Jon Reilly wanted an iPod, but not for too much money. When he went on LionConnection.com, he finally found one for the right price.

"The first time I ever looked there, a kid had put a post up 15 minutes before for a brand new iPod for $100," Reilly (senior-finance) said. "It was an iPod Mini for half price; it couldn't have been better."

LionConnection.com, a Web portal for the Penn State student community, now allows students to look online for jobs, buy or sell football tickets or find a hot spot for going out on the weekends.

With rental season rapidly approaching, it has now expanded its apartment classifieds services.

Apartment and house listings will now include a full picture, live links to apartment complex Web sites and virtual tours.

Helen Bannon, property manager for Lions Gate Apartments, 424 Waupelani Drive, said her apartment complex has been advertised on LionConnection.com since last spring, and she has been happy with the results.

"Lions Gate would like to attract more undergraduates, and this is where we can establish a stronger connection," she said.

Shaun Magee, Class of 2005, founded LionConnection.com because he said as a student, he missed not having one common Web site where he could fulfill the needs of a normal student life.

LionConnection.com has since expanded this semester, now offering students the chance to buy and sell football tickets, a nightlife section that posts bar specials for each night and an enhanced classified section for off-campus housing.

"Students came back to LionConnection and said what students needed most at Penn State was an easy way to find apartments and houses off campus," Magee said. "If you and three of your friends are looking for an apartment, you have to find time to walk around, to go and sit with every realtor, gather prices, find out what's included ... what we've done here for students is eliminate that information-gathering stage."

Magee said that as students start to look for leases for next year, LionConnection.com will continue to expand its resources online.

"As the season continues to move forward, by mid-November, we'll have every listing in town," he said.

According to Magee, LionConnection.com is currently averaging from 8,000 to 10,000 hits from students a day.

One of the site's most popular services this semester has been the football ticket exchange, where students could buy and sell tickets for home and away games.

With the resurgence of the football team's success, many students who used LionConnection.com said it was a good place to find those in-demand football tickets for this season.

"I posted my football ticket, and then five minutes later I got a call from someone who was interested in it," Nick Klein (junior-finance) said.

Another student, Jen Phillips, (senior-marketing), said the Web site was a better place to sell the tickets than to buy them.

"Most of the time, I wouldn't actually buy my ticket there because the prices get so high," Phillips said. "It's usually a lot cheaper just to buy them at the stadium in person."

Jeff Howard (senior-marketing), who works for LionConnection, said he thought it would be a good tool for students because the Web site focuses specifically on Penn State.

"Our focus is creating a very local niche," Howard said. "LionConnection is geared toward accommodating students in particular."