SectionsOnline classifieds site adds MSU
Jim Versemann
Issue date: 12/4/08 Section: News
The Internet classified site ULoop.com recently added Missouri State to its buying and selling community.
Missouri State students, staff and faculty can now list and find available housing, jobs and other local items on ULoop. The site, designed for colleges nationwide, is similar to Craigslist.com, where sellers and service providers can list their items or services, and members can directly contact each other for transactions.
Electronic resources librarian and associate professor Edward Proctor said he likes ULoop's simple design and its ease of access, when compared with printed classified ads. He said he thinks the "housing," "carpool" and "lost and found" sections could be very useful.
Proctor said Internet shopping is about price, convenience and selection, and people generally buy online because they can get things they can't find locally or can't buy as cheaply.
There was a wave of new sales sites like Craigslist and eBay during the early years of the Internet, he said. People started the sites in hopes of making money quickly.
According to ULoop's Web site, the service started in January 2007 at the University of California Santa Barbara and now includes more than 1,700 United States colleges.
Proctor said having the option to buy locally is important.
"Anything that's locally focused saves a lot of time," he said.
One drawback, Proctor said, is that ULoop is already being commercialized, which is "the same problem that has been there since the beginning (of Internet classifieds)."
Most of the Missouri State events posted on the ULoop page are shows in Branson and other areas near Springfield. There are also visual ads on the site and links to eBay pages.
Proctor said he was also concerned about a part of ULoop that allows students to sell their class notes, since he is a member of Missouri State's academic integrity council.
Chris Manion, a senior psychology major at Missouri State, said he thinks a local online classified service like ULoop is a good idea.
"It makes a lot more sense than going to a national Web site where you might have to ship something," he said.
Another benefit is convenience, Manion said, because people are much more likely to use something like ULoop, which can be accessed from a computer, than bulletin boards they have to physically go to.
Becky Lawman, a senior interior design major, said she has used Craigslist to find deals online before, but she has not used ULoop. She does her shopping locally.
"Usually, I buy stuff in stores like Wal-Mart or in thrift stores," she said.
Missouri State students, staff and faculty can now list and find available housing, jobs and other local items on ULoop. The site, designed for colleges nationwide, is similar to Craigslist.com, where sellers and service providers can list their items or services, and members can directly contact each other for transactions.
Electronic resources librarian and associate professor Edward Proctor said he likes ULoop's simple design and its ease of access, when compared with printed classified ads. He said he thinks the "housing," "carpool" and "lost and found" sections could be very useful.
Proctor said Internet shopping is about price, convenience and selection, and people generally buy online because they can get things they can't find locally or can't buy as cheaply.
There was a wave of new sales sites like Craigslist and eBay during the early years of the Internet, he said. People started the sites in hopes of making money quickly.
According to ULoop's Web site, the service started in January 2007 at the University of California Santa Barbara and now includes more than 1,700 United States colleges.
Proctor said having the option to buy locally is important.
"Anything that's locally focused saves a lot of time," he said.
One drawback, Proctor said, is that ULoop is already being commercialized, which is "the same problem that has been there since the beginning (of Internet classifieds)."
Most of the Missouri State events posted on the ULoop page are shows in Branson and other areas near Springfield. There are also visual ads on the site and links to eBay pages.
Proctor said he was also concerned about a part of ULoop that allows students to sell their class notes, since he is a member of Missouri State's academic integrity council.
Chris Manion, a senior psychology major at Missouri State, said he thinks a local online classified service like ULoop is a good idea.
"It makes a lot more sense than going to a national Web site where you might have to ship something," he said.
Another benefit is convenience, Manion said, because people are much more likely to use something like ULoop, which can be accessed from a computer, than bulletin boards they have to physically go to.
Becky Lawman, a senior interior design major, said she has used Craigslist to find deals online before, but she has not used ULoop. She does her shopping locally.
"Usually, I buy stuff in stores like Wal-Mart or in thrift stores," she said.
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