Alumni offer an online resource to local nightlife

Make space for a live website that opens the doors and gives visuals into the night life atmosphere of the local bars in town.

Barspace.tv is a new website designed by two SSU alumni whose entrepreneurial skills have given them the opportunity to launch a website angled towards the lives of college students and their adventures at night.

This website offers features such as: instant live camera access to the most popular clubs and bars in Petaluma, Cotati and Santa Rosa, a calendar of events including menus, printable vouchers for discounts on admission into venues and drinks, and a text message system that will keep members updated with the nightlife occurring at the chosen venue.

"As a student, it is always a question of what club will be the most fun and crowded, now it is possible to not rely on a friend or wait in line just to be disappointed to see that a club or bar is half empty. This brings partying to a new level," said student Oscar Gutierrez.

This site also offers the ability to meet other club goers to talk and send messages, similar to other sites such as MySpace and Facebook.

There is a list of all clubs in the local area with their operating hours, description of themed nights, and an art gallery revealing the visual of how each venue appears and is set up. There are also options to leave comments and become patrons of the venues of anyone's choosing.

"A year and a half ago we wanted to go out, and we wished we had a web camera. We thought if every bar had that, it would be such a good idea," said Barspace.tv founders, Peter Viviani and Michael Deignan.

Both young gentlemen are alumni of Sonoma State University. They both graduated last spring semester as business administration majors with a concentration in marketing.

They began working on this idea about 18 months ago.

In most of their classes their professors allowed them to present on their new business plan and intertwined it with their course of study.

Since then, they have been working on getting their business off the ground by presenting their idea to local venues and installing camera devices once the owners of the venues agree on a consensus with their terms and conditions. They have already launched their website advertising at Spanky's Bar and Friar Tucks Pub, just to name a few.

"The School of Business and Economics is proud of what Peter and Michael have accomplished and is very excited about their opportunity for success. Their business is an exemplar of the experience we would like for all of our students," said Dr. Bill Silver, Dean of the School of Business and Economics. "They developed a business plan as SSU students, applied their business course material to strengthen the idea, and vetted it before faculty, student peers and business leaders. It is great to see business school graduates start a local business."

There are also some questions and concerns about the new website. Students are worried that they will not have privacy and that this will be another way of keeping a track on students.

Deignan and Viviani both explained that they adjust the sharpness on the cameras that they install into the venues and it is not for surveillance or stalking purposes.

The cameras give the ability to tell gender differences, but they are not for spying. They are put in selective areas that give scenery shots, not profiles.

"Off the bat it is kind of creepy, but it is a good idea nonetheless. I definitely want to know which bars are crowded. I want to see if people are there and not be disappointed," said student Natalie Saenz.

"I personally do not want to be seen, but as long as you can't see faces, I don't have a problem with it."