After a year of development, RIPL is making a unique social network available exclusively to students at the UW.

Launched earlier this week, RIPL, is an online community similar to Facebook and MySpace, but with different features and personal of design capabilities.

"RIPL provides an online profile that is like a blank canvas," said Patrick Barthe, customer-relations representative for RIPL. "It allows students to be creative and just do whatever."

Membership is free, but by invitation only.

UW students can request an invitation to join using their UW e-mail addresses. For now, RIPL is exclusive to UW students, but once a member, UW students can invite their friends from other schools to join and enjoy.

This social network consists of three main components. The first is the online profile. In this profile, users can create a text box and drag it to any place on their webpage. The text can be moved around within the text box as well. Pictures can also be moved anywhere on the Web page or in the text boxes.

RIPL provides the most advanced and unique privacy settings. Comments, pictures and text boxes can all have specialized visibility. The user has complete control over which people have permission to see added items. Comments can range from being visible to everyone, to a private conversation with another user.

"We are all about privacy," Barthe said. "It's our number one concern."

The second component is the RIPL Desktop that users can download. This provides a fast and easy way to load contents from the computer onto a profile. In addition to uploading content, the RIPL Desktop can grab the contents for the user.

The third component is the receivable end of the RIPL Desktop. The RIPL Desktop can run in the background of your computer, displaying various pictures from other users who have chosen to show their contents in a slideshow of icons. These user icons can be clicked on to begin conversations.

RIPL was founded by it's current CEO, Bill Messing, who assembled the original team of programmers for the site.

In May, the site will launch a new feature allowing users to choose ads they want displayed on their profile.

"Advertising is an expression of self," Barthe said. "For example, if I'm a Nike-loving guy, I could have Nike ads running on my page."

RIPL welcomes input from all users. It's currently exclusive to UW students in order for the creators is to gather opinions from college students on effective social networks.

Reach reporter Victoria Lee at news@thedaily.washington.edu.