Post Secret

I decided to write about a blog for this post, but I was not sure which one, so I went to Google and typed "blogs" in the search bar. The result was pages and pages of websites and links to almost anything that mentioned the word "blog." I decided to go with an article from the TIME magazine archives titled "5O Coolest Websites: Blogs." The list included blogs on sports, celebrities, food, and even motherhood. Each link has a brief description of the site under it, and I eventually went with the blog under "Confessional Art" called PostSecret, which was described as being "a fascinating public airing of private thoughts . . written on homemade postcards." What I found turned out to be, in my opinion, interesting, entertaining, and at some times shocking.

The blog was created by Frank Warren; however, he is not the main contributor to it. The posts found on the blog are from people around the country that e-mail their deepest secrets to Frank, who decides if these secrets are worthy enough to be put on the blog. The secrets are presented in three ways - video, audio, and virtual postcards.

The postcards are updated every Sunday and are the easiest of the three to view. Each postcard displays a different picture that was specially designed by the secret teller.
The secrets on the cards range from humorous to somewhat upsetting. For example, one jokingly reads "my mom's mullet always embarrassed me," and yet another grimly states "I wish the drugs would stop working . . . so I could cry again.

The most fascinating aspect of the site, and what makes it relevant to our class discussions, is the fact that EVERYTHING is posted anonymously, even the video and audio. This reminds me of our study of identity online. By posting their secrets online, the users unknowingly create an identity for themselves online, and in a way give away part of their real life identity. By allowing every secret to remain anonymous, Frank gives the users a place to vent and get things off their chest without actually telling those that know them.

I think the idea of anonymous posts is intriguing. It allows bloggers to put their ideas out there and get feed back on them without actually involving their name. I think that in some cases it is a better alternative than creating a fake user name; an anonymous user is more truthful than someone who has completely altered their true identity by creating a false one online.

All in all, I think this blog is definitely worth looking at. Here's the link - postsecret.blogspot.com