MSU students surfing for school help online and a little interaction with other students now have an alternative to the ever-popular www.allmsu.com.

Created exclusively for MSU students, www.TheSpartanWeb.com provides a place for students to receive help from one another with classes, rate professors, set up car-pool rides across the state, voice their opinions on issues and place ads.

Computer science freshman Kyle Mcauliffe co-owns the site, which was launched on Oct. 27.

Mcauliffe said he was interested in creating an improved Web site that had newer features than www.allmsu.com, another student-run site for MSU students.

"I saw other sites that were swamped with traffic, and this seemed like a better alternative for students," Mcauliffe said.

The Web page has a photo gallery where students can share pictures of themselves and also a book exchange for students to trade textbooks with one another to avoid bookstore prices.

The site receives more than 10,000 hits a day, and about 800 students are registered.

The new site isn't trying to compete with similar pages, Mcauliffe said, but was created to give students more options.

"People who come here seem to like it better because there is a lot of participation." Mcauliffe said.

Business marketing freshman Brandon Cushman said he enjoys the layout of the new Web page.

"I haven't explored it too much, but overall, it looks like a well-organized Web site," Cushman said.

Chris Pitz, co-owner of www.allmsu.com, said sites such as his 6-year-old Web page are created for students to interact.

"It is important for students to have a presence out there in cyber space," the finance senior said.

About 45,000 people are registered with www.allmsu.com for a reason, Pitz said.

"Students like the layout and friendliness of it, because students are behind the scenes of it," Pitz said.

But Pitz said he doesn't foresee any rivalry between the two student sites.

"I never thought of it as a competition," Pitz said. "Anything out there to help students is cool. If there are more students getting involved in the community and have something they believe in, they should definitely do it."

Marketing sophomore Lisa Lubinsky said she could have saved both money on schoolbooks and frustration about classes and professors if she had known about the site.

"Going in blind without knowing anything about the course or instructor can be a little difficult sometimes," Lubinsky said.

Mcauliffe said his new student site also provides an open forum for students to communicate and voice their opinions on various issues.

"If people want to be heard, this is the place to do it," Mcauliffe said.