Courtesy of Robbie Lynch
If you’ve been on CamelWeb recently, you might have noticed a new feature called “Camel Marketplace.” Similar to Facebook Marketplace, when you click on it, you can view various items for sale across campus, like from a 30-piece Christmas village accessory set for $35 or antique dishes for $45. Connecticut College Technical Lead for Web Apps, Thomas Palazzo, and Data Integration Specialist, Michael Matovic, are the creators of Camel Marketplace. “In a previous version of CamelWeb, there was a Camel List modeled after Craiglist. When we moved to the new version of CamelWeb, Camel List couldn’t be imported over and we decided we needed to build something for the new version of CamelWeb,” says Palazzo. This new feature has been in the works for a while now and was finally completed this September. Students from COM306: Software Engineering had the opportunity to share their thoughts before the official upload.
With this new version, Palazzo and Matavoic had the opportunity to improve the feature through feedback from the campus. Palazzo met with the SGA e-board last year and reported a lot of interest for a RideShare section to be added to the website. With this section, students can now inquire about or offer a ride anywhere to/from campus. Students can also post other inquiries for things such as laptops and bikes. Also, Camel Marketplace now has an expiration date to prevent items from staying up on the site forever and to keep the catalog of items up to date.
Another new feature is that faculty and staff members can post and inquire about housing in the area. “Faculty and staff have a challenging time finding housing, [it’s] hard for new staff moving in the area,” says Palazzo. With the apartment/housing section, faculty and staff can post about apartments and housing for rent in the area. Palazzo and Matovic also collaborated with the Office of Sustainability to create an “Office Swap” section. As stated on the website, this feature allows for faculty to “submit [their] college owned items to the Office Swap category to see if there is another office that could use them…at no cost associated.” Other categories include “musical instruments,” “services,” “art supplies,” and more. Moreover, Camel Marketplace is linked to the CCMobile app, which allows students to access the feature and to upload photos from their phone.
When asked about the goal of the website, Palazzo ultimately hopes for students to be able to use it. While the feature is still new to campus, it provides an easy and accessible opportunity to provide and inquire about items for students who may not have the transportation or funds to get the things they need, whether that be a laptop for class or furniture for the dorm. Camel Marketplace is a great tool to bring the community together. Be sure to check it out on CamelWeb!
