A new Web site titled “The Big Man on Campus” is now available to browse on the Internet.

The authors of the page, Aaron Whitney and Todd Palowski, are both December 1997 Iowa State graduates. Whitney received a degree in psychology and Palowski graduated in transportation and logistics.

The site, launched on Monday, will include information and advertising from many Ames businesses.

The idea was spurred by a project in Palowski’s English 302 class, during which the students created a book-exchange Web site for students.

Palowski talked with Whitney about expanding the idea to the city of Ames, and they decided to also include classified ads, bar specials and concerts.

“We wanted to bring Ames to the Internet,” Palowski said.

Initially, 40 companies will be included on the site, with advertising and information about the businesses. For example, a restaurant on the page has a main page featuring specials, hours of operation, the telephone number and an icon that takes the viewer to a complete menu.

Companies can also post up to four coupons on the page and change them monthly.

Types of companies on the “BMOC” page include drinking establishments, bakeries, coffee houses, flower shops and movie theaters.

“There are about 25 categories that we are trying to get companies under; we have about 15 now,” Palowski said.

Also on the site are classified ads, a chat line/message board, and in April, there will be a textbook exchange where students can list their books to sell. The classifieds and book exchange will be free for advertisers.

“This is something new,” Palowski said. “We didn’t see any other companies like it.”

Whitney and Palowski thought Ames would be a good town to try their idea.

However, they do not want people to be misled by the name.

“We want to emphasize the name may suggest that it is student oriented, but we’re really trying to bring in the entire community,” Whitney said. “We like the fact that this is a campus town with a captive audience.”

Work on the site began in January when the team recruited businesses. To entice businesses, Whitney and Palowski had an introductory offer — the first month was free.

“We felt it was necessary for a large number of businesses to be on there, so when people log on, they see it’s worthwhile,” Palowski said.

The company is still evaluating its pricing procedures, but ideas have been formed about how it will charge businesses.

“There will be a membership fee, plus a charge per hit as opposed to a flat monthly fee,” Palowski said. Whitney and Palowski believe it would not be fair to charge the same fee for one company that gets a lot of exposure while another company does not.

The response they got from local businesses was more than they expected.

“We were overwhelmed by the response. We originally planned on launching it in mid-February,” Palowski said.

To hype their new company, Palowski and Whitney hope to have a float in the Veishea parade. They are counting on word-of-mouth exposure, and are selling t-shirts and hats online.

“Our goal is to bring all Ames community businesses to the site,” Palowski said.

Whitney and Palowski said Ames businesses that do opt to advertise with their company benefit, because they won’t have to pay high costs for developing their own Web site and they don’t have to know a lot about the Internet.

“The one central Web site is kind of a neat thing. All the advertising benefits each other — a ‘collaborative ad,'” Palowski said.

“We’re encouraging businesses to tell us new information,” he said. “They will make sure the site is updated monthly, if not weekly, to keep it fresh.”

Though Whitney works at Pella as a sales account representative, and Palowski is a distribution management assistant for General Mills in Buffalo, N.Y., they have hired people in Ames to maintain the site.

“I hope after finding out the response from Ames, if it were to succeed, I’m interested in doing this as my full time job,” Palowski said.

Currently, they work on the site at night after work and in their spare time.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen,” Whitney said. “I’ll take it as it comes.”

After Monday’s launch, the pair advertised the site with fliers throughout campus. Also, all of the companies on the site will have a window placard and information cards at cash registers for customers to take and remember the address.

They are also members of the Visitor’s Convention Bureau, and the site will be promoted in the Ames visitor’s guide.

If the site does succeed in Ames, Whitney and Palowski plan to take the idea to other communities.

“By starting in our home community, we have a good taste in what people are looking for,” Palowski said. “We’ll work out the kinks and difficulties in Ames and expand to who knows what.”

When the site is launched, they hope to add more businesses each week to spur interest and keep browsers coming back.

“We’ll be expanding all the time and looking to add new businesses,” Whitney said.

The address for the “BMOC” Web site is http://www.thebmoc.com.