A DARLINGTON student has launched a web service that could become as widely used as some of the Internet's biggest sites.

Roger Stachis has launched hoowot.com - a service that allows users to make free announcements to people all over the world.

The site was developed as part of his final year project for a computer science degree, and already it is attracting the attention of top Silicon Valley executives, including one venture capital company that has made a five figure funding offer.

Roger, who is on a backpacking holiday, says he is overwhelmed by the response he is getting for the site, which he developed while trying to research an obscure topic for his university work.

The site allows users to add notices about anything, including advertising a website, announcing a meeting, trying to find a lost pet, or seeking a pen friend.

"It's just one giant noticeboard," said Roger.

"Once entries are added to the database, they are available for everyone to see, and keyword technology ensures that users only see the entries they search for."

Hoowot is different from other search engines because instead of automated software 'crawling' the web looking for information, the information comes to hoowot from its users.

This is then checked by volunteer editors to make sure there is no profanity or illegal material, after which it is made available to anyone who visits the site.

Roger said some of the more remarkable entries received so far included a marriage proposal, a request for people to star in a science fiction production and a quirky confession.