Facebook and MySpace are the instant networking giants for most college students. Status updates, upcoming events and recently up-loaded photos have become a generational obsession. But now these sites have competition.

What started off as a creative class assignment may have launched a new networking giant exclusively for the UTSA community.

Senior business majors Javier Cosme, Mathew J. Sanchez, Marcus A. Canedo, Amanda Wilkinson, Anthony T. Porter along with alumnus Allen A. Thornton came together to create a Social College Network of Exchange.

“In Dr. Anita Leffel’s entrepreneurship class, we were given a post-it note with the instruction to create a value with this post-it note. There are many different kinds of value, and we wanted to create something that could create every type of value, not just monetary.

“We all at one point had sold something to another college student, plus, we wanted to have a way for people to interact with each other when it came to partying. So Roadrunnerexchange.com was born,” Thornton said.

The Roadrunner Exchange is composed of seven different sections. The Rowdy List section allows students to buy and sell books, look for transportation or even find a roommate. The organization section makes it easy for students to interact with other organizations to find information about joining and on upcoming events.

The party section displays lists of parties and their location. The calendar section allows anyone to post campus events, like fundraisers and meeting times. There is even a section for the frugal shopper: the drink special section. This section not only posts drink specials but also restaurant specials, store specials and printable coupons.

At the hangout section students can chat with other students about sports and current events. It’s a convenient way to find the highlights of the events you may have missed. To be eligible to post, you have to create a profile. The Roadrunner Exchange is free and funded by the advertisers.

“The Web site is helpful because it takes many different aspects of college life and puts them together in one convenient place. We really intended Rowdy’s List as a way for people to generate some extra money. You can sell your tutoring services, cds, unwanted clothing, transportation, electronics or anything you can think of to put some extra cash in your pocket,” Thornton said.

Roadrunner Exchange has a membership of more than 200 students. By the end of December, the site had over 200,000 hits. The increased awareness of the site has caused a steady membership that is continually growing. The more students use the Web site, the more free items and coupons are rewarded.

“I think it’s a great way to not only stay connected, but also a great way to help support each other,” junior education major, Jessica Ogren said.

What is the true value of a post-it note? The six founders of the Roadrunner Exchange site discovered the value was more than just monetary. The students were unaware that their post -it note had the potential to link the campus socially, academically and economically.

“This is an excellent resource for students at UTSA. People just need to know that it is there and utilize it. With this Web site, the university involvement can be increased as well as people’s overall campus experience,” Thornton said.