Social Networks Recruiting At College Campuses?

Well, not quite.  But a local Seattle newspaper does report that a few local startups are so interested in becoming the next facebok they may be blurring the lines of recruiting students for market research (what do you think of this idea) — and plain old marketing (Ripl is cool — tell your friends!).  On one hand, they are mining a resource rich in hipsterdom to optimize their strategies and plans, on the other hand, one startup is reportedly hiring interns to spread the message of its startup across campus.  Now, this might be old news to some students, as one was reported to have said she gets email pitches for new services “several times a day”, but it certainly does provide some food for thought on the issue.  On one hand, some staff on campus feel they need to be protected as a demographic and student body because they’re so widely sought after; on the other hand, many, if not all, are of an age where they are / should be mature enough to make these kinds of decisions for themselves.