Washington University students Kevin Bischoff and Eloise McEniry are currently working to promote Bonfyre, a new social networking app.

The Bonfyre smartphone application, which launched this September, currently has over 600 users on campus, with more at Saint Louis University and the University of Missouri.

Bonfyre displays the number of students who have “checked in” at a particular event or party, showing which events are “hot” and where friends using the app are. It is only open to students with a “.edu” e-mail address.

The app is Off Campus Media’s latest venture. The company, which 2007 graduate Mark Sawyier started with a few friends during his senior year, has other ventures including MovingOffCampus.com, which was designed to help graduating seniors find off-campus housing.

“The idea came from the opportunity to help college students by answering questions that they ask all the time, such as who is at an event, or if it is fun,” Sawyier said.

The application launched at Washington University on Sept. 23 and at SLU and Mizzou a week and a half later. It has since gained popularity on all three campuses.

According to junior Rosa Heyman, a campus ambassador for Bonfyre, the app’s main purpose is different from Foursquare, another check-in app in that it is geared more specifically toward college students.

“The incentive for checking in is different than Foursquare,” Heyman said. “For Foursquare, it is more of a personal competition. For here, it is more about enhancing your social life and figuring out where is a fun place to go on a certain night.”

Heyman is one of eight Bonfyre ambassadors who work to promote the app around campus and increase its user base.

“We listen to feedback from the student body to make sure that [Bonfyre] caters to Wash. U. students,” she said.

According to Heyman, the app has partnered with events including Dance Marathon and The Linus Foundation, and will partner with Diwali this weekend.

Sawyier believes that the partnership between Bonfyre and these events will be mutually beneficial, raising awareness of both.

“These partnerships help those groups raise money for a very good cause and helps create buzz and awareness for these events,” Sawyier said.

Jake Bernstein, a 2010 graduate and the current business development associate and account manager for Off Campus Media, is enthusiastic about the growth of the app.

“We’re very excited about the progress we’ve made so far at Wash. U.,” Bernstein said. “With over 10 percent of undergraduates with an active account in just six weeks we’re looking forward to continued growth. I feel Bonfyre is relatively well-known at Wash. U.”

According to both Sawyier and Bernstein, long-term goals for the app include its continued spread at Washington University and increased recognition and use at other universities.

“We are trying to find the best ways to raise awareness and adoption at Wash. U., but we are trying to use these ways to figure out how to develop it on other campuses,” Bernstein said.

Sawyier acknowledged that while the company plans to expand Bonfyre to other campuses, setting up the app at those campuses would take time.

“We need to have data in that market, so we cannot turn up a local campus community overnight,” he said. “We must make sure that we take the feedback that we received here and continue improving the app.”

One of the new features recently added to Bonfyre is the “specials” tab, where students can see locations in the area surrounding the University offering special deals in coordination with the app. Check-ins at these locations can allow students using Bonfyre to receive discounts when they stop by.

According to Heyman, there are deals at Katie’s Pizzeria and Blueberry Hill, while future deals are expected at Pinup Bowl, Three Kings, Chill and other locations.

Sophomores Eloise McEniry and Kevin Bischoff cited the “specials” tab as one of their favorite features of the app, while both have used Bonfyre to see what is going on around campus as well.

“It has helped my knowledge of where my friends are and where people are, but the more people use it, the more it will help,” McEniry said.

Both McEniry and Bischoff acknowledged that the app’s function will be enhanced as more people start to use it.

“Not many people who are friends with me check in daily, which takes away from what the app is used for,” Bischoff said.

According to Bernstein, the average Bonfyre user checks in twice per week.

Sawyier emphasized the need for more student feedback during the nascent stages of the app. Students can e-mail feedback at www.bonfyreapp.com.

“We understand that we will have many great ideas, but so will our ambassadors,” Sawyier said. “Ultimately this is for college students.”

The app is free and currently available for iPhone and Android phones. Sawyier hopes for the app to be available on BlackBerry in the near future.