A new campus has sprung up in Southwest Virginia, designed to connect college students with all the resources they need to make their university days easier.

BigLickU.com is a social networking site aimed at connecting the 50,000 college students in Southwest Virginia through information, entertainment and advertising. Set up like a faux university, the site features various college-themed resources, like the "dining hall," which contains directories and reviews of restaurants and on-campus dining, as well as user-generated receipes; the "residence hall," which has directories and reviews of apartment communities and dorms; the "athletics center," which includes information about intercollegiate, club and intramural sports teams; the "quad," showcasing area bands, entertainment venues and games; the "study lounge," housing professor and class reviews; and the "student life center," featuring student-written news and features, information on campus organizations, directories of local non-profits and government agencies and a career center.

Coming soon to campus is the "bookstore," which will have directories and reviews of local providers of goods and services, as well as campus' free classified listings in the Blu.eXchange.

The site is open to the public, but only users who register with a verified .edu email address can participate. Content on BigLickU.com is almost entirely created by college students, faculty and staff. The goal is to give students, clubs, sports teams and administrators the ability to share information with their campus, their community and other campuses within the region. Users manage their information on their "planners" and can learn about other users on their "dorm rooms."

"The idea is Facebook meets Citysearch meets Craigslist meets campus paper," said Dan Wheeler, director of digital media for The Roanoke Times and roanoke.com and an officer of BigLickU.com.

All of the content is free, and the site is entirely supported by advertising revenue.

"The BigLickU.com population is a key market for our advertisers," said Chris Winston, provost and general manager of BigLickU.com. "Students spend their money on food, shopping and entertainment, so BigLickU.com is a place for advertisers to connect with this crucial audience."

BigLickU.com takes its name from the City of Roanoke's original name. The site is aimed at students at Ferrum College, Hollins University, Radford University, Roanoke College, Virginia Tech, New River Community College, and Virginia Western Community College.

"Since BigLickU.com will cover such a  wide area, we will focus on topics that unite these students, and our stories will center around universal themes of college life," said Winston. "Extensive ratings and reviews will make our site a must-stop for these students."

Beyond delivering a Web-based community, BigLickU.com is also aimed at getting students away from their computers and involved in the "real" world, so BigLickU.com will sponsor events, from concerts and movies to community service and sporting events.

BigLickU.com is a product of Times World Corp., a subsidiary of Landmark Communications, a privately-held Virginia-based company.

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