Social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter are more popular than ever, and two recent WKU graduates are hoping to create the next big one with their website Mindgy.

The social networking website Mindgy, which is a combination of the words mind and energy, is the latest business endeavor of Adam McDonald and Antonio Bruna, though it hasn’t been easy.

McDonald and Bruna, who both played for the WKU golf team, tried multiple other business ideas throughout their college career before Mindgy, but each project ran into the same problem — lack of money.

Frustrated with the school environment and struggling business endeavors, the duo created a Facebook group called Thought Revolution, hoping to attract like-minded people. The group grew from 30 members to more than 200 in the span of a month and took on a more inspirational and motivational tone.

Their senior year, McDonald and Bruna decided to develop the idea further, coming up with the idea of Mindgy, a social networking site with an emphasis on motivation and inspiration.

“We see a problem in social media where there’s not substance. It’s kind of airy,” McDonald said. “We really want to bring some substance and depth to social media.”

They emptied their bank accounts and created a website that functioned similar to the original Facebook group. Despite their effort, the website failed to catch on and after graduation spring 2011, the pair split, with Bruna moving to Miami and McDonald trying to play professional golf.

Unwilling to accept defeat, the pair recently decided to give the website another try and develop it further, with Bruna traveling back temporarily to Bowling Green. From there they found help and guidance in the WKU Research and Development and their Business Accelerator Program.

Jeff Hook, director of the Small Business Center and Center for Research and Development, and Matt Whitaker, a small business consultant at the center, provided McDonald and Bruna a temporary office space within the center and offered guidance.

Hook said he worked as an unpaid consultant for the two entrepreneurs, helping to review their business plan and working with them on ways to fundraise.

The two graduates are raising money for the sit, which is currently under construction. McDonald and Bruna want to wait until Mindgy is ready before re-launching the bigger and better website.

“We know we have a good product,” McDonald said. “We want to make sure that the users have the best thing we can offer.”

Until that time, the duo is using the Mindgy Twitter and Facebook accounts to release content and raise awareness about the site.

Eventually the group hopes to catch the eye of Internet behemoths Google and Facebook and possibly be bought up by the companies.

“This started as, ‘Let’s see what happens,’” Bruna said. “We dream a lot, and we love to think big.”