JuicyCampus
Encyclopedia
JuicyCampus.com was a website focusing on gossip
, rumor
s, and rants related to college
s and universities
in the United States
. As of February 5, 2009, it is out of business, and its website now redirects to its blog.
JuicyCampus described itself as an enabler of "online anonymous free speech on college
campuses." Through strict privacy policies, it allowed users to post messages and comments without having to worry about identification. Readers were able to vote on which posts they found "juiciest," or most provocative. As of March 16, 2008 the site contained rumors for 59 colleges and universities. By October 2008, JuicyCampus had expanded to over 500 college campuses. Much of its content was related to fraternities and sororities
.
The creator of JuicyCampus, identified in an article in The Chronicle of Higher Education
as a Duke University
alumnus named Matt Ivester, described the website as within a trend of "gossip 2.0," which he sees as "pretty entertaining." 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."
It was initially launched on just seven campuses (Duke University, Loyola Marymount University, UNC, USC, Pepperdine, UCLA and College of Charleston).
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 read, "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. The police released the suspect without filing charges. The message was originally posted on the website 4chan
.
released an article documenting the anonymous rumors on the website and the panic supposedly felt by some students.
Matt Ivester, the site's creator, has done numerous interviews defending the website. Larry Moneta, the vice president for student affairs at Duke University said that when he asked Ivester to moderate the website Ivester refused and indicated that he believes moderation is an unnecessary step toward censorship. 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
. Ivester, a 2005 Duke graduate, said on his website's official blog that "Hate isn’t juicy," encouraging users to think carefully about what they were writing and whether their posts were entertaining or just plain mean.
In January 2008 the undergraduate student government at Pepperdine University
passed a resolution asking for a block on the site. 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. 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
." By January, 2008, JuicyCampus moved to another advertising network. Texas Christian University
students asked advertisers to not buy space on the website. In November 2008, officials at High Point University
requested that the website remove the school from its servers. When JuicyCampus refused, the University blocked the site from its campus network. 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
. The American Civil Liberties Union
criticized the decision. JuicyCampus filed a lawsuit against TSU and asked students to join the suit.
In October 2008, The GW Patriot and "The Colonialist," two student-run publications 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.
Throughout its tumultuous life Juicy Campus itself was never sued for its content. Moreover, the site was never forced to reveal a user's IP address as a result of a claim of defamation.
On February 4, 2009, JuicyCampus released a statement stating the website will no longer be able to operate due to economic conditions. Juicycampus ceased operations on February 5, 2009 because of financial problems, specifically an inability to turn a profit.
Gossip
Gossip is idle talk or rumour, especially about the personal or private affairs of others, It is one of the oldest and most common means of sharing facts and views, but also has a reputation for the introduction of errors and variations into the information transmitted...
, rumor
Rumor
A rumor or rumour is often viewed as "an unverified account or explanation of events circulating from person to person and pertaining to an object, event, or issue in public concern" However, a review of the research on rumor conducted by Pendleton in 1998 found that research across sociology,...
s, and rants related to college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
s and universities
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. As of February 5, 2009, it is out of business, and its website now redirects to its blog.
JuicyCampus described itself as an enabler of "online anonymous free speech on college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
campuses." Through strict privacy policies, it allowed users to post messages and comments without having to worry about identification. Readers were able to vote on which posts they found "juiciest," or most provocative. As of March 16, 2008 the site contained rumors for 59 colleges and universities. By October 2008, JuicyCampus had expanded to over 500 college campuses. Much of its content was related to fraternities and sororities
Fraternities and sororities
Fraternities and sororities are fraternal social organizations for undergraduate students. In Latin, the term refers mainly to such organizations at colleges and universities in the United States, although it is also applied to analogous European groups also known as corporations...
.
The creator of JuicyCampus, identified in an article in The Chronicle of Higher Education
The Chronicle of Higher Education
The Chronicle of Higher Education is a newspaper and website that presents news, information, and jobs for college and university faculty, staff members and administrators....
as a Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
alumnus named Matt Ivester, described the website as within a trend of "gossip 2.0," which he sees as "pretty entertaining." Timothy Chester, chief information officer of Pepperdine University
Pepperdine University
Pepperdine University is an independent, private, medium-sized university affiliated with the Churches of Christ. The university's campus overlooking the Pacific Ocean in unincorporated Los Angeles County, California, United States, near Malibu, is the location for Seaver College, the School of...
, described the purpose of JuicyCampus in a letter written to Google
Google
Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
as to create a "virtual bathroom
Bathroom
A bathroom is a room for bathing in containing a bathtub and/or a shower and optionally a toilet, a sink/hand basin/wash basin and possibly also a bidet....
wall' for abusive, degrading, and hateful speech."
History
The website began operation in August 2007, and was closed indefinitely on February 5, 2009 due to lack of revenue.It was initially launched on just seven campuses (Duke University, Loyola Marymount University, UNC, USC, Pepperdine, UCLA and College of Charleston).
On December 8, 2007 from a computer at Loyola Marymount University
Loyola Marymount University
Loyola Marymount University is a comprehensive co-educational private Roman Catholic university in the Jesuit and Marymount traditions located in Los Angeles, California, United States...
, a student allegedly posted a threat to shoot random students on the campus' "Alumni Mall". The quote read, "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
Los Angeles Police Department
The Los Angeles Police Department is the police department of the city of Los Angeles, California. With just under 10,000 officers and more than 3,000 civilian staff, covering an area of with a population of more than 4.1 million people, it is the third largest local law enforcement agency in...
apprehended the suspect. The police released the suspect without filing charges. The message was originally posted on the website 4chan
4chan
4chan is an English-language imageboard website. Launched on October 1, 2003, its boards were originally used for the posting of pictures and discussion of manga and anime...
.
Controversy
JuicyCampus has received much media attention for not censoring the content posted by its users. CNNCNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
released an article documenting the anonymous rumors on the website and the panic supposedly felt by some students.
Matt Ivester, the site's creator, has done numerous interviews defending the website. Larry Moneta, the vice president for student affairs at Duke University said that when he asked Ivester to moderate the website Ivester refused and indicated that he believes moderation is an unnecessary step toward censorship. 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
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
. Ivester, a 2005 Duke graduate, said on his website's official blog that "Hate isn’t juicy," encouraging users to think carefully about what they were writing and whether their posts were entertaining or just plain mean.
In January 2008 the undergraduate student government at Pepperdine University
Pepperdine University
Pepperdine University is an independent, private, medium-sized university affiliated with the Churches of Christ. The university's campus overlooking the Pacific Ocean in unincorporated Los Angeles County, California, United States, near Malibu, is the location for Seaver College, the School of...
passed a resolution asking for a block on the site. 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. The administration of Pepperdine complained to Google
Google
Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
; Daniel Rubin, a Google spokesman, said that Google removed JuicyCampus from its advertising network due to "excessive profanity
Profanity
Profanity is a show of disrespect, or a desecration or debasement of someone or something. Profanity can take the form of words, expressions, gestures, or other social behaviors that are socially constructed or interpreted as insulting, rude, vulgar, obscene, desecrating, or other forms.The...
." By January, 2008, JuicyCampus moved to another advertising network. Texas Christian University
Texas Christian University
Texas Christian University is a private, coeducational university located in Fort Worth, Texas, United States and founded in 1873. TCU is affiliated with, but not governed by, the Disciples of Christ...
students asked advertisers to not buy space on the website. In November 2008, officials at High Point University
High Point University
High Point University is a private liberal arts university in High Point, North Carolina, USA, affiliated with the United Methodist Church.- Beginnings :...
requested that the website remove the school from its servers. When JuicyCampus refused, the University blocked the site from its campus network. During the same month Tennessee State University
Tennessee State University
Tennessee State University is a land-grant university located in Nashville, Tennessee. TSU is the only state-funded historically black university in Tennessee.-History:...
(TSU) blocked JuicyCampus. Ivester criticized the decision and compared it to the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
's censoring of the internet
Internet censorship in the People's Republic of China
Internet censorship in the People's Republic of China is conducted under a wide variety of laws and administrative regulations. There are no specific laws or regulations which the censorship follows...
. The American Civil Liberties Union
American Civil Liberties Union
The American Civil Liberties Union is a U.S. non-profit organization whose stated mission is "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States." It works through litigation, legislation, and...
criticized the decision. JuicyCampus filed a lawsuit against TSU and asked students to join the suit.
In October 2008, The GW Patriot and "The Colonialist," two student-run publications at The George Washington University, called for students to spam
Spam (electronic)
Spam is the use of electronic messaging systems to send unsolicited bulk messages indiscriminately...
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.
Throughout its tumultuous life Juicy Campus itself was never sued for its content. Moreover, the site was never forced to reveal a user's IP address as a result of a claim of defamation.
On February 4, 2009, JuicyCampus released a statement stating the website will no longer be able to operate due to economic conditions. Juicycampus ceased operations on February 5, 2009 because of financial problems, specifically an inability to turn a profit.
External links
- JuicyCampus (Archive)
- Official JuicyCampus Blog - Blogspot
- Juicy Campus at The ChronicleThe Chronicle (Duke University)The Chronicle is a daily student newspaper at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. The Chronicle was first published as The Trinity Chronicle on December 19, 1905. The paper's name was changed to The Chronicle when Trinity College was renamed Duke University following a donation by James...
(Duke UniversityDuke UniversityDuke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
) - Web site causes controversy on campuses. The Review of University of DelawareUniversity of DelawareThe university is organized into seven colleges:* College of Agriculture and Natural Resources* College of Arts and Sciences* Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics* College of Earth, Ocean and Environment* College of Education and Human Development...