Why on Earth Would Someone Build a Website Like This?

Now as you might imagine, I didn’t just crank this little website up overnight; it was a process which took me several weeks of noodling to get it looking and working just the way I envisioned it.  And during that time, the most common inquiry from those I showed it to was something along the lines of, “Now what is this for?” or “Who is supposed to want to read this?”

At the time I thought they were just shortsighted, but in retrospect I can see how the purpose of a site like this one isn’t immediately obvious, so let me take this opportunity to explain, and appropriately enough, that explanation will be the first article I enter into the site’s permanent database.

It boils down to one basic idea: I think people are interesting.

And I don’t mean celebrities or geniuses, I mean ordinary people.  The problem, though, is that ordinary people are generally unwilling to talk candidly & openly with casual acquaintances about what makes them unique, and I’ve found that to be even more true on the internet.  They’ll tell you their cat’s name, their favorite food, favorite color, make of car and band they’re nuts about, but never delve into the part that makes them interesting.

What things really amp them up and get them excited?  What stuff in life really pisses them off?  What do they find funny/amusing/cool, but more imporantly, why do they find those things funny/amusing/cool?

That’s the kind of thing that interests me, and I’m probably not alone.  So rather than just complain about there being too little of that kind of open personal disclosure on the internet, I decided to do something about it.

But more than a (hopefully) interesting read for visitors, I intend this site and its contents to be a cathartic experience for me.  As I write this and the infrastructure of the pages comprising the site are still incomplete, I already find myself excited about the possibilities of having a clearing house for all of my random thoughts.  I hope someone finds them interesting, and that would certainly make this effort more rewarding, but even if few find their way to these pages I believe I’ll get a sense of satisfaction just having finally put my thoughts in writing somewhere.

So, “Now what is this for?” and “Who is supposed to want to read this?”

Maybe nothing, and maybe nobody, but this site is about me and for me.  If you get a little enjoyment out of it and learn something about another human being, all the better.

Happy reading.