Alumnus tries to take over Internet social networking

Look out, Facebook. Ryan Alovis plans to take over the Internet networking market.\nWith the relaunch of his Web site, www.dirtymascot.com, a week and a half to two weeks away, the IU alumnus hopes to give college students a different way to network online.\n"Dirtymascot.com is a very edgy, innovative Web site that basically bridges the gap between photos, gossip, humor and music," Alovis said. "Facebook is just a boring Web site, and I think that it's ready to be rocked and taken over."\nThe purpose of DirtyMascot is not like that of Facebook. Alovis plans to send photographers to universities across the country to take pictures of students while they're at clubs and bars. After their picture is taken, the photographer gives them a card that tells the people how to look up their picture the next day.\nThe Web site will also feature numerous gossip and humor articles, and users can listen to music that Alovis' DJs create. Alovis also hired gossip writer Greg Littley to write the articles to what Littley calls "the frat boy view of the gossip landscape."\n"There's a substantial amount of humor articles," Alovis said. "It could be funny articles about college kids going out and throwing up everywhere. All that fun stuff."\nTo view the photographs, users must submit information, including their e-mail, school, age and gender. However, the articles and music are accessible without registering.\nAfter graduating from IU's School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Alovis conceived the idea of creating DirtyMascot when he visited the bar and club scene in New York City.\n"In every bar and every club, there's always a photographer taking pictures and handing out cards," Alovis said. "This does not exist in the college world. It's totally untapped and totally a resource that should be utilized."\nAs Alovis was in the final stages of creating DirtyMascot, he hired Littley to write the gossip and humor articles. Littley, a former freelance reporter, said Alovis' enthusiasm for the project won him over.\nOne of Alovis' mentors was SPEA professor Orville Powell. Alovis said Powell played an important role in making him a better student and speaker and ultimately led him to create DirtyMascot.\n"I enjoyed Ryan both as a friend and as a student," Powell said. "He was always full of energy with a new idea every time he came into my office. I know Ryan will make it big as a businessman."\nThough the Internet market is dominated by Facebook and MySpace, Alovis said he believes that the average college student will buy into DirtyMascot because it's an entirely new concept.\n"The reason why it's so cool is because we make fun of ourselves," Alovis said. "We use self-deprecating humor. We don't have to be the biggest boys in the game, and we don't want to be Facebook. We don't want to be anything close to Facebook."\nBoth Alovis and Littley said the purpose of the Web site is to give college students the humor that Facebook stays away from. While he said he is enthusiastic and excited for the Web site, he is somewhat concerned with the reaction it will draw.\n"Hopefully with vanity being the only thing stale in this world, DirtyMascot should surely take off," Alovis said. "Everything just ties together, and it's a big party. Hopefully everyone comes out, gets drunk and enjoys my party"