Daily Jolt functions as campus forum
Kim Zamastil
Issue date: 8/17/03 Section: News
Students looking for information, opinions and humor need not leave their desks because the Truman Daily Jolt Web site offers all that and more.
The Daily Jolt is a Boston-based network of 101 college Web sites that reach more than 105,000 users monthly, according to the national Daily Jolt Media Kit. A few full-time staff members are in charge of the network, but students run each individual campus site. Truman's edition of the Daily Jolt can be accessed at
www.truman.dailyjolt.com.
Truman graduate Josh Spiegel is one of six students who maintain and update the Truman site about once a week.
He said use of the site is increasing with about 650 people going to the site each day and viewing 7,000 pages.
The Daily Jolt is not a commercial venture, though it does turn a profit. The money is used to advertise or is donated to charity, Spiegel said. Last year, the Daily Jolt made about $60.
The Web site offers a variety of services to students, including a ride board, where students can post if they need a ride home; a housing board; restaurant reviews; news and weather; a finals scheduler; campus events and links to relevant Web sites, such as the popular www.teacherreviews.com.
The site is not strictly practical, however. The "front page" features amusing student and professor quotes and a weekly poll.
The most popular feature of the site is the Truman Forum, Spiegel said.
The site features three forums for Truman students: the Truman Forum, the Student Senate Forum and the Truman Alumni Forum, along with a variety of nationwide forums.
"It's a convenient way to talk to people on campus that you otherwise wouldn't talk to," he said. "You can post anonymously, so people are unrestrained. That can be good or bad."
Some posts can be personal. Student Senate President junior Michael Shelton asked that the Student Senate Forum be removed from the site because of personal attacks on Senate members. Citing free speech, the Daily Jolt staff declined to do so, Spiegel said, although the staff will remove malicious posts on an individual basis.
Shelton said he thinks the Web site as a whole is useful, but the forums need to be modified to make them less spiteful.
"Nothing constructive seems to come out of [the forum], and it degrades on an annual basis [at the time of Student Senate elections] into nothing more than an anonymous name-calling contest," he said.
Shelton said users of the Forum should take more advantage of their ability to report offensive posts to the Daily Jolt staff to get them removed.
Sophomore Phil Campbell said he visits the Daily Jolt once or twice a week.
"I really enjoy the outlet to connect with other students and find out their opinions," he said.
The Daily Jolt is a Boston-based network of 101 college Web sites that reach more than 105,000 users monthly, according to the national Daily Jolt Media Kit. A few full-time staff members are in charge of the network, but students run each individual campus site. Truman's edition of the Daily Jolt can be accessed at
www.truman.dailyjolt.com.
Truman graduate Josh Spiegel is one of six students who maintain and update the Truman site about once a week.
He said use of the site is increasing with about 650 people going to the site each day and viewing 7,000 pages.
The Daily Jolt is not a commercial venture, though it does turn a profit. The money is used to advertise or is donated to charity, Spiegel said. Last year, the Daily Jolt made about $60.
The Web site offers a variety of services to students, including a ride board, where students can post if they need a ride home; a housing board; restaurant reviews; news and weather; a finals scheduler; campus events and links to relevant Web sites, such as the popular www.teacherreviews.com.
The site is not strictly practical, however. The "front page" features amusing student and professor quotes and a weekly poll.
The most popular feature of the site is the Truman Forum, Spiegel said.
The site features three forums for Truman students: the Truman Forum, the Student Senate Forum and the Truman Alumni Forum, along with a variety of nationwide forums.
"It's a convenient way to talk to people on campus that you otherwise wouldn't talk to," he said. "You can post anonymously, so people are unrestrained. That can be good or bad."
Some posts can be personal. Student Senate President junior Michael Shelton asked that the Student Senate Forum be removed from the site because of personal attacks on Senate members. Citing free speech, the Daily Jolt staff declined to do so, Spiegel said, although the staff will remove malicious posts on an individual basis.
Shelton said he thinks the Web site as a whole is useful, but the forums need to be modified to make them less spiteful.
"Nothing constructive seems to come out of [the forum], and it degrades on an annual basis [at the time of Student Senate elections] into nothing more than an anonymous name-calling contest," he said.
Shelton said users of the Forum should take more advantage of their ability to report offensive posts to the Daily Jolt staff to get them removed.
Sophomore Phil Campbell said he visits the Daily Jolt once or twice a week.
"I really enjoy the outlet to connect with other students and find out their opinions," he said.