As TuftsLife.com finishes up its inaugural year, its creators have many reasons to consider their venture a successful one. Through the website, students can find out what's for dinner at Dewick, read Tufts news, or get that elusive Mail Services phone number so they can check on a package without actually walking to the Hill Hall basement.
And those obsessive students out there - you know them, they're the ones that log on to Instant Messenger from their cell phones after every class - must be happy with the newest feature of TuftsLife.com. It's gone mobile.
Touting the mobile edition as "the latest service from TuftsLife.com," founder and Chief Technology Officer Mike Masterman has made Tufts' central information system even more accessible. The software, which is compatible with the Palm, Windows CE, and Pocket PC operating systems, automatically updates each time the PDA (personal digital assistant) synchronizes with the user's home computer.
Believe it or not, the feature has elicited real demand. "Since the beginning, we have received requests for a portable version of TuftsLife.com," Masterman said. "In fact, Mobile Edition has been on our 'to-do' list since our site was initially launched."
While it is too early for reliable information on the number of downloads, Masterman estimates that there have been about 50 since the option was introduced last Thursday.
Sophomore Adam Goodman, owner of a Palm V, has put the TuftsLife.com mobile edition on his handheld and, so far, he likes it. "I think it's a great improvement for TuftsLife," he said.
Goodman, whose friends who also use the service on their own handhelds, wished that more of the information available on TuftsLife.com was also available on the mobile edition. He realizes, however, that the technology has its limitations. "I guess they could have [added] the directory, but it would be huge memory-wise," Goodman said.
The mobile edition, while indeed lacking the directory, still offers Tufts news, the campus calendar, dining hall menus, and other features.
Senior Kezia Duchatellier hasn't used the mobile edition yet, but plans to "give it a shot."
"I'm not sure how it really works yet, but I think TuftsLife.com is very useful," she said. Assuming some key information - such as transportation schedules - are available on the mobile edition, Duchatellier believes the service could be a great tool.
After a summer of planning and designing, TuftsLife.com was launched last fall. It was recognized as a student organization by the Tufts Community Union Judiciary (TCUJ), a necessary step in order to receiving student activity funding. TuftsLife.com needed this money to defray operating costs and to promote the page to students.
The page was created to form a one-stop-shop for all things Tufts-related. Some students find that searching for general information through the main Tufts site (www.tufts.edu) can be frustrating, since phone numbers and specific web sites are found buried within individual department pages.
As well as easy access to Tufts information, TuftsLife.com offers users the option of customizing the page on their own computers with a section for user-definable links. There is outside information as well, including Medford weather and stock and sports updates.
While Masterman won't comment on any upcoming technological expansions for the site, he promises there are more features on the horizon. Many ideas come from students and faculty, from which the site receives upwards of 30 emails a week. Usually, these suggestions mention options that are in the works, leading the team to believe that the site is meeting students' needs.
