Feeling the heat yet, Facebook?

Eager to boost its hipness factor among new and potential recruits, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln announced last week it has debuted a social networking site all its own.

ClubRed is UNL’s version of Facebook or MySpace, Web sites that have become wildly popular among young people but also have drawn concerns from parents for their lack of security and age-appropriate content.

ClubRed — operated through UNL’s Web site and monitored by admissions staff — offers new students the opportunity to safely meet and network with their peers, officials say.

It also gives UNL the chance to take advantage of teens’ preferred tool of communication: the Internet.

“This is the language in which students communicate,” said David Burge, associate director of admissions. “This generation is text-messaging and social networking, and a responsible university or college is going to respond to that in a thoughtful manner.

“There’s been a lot of bad press about MySpace … Hopefully this is an example of responsible social networking.”

Students appear to be open to the idea: Less than two weeks after UNL began inviting newly admitted students to join ClubRed, more than 700 have signed up, Burge said. That’s about 13 percent of new freshmen.

About 200 students are visiting the site daily, he said, a familiar habit for those with Facebook or MySpace profiles.

“All signs are pointing to it being a huge success,” he said.

ClubRed bears several similarities to Facebook: Students create profiles that can be as witty as they like, with places to list favorite actors, music and shopping spots, link to YouTube videos, and tell others about themselves, like where they’re from, what they’re studying and whether they’re in a relationship (one option: Don’t ask!).

And each student’s profile includes a “Shout Out” section where, like a Facebook wall, other students can write messages that can be viewed by other ClubRed users.

Students also can post photos, read UNL-related news and be reminded of housing and financial deadlines.

But unlike Facebook, ClubRed provides a unique layer of insulation that should ease parental worries, Burge said.

Admissions staff don’t interfere with students’ interactions but will step in if they spot inappropriate content or harassment of any kind, he said.

And only newly admitted students may join ClubRed, so profiles can’t be viewed by anyone outside the UNL community.

“We wanted a reliable, safe environment,” Burge said.

ClubRed has been particularly successful among out-of-state students unfamiliar with Nebraska. They’ve posted questions about UNL’s dorms, city transportation, Lincoln life and more.

Upon confirming there’s a Juice Stop near campus, one incoming student from Lawrence, Kan., posted: “Thank God!… I think I’ll be able to live now!”

That’s where ClubRed can top traditional recruiting methods like phone calls, postcards and even e-mails, Burge said: Details like where the closest Juice Stop is matter to recruits, but often don’t make it onto mass mailings.

The site also allows students to meet roommates in advance, and, especially if they’re from another state, find students with similar interests — users can search for fellow “Grey’s Anatomy” fans, for example, or other biology majors.

Admissions counselors have their own profiles and have answered questions about Greek life at UNL, sports and whether the Honors Program is worth the extra work (they say yes).

UNL even offers incentives for students to join. Take this week’s contest: Students who have posted five or more photos are eligible for a drawing for a $10 iTunes card.

All those perks — plus the site’s resemblance to Facebook — are what drew incoming freshman Melissa Johnson to ClubRed.

Johnson, 17, of Sioux Falls, S.D., signed up to get answers on housing and campus food and to make friends before arriving in unfamiliar territory.

It’s worked: She even found someone who just read the same book as her, “The Perks of Being a Wallflower.”

Logging onto ClubRed, as well as Facebook, has become part of Johnson’s daily routine.

“I like it. It’s given me some inside advice,” she said. “They give you stuff they normally wouldn’t tell you in the brochures.”

UNL hopes to eventually open ClubRed to international and transfer students, Burge said, who also need extra help getting information about Nebraska.

And that’s just one possibility for growth.

Social networking, Burge said, has the potential to change the way universities recruit.

“It’s so new,” he said. “For decades, colleges and universities have been recruiting approximately the same way.

“Now we have this incredible opportunity with technology to be personable and friendly and make connections without actually having to drive to faraway locations.”

Reach Melissa Lee at 473-2682 or mlee@journalstar.com.