CT Holdings, (fka CTHS)

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The Media is picking up College Tonight everywhere.
http://media.www.thequindecim.com/media/storage/paper618/news/2008/03/28/AE/Young.Entrepreneurs.Say.Good.Night.To.Facebook.Hello.To.Life-3293773-page2.shtml
Young entrepreneurs say good night to Facebook, hello to life
By: Bianca Merbaum
Posted: 3/28/08
When my grandmother "friended" me on Facebook, it was obvious that the "FB" fad as we knew it was over. My grandmother, who still believes in ancient remedies such as pouring hot olive oil in your ear to cure an ache, just doesn't seem to fit in with the wall-posting, photo-uploading mania that has swept over our generation.

Sure, there's nothing wrong with Facebook becoming a ubiquitous network, but remember the days when we didn't have to limit our profiles, or 'untag' photos of friends hugging toilet seats at the peak of a drunken moment?

For young entrepreneurs Zack Suchin and Jason Schutzbank, the time has come to take online socializing to the next level.

Their solution: "College Tonight," an exclusive college-only network, which has just added Goucher to its network of 114 other national colleges and universities.

The site's motto, "Get on, Get up, Get out" is a catchy phrase that drives home the difference between them and Facebook: it's all about getting the information you need, logging off, and hitting up the "real world" to meet people instead of stalking them on the internet.

"I [initially] joined Facebook because I wanted to look at pictures of girls and look at people gossiping. We want to reinvent what people understand social networking to be. It's become so anti-social. It's an amazing opportunity, but it doesn't promote social mobility," said Suchin, who ran an amateur/underground version of College Tonight during his years as an undergraduate at Emory University.

By creating a College Tonight free account students can friend any club, bar, or venue within proximity of the campus or beyond to receive updates on promotions, upcoming events, or night specials. Students can also post information on their profile's "Social Ticker," informing their "Entourage" or general crowd about upcoming parties, concerts, and other social events on and off campus and mark their plans in their online "Datebook." Students can also download their contact lists to their mobile phones in order to make plans and meet up.

"My goal is not to update people on the latest book of nonfiction I'm reading," said Suchin, "it's about going out and meeting people."

Although the idea of face-to-face interaction through online networks has a history for bringing out desperate creeps and pedophiles, the primary focus of College Tonight, according to Suchin is its privacy. Schools are added to the network through an intricate resource process that looks at the wealth, revenue, and affluence of the actual school, as well as the interconnectivity of neighboring institutions.

The site is mainly for "the trendsetters and the tastemakers," said Suchin. "As unfair as it may seem, we want to make sure people have a community where they can freely express themselves," said Suchin.
"We are never ever going to expand beyond the college demographic - it's a wonderful, rewarding group of people."

There are several playful additions to the site that add a young, college character, such as the "Drunk Dial" messaging service, that gives students the chance to "unsend" trashed rambles and avoid a life of regret.

Other quirks of the site include the "After Hours" hub, for posting Lost and Found announcements, such as "Mike lost his sanity," or "Simon found his keys."

Although College Tonight is still in its rudimentary stages, Suchin and Schutzbank are excited about the pace it's picking up, and are currently launching their Campus Rep Program, seeking to hire like-minded students at each campus to work as liaisons between their college and the general promotion of the site in order to "create the sense of community that Facebook abandoned."

General students will be paid for involvement and receive internship standing with the company. © Copyright 2008 Quindecim