civil engineering major Carlos Huerta. The police released Huerta without filing charges. The message was originally posted on the website 4chan.[4][5][6] In addition, in March 2008 an individual allegedly posted a message described by The New York Times as "wondering if he could get his classes canceled by starting a shooting spree." Police found Colgate University junior George So, arrested him, charged him with second-degree aggravated harassment, and released him on $1,000 bail.[7]

Controversy

JuicyCampus has received much media attention for not censoring the content posted by its users. CNN released an article documenting the anonymous rumors on the website and the panic supposedly felt by some students.[8]

Matt Ivester, the site's creator, has done numerous interviews defending the website.[9] Larry Moneta, the vice president for student affairs at Duke University said that when asked Ivester to moderate the website Ivester refused and indicated that he believes moderation is a unnecessary step toward censorship.[3] The Chronicle of Higher Education said that "the site revels in the publicity it gets" and that the website keeps a list of websites, including those that are critical of JuicyCampus in a blog.[3] Ivester, a 2005 Duke graduate, said on his website's official blog that "Hate isn’t juicy," and attached an exculpatory note written by his legal team.[1]

In January 2008 the undergraduate student government at Pepperdine University passed a resolution asking for a block on the site.[3][10] The administration did not enact the block. Austin Maness, a Pepperdine senior who wrote the resolution, said that he felt that the move was "a mistake" as it increased awareness of the website.[1] The administration of Pepperdine complained to Google; Daniel Rubin, a Google spokesman, said that Google removed JuicyCampus from its advertising network due to "excessive profanity." As of 2008 JuicyCampus is using another advertising network.[3] Texas Christian University students asked advertisers to not buy space on the website.[10] In November 2008, officials at High Point University requested that the website remove the school from its servers. When it refused, the University blocked the site from its campus network[11]. During the same month Tennessee State University (TSU) blocked JuicyCampus. Ivester criticized the decision and compared it to the People's Republic of China's censoring of the internet.[12] The American Civil Liberties Union criticized the decision. JuicyCampus filed a lawsuit against TSU and asked students to join the suit.[13]

In October 2008, The GW Patriot and "The Colonialist," two student blogs at The George Washington University, called for students to spam the university's JuicyCampus page in order to fill the site with irrelevant material. Their goal was to reduce the forum's popularity on campus.[14][15][16]

Several lawsuits are pending against Juicy Campus. In the case of defamation, harassment and threats to personal safety, victims are suing the website and the universities for the identification of those students responsible for the postings. Additionally, colleges and universities are pondering the expulsion of any student who uses college computers and servers for activities that violate the student code of conduct in addition to criminal acts with college property.

As of January 2009, JuicyCampus has been removed from the Assumption College internet.

On February 4th 2009 JuicyCampus released a statement stating they will no longer be able to operate due to the current economic times. Juicycampus will cease operations February 5th 2009 because of financial problems and inability to make the site profitable. "[1]"

However, another possible reason for the shutdown was a lawsuit by a University of Delaware student against the owner of the site. "[2]"

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "A Crash Course in Online Gossip." The New York Times. 1.
  2. ^ "Web site features campus gossip".
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Young, Jeffrey R. "How to Combat a Campus Gossip Web Site (and Why You Shouldn't)." The Chronicle of Higher Education. March 17, 2008.
  4. ^ Nader Alsheikh (December 8, 2007). "Shooting threat suspect aprehended". Retrieved 2007-12-10.
  5. ^ Associated Press (December 9, 2007). "Student arrested after threats to attack campus". Retrieved 2007-12-10.
  6. ^ "Cleaning up the Juice". Los Angeles Loyolan. Retrieved 2008-01-18.
  7. ^ "A Crash Course in Online Gossip." The New York Times. 2.
  8. ^ "College Web site posts sex gossip, hate, rumor," CNN
  9. ^ "Online campus gossips won't show their faces." CNN.
  10. ^ a b Fisher, Marc. "Dorm Gossip Turns Slimy on the Internet." The Washington Post. March 2, 2008 2.
  11. ^ Nelson, Katie (November 21, 2008). "Website spreads slander about students". Retrieved 2008-12-26.
  12. ^ Young, Jeffrey R. "JuicyCampus Is Blocked on 2 Campuses, and Gossipers on Another Face a Lawsuit." The Chronicle of Higher Education. Thursday November 20, 2008. Retrieved on December 27, 2008.
  13. ^ Martin, Jonathan. "College Gossip Site Sues TSU." WSMV-TV. December 10, 2008. Retrieved on December 27, 2008.
  14. ^ "Engaging JuicyCampus," The GW Patriot.
  15. ^ "How To Defeat JuicyCampus," The Colonialist.
  16. ^ Mancinik, Joe and Nathan Grossman. "New gossip Web site draws concern." GW Hatchet. October 9, 2008.
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