As of Nov. 6 Carleton is home to a new social networking site, “Gossip U,” that allows students to post anonymously on topics ranging from sports to campus gossip.

Justin Murray, the site’s creator and promoter, Graham Reid, site manager, and Patryk Dawidowski, who posts anonymously, said they wanted to “create an outlet for people to . . . socialize and network with other university students.”

Some members are posting in a Gossip Girl-style response, signing their posts with “xoxo.”

“We knew that some girls would want to do that,” Murray said.

The group said they believe as time goes by people will start posting more seriously.

Murray and Dawidowski explained the gossip their site refers to is “in the sense of what’s happening around people and what people are talking about, not in a negative term.”

The group is going to set up a rating system for posts where posts will be rated for validity to encourage truthfulness.

Personal safety is a major issue. Reid said he monitors the site on a regular basis to enforce a zero-tolerance policy. Any members found bullying will face temporary or permanent suspension from the site.

When registering, students require a Carleton e-mail account. Students must agree not to “post any abusive, obscene, vulgar, slanderous, hateful, threatening, sexually-orientated . . . material” in terms of use.

Marianne Poirier, a first-year public affairs and policy management major, said she is concerned. “If you don’t join the site people could still be able to write about you and you couldn’t defend yourself,” she said.

“It could turn into a cyber-bullying situation, people could start posting things about other people — it depends on who uses it,” said Andrea Smith, a first-year English major.

University staff members are also encouraged to log on and share events with their classes.

“It’s going to take some time for people to go on and not be shy,” Reid said, “[But they] are always adapting the site so it is the best we can possibly make it.”

The site administrators walked a peer through the site and its safety policy, after being approached with concerns.

If administration is curious about the site, creators will listen and try to accommodate what they want to a certain degree, Reid said.

“We feel that we are separate from the school and will make a positive impact,” Murray said. The admins said they hope the site will become a place for prospective students to hear “unbiased ideas of what first year is like.”

The site already has more than 200 members and 130 posts, a result that its creators said surprised them.