I'll Keep You My Dirty Little SECRET....

[pooperson]

[COLOR="DeepSkyBlue"][SIZE="1"]I'm just curious as to how popular this [I]really[/I] is:

According to its informal definition, [URL="http://postsecret.blogspot.com"]Postsecret[/URL] is "an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a homemade postcard."

I have been checking PS religiously for a few years now. I'm just curious as to how many others here have been doing the same. I love it a lot, but it's never "changed my life", so to speak. I don't know.

I sent in a secret a year ago (it was never put up), & I'm a part of PSC ([URL="http://www.postsecretcommunity.com/chat"]Post Secret Community[/URL]).

So I guess the question/discussion is... have you ever heard of PS before? What do you think about it? Ever sent in a secret?[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[AzureWolf]

It is one of my favorite sites! I think you get attached when you find a secret you can relate to, or even one that shakes you to the core.

I have sent five in, two of which actually showed up on the site (which was awesome). I managed to find my other secrets in the books, though. So that was kind of cool too.

[Korey]

[FONT="Franklin Gothic Medium"]I dunno, I can't say that I would share my secrets with people I might not know, even anomously...because those secrets would tend to piss some people off or offend others with my behavior and even the stress of letting them out wouldn't help, because it's kinda channeled there for the wrong reasons. I would be much more comfortable sharing my secrets the way I do already, with close friends and family.[/FONT]

[Rachmaninoff]

[quote name='taperson'][COLOR="DeepSkyBlue"][SIZE="1"]So I guess the question/discussion is... have you ever heard of PS before? What do you think about it? Ever sent in a secret?[/SIZE][/COLOR][/QUOTE]Never heard of it and I though I'm sure that for some it's fun... I don't see the appeal. Secrets are something that I wouldn't put out like that, even if no one knew who I was. Because usually when I share a secret, it's to confide in someone, not post it and watch people's reactions from a distance.

[Kenso]

[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1]I'm going with Rach on this one. It just seems rather silly to me, like some wild grasp for attention or something. No offense to anyone who does use it, but that's the vibe I get from it.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[Lia]

I have heard of it - And I do check back and read them from time to time. Some make me laugh, some make me feel sorry.

When I was living with an ex a couple years ago, I sent in a secret (mostly just out of curiosity to see if it would get put up) that basically admitted to me faking losing my virginity to said boyfriend, as well as admitting having slept with 23+ men previous to him. The secret was true, and it actually was not much of a secret to anyone else. Needless to say, he found it in the mailbox when he was checking and it had not been picked up yet.

I had quite a bit of explaining to do.

Despite my experience with it, I think it's a great concept. Virtually every secret on there is just that - A secret. No one will really ever know it's you unless you have a distinct marking you choose to put on it that is recognizable, and even that would be your fault to choose to put said distinct mark on it.

[Aberinkula]

[COLOR="DarkSlateGray"][SIZE="1"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]I completely agree with Rach. They're called secrets for a reason, you shouldn't share them with strangers especially. People tell you secrets because they trust you and they know well enough that you'll love them so much that you won't tell a soul.

I told my ex a secret of mine and I regret it, she won't tell at all, but I feel a little bit, impure for telling her the secret. Now the person it's about is someone I trust with my secrets as well, and to do this is a betrayal to the person.l.

But in all honesty this type of thing is sort of low imo, I don't like the idea at all. And to be quite blunt, it's completely pathetic to tell secrets about people you know.[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]

[[Sound_Nin]]

[COLOR=Navy][FONT=Book Antiqua]I have heard of it, I just didn't know it had a name. NOW I understand why this thread is named after that song. I can't stand that song! I hate it! But the video is nice.

I guess they just make me laugh. Which is mean, because these are peoples' secrets... but they're funny. ._.

Would I consider it? Well, maybe. I can't think of any good enough secrets though.
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[Nerdsy]

[color=deeppink]The appeal behind it is that it's supposed to be cathartic. You send in a dark, deep secret that's been eating away at you for however long, and it's supposed to make you feel better because you no longer have that weight on your back, regardless of who you're telling it to. It certainly doesn't work that way for everyone, but it does work for some.

[quote]They're called secrets for a reason[/quote]

By that logic, it's called "Postsecret" for a reason. To post secrets.

Judging by the rest of your post, you seem to be under the impression that Postsecret is about posting other people's secrets. It's about telling your own secrets, not what other people have confied in you.[/color]

[Allamorph]

[FONT=Arial]And that's why I try to stay out of conversations until I know what the frill I'm talking about.

(^_^)[/FONT]

[Aaryanna]

[COLOR="DarkGreen"][FONT="Book Antiqua"][quote name='taperson'][COLOR="DeepSkyBlue"][SIZE="1"]So I guess the question/discussion is... have you ever heard of PS before? What do you think about it? Ever sent in a secret?[/SIZE][/COLOR][/QUOTE]I've heard it mentioned before but never bothered to check it out. I mean... I don't really have anything I'd send in and if I did, I wouldn't. Plus, I imagine that there is probably a lot of stuff posted that isn't even true. In the end it's not something that I find interesting. [/FONT][/COLOR]

[Odin M Yggdrasi]

I still prefer forum-based confessions threads. Doesn't look like there are any here at the moment, but on other forums they're actually quite popular.

Typically though they meet their demise when someone fakes a confession that another user misinterprets or is offended by, and the topic often is locked after a bit of flaming.

[Raiha]

[COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]While alphabetizing my ex boyfriend's bookshelves I found one of the large published hardback copies of the postcards and sat down cross-legged surrounded by dusty books and skimmed through it, discovering a variety of confessions. Some of them seemed plausible, and some seemed ridiculous.

And then there were the sad heartbreaking ones and then the ones with amazingly good art.

And sometimes you run across a confession you wished you had vocalized first, because it was exactly what you knew to be true for yourself.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[[Sound_Nin]]

[quote name='Odin M Yggdrasi']I still prefer forum-based confessions threads. Doesn't look like there are any here at the moment, but on other forums they're actually quite popular.

Typically though they meet their demise when someone fakes a confession that another user misinterprets or is offended by, and the topic often is locked after a bit of flaming.[/quote]

[COLOR=Navy][FONT=Book Antiqua]That's what I thought this thread was about, actually. At first glance.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[The13thMan]

[COLOR=DarkOrange][FONT=Century Gothic]I'd say i have mixed feelings on the site. My ex showed the site to me and i'd check it out whenever she'd mention it. So the site reminds me of her to a degree, which is not pleasant (if not a little sexual, haha).

The site on its own i feel satisfies the desire some people have for gossip. I don't take part in gossip and i generally look down on it. Beyond all that i can't help but to like the site a little. It's a creative idea with a creative execution. The secrets are juicy and the way they're presented are usually quite interesting.

I think i'll check it out now for the first time in months.

Oh... anybody want to tell me their dirty little secret?

EDIT: You know what? After reading through all of them i think that's probably the last time i'll go to the site. It's just horribly depressing. Hearing about all of those people out there with their problems. Completely unable to help any of them. Some of the secrets really messed up. Some of them even reminding me of a few things in my life i'd rather not think of. Yikes! I still got one good laugh out of it though. =D

[IMG]http://bp2.blogger.com/_a7jkcMVp5Vg/R-75p1TzPuI/AAAAAAAAEjs/Ab9HDyyf3uY/s400/oops.jpg[/IMG]
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[Rachmaninoff]

[quote name='Nerdsy'][color=deeppink]The appeal behind it is that it's supposed to be cathartic. You send in a dark, deep secret that's been eating away at you for however long, and it's supposed to make you feel better because you no longer have that weight on your back, regardless of who you're telling it to. It certainly doesn't work that way for everyone, but it does work for some.[/color][/QUOTE]I understand thats part of why people would do it and I'm sure it ties into how people would feel comfortable revealing secrets. If I had a secret like that... I'd still probably go to someone who I talked to face to face, instead of sending it in to be posted where anyone with a mind to visit the place can see it.

Thats where the appeal is lost to me, secrets, even if no one knows it was you, is something I think shouldn't be put out in the open like that. But... that's just my level of comfort with the idea. If others are fine with it that's their level of comfort.

Though like Aaryanna, I wonder what the percentage rate is for secrets that are sent in that are merely hoax's instead of real secrets. That more than anything turns me off to the idea of a website like that. What's the point in connecting with someone's secret if it's fake?

[[Sound_Nin]]

[quote name='Rachmaninoff'] What's the point in connecting with someone's secret if it's fake?[/quote]

[COLOR=Navy][FONT=Book Antiqua]I see what you mean, but I still see how you could connect with it, even if you were 100% certain it was fake. It's just the thought behind it, but yeah...

Quite a few are fake, I imagine.
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[SunfallE]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"]I've heard the site mentioned before, but I have no interest in it. I do like the idea of being able to unburden as far as a terrible secret goes, but it all honesty it feels more like a reality show in that it's staged. Yes I'm sure there are lots of honest people's secrets there, but considering the venue... the fact that it's on the Internet, like those talk shows that do the same thing... I have never liked that kind of thing. Because the temptation to embellish things is often more than people can take.

I prefer keeping secrets to a select few I know I can trust. So yeah, I'm sure it's fun and even good for some, but the one The13thMan posted is more than enough for me to say thanks, but no thanks. [/FONT][/COLOR]

[Roxie Faye]

[color=#9933ff][size=1]I think Nerdsey summed it well.

I've sent in one secret - one that made my life miserable. Even just after I *wrote* the card, I felt so much better. I knew I hadn't solved anything and still had to try to solve it, but I just felt like someone had removed a great weight from my chest. Definitely cathartic.

However, I still carry that secret with me. After I sent it in, I talked about the issue with someone, but couldn't tell or show them what I wrote on the card. Frank alone knows, I guess. For me, the anonymity is an appealing part of the process - to know that someone is also sharing this weight with you, but they'll never be able to give you a negative response because you'll never see them.

I made another secret but put it in a postsecret book at the bookstore, instead. Some people do that, too.

Frank updates the secrets every Sunday on the site, so I usually read them then. I also have the book "A life time of secrets."

As for the secrets being fake, it is highly highly likely that people send in false secrets all the time. However, I don't think they're fake on Frank's end. He gets thousands of postcards a week -- he doesn't need to sit in his house and make up secrets on postcards, lol.

Of course, my mom thinks I'm like... some lunatic for liking the concept (I didn't tell her I sent in a secret). I just don't think she's trusting enough.[/size][/color]

[AzureWolf]

I know this thread has been dead for a few days, but some of the earliest OB members of Vox started a PostSecret Thursday over two years ago. I do not know if anyone is still doing it, but [U][url=http://azurewolf.vox.com/library/post/two-worlds-two-people.html]here[/url][/U] is an example of what everyone usually had to make.

I think it died because no one had time. I think it would be cool if OB did some community event where users submitted to one person and then the best ones were displayed or something...

[Nerdsy]

[quote name='AzureWolf']I know this thread has been dead for a few days, but some of the earliest OB members of Vox started a PostSecret Thursday over two years ago. I do not know if anyone is still doing it, but [U][url=http://azurewolf.vox.com/library/post/two-worlds-two-people.html]here[/url][/U] is an example of what everyone usually had to make.

I think it died because no one had time. I think it would be cool if OB did some community event where users submitted to one person and then the best ones were displayed or something...[/QUOTE]

[color=deeppink]I don't stick to the Thursday schedule anymore, but I still do it from time to time. I switched it to Mondays a little while ago... Really, I stopped because I couldn't keep thinking up secrets.

'Course, those were all set to Friends Only. Nobody really saw them anyway, heh.[/color]

[Kaiboy]

[FONT="Times New Roman"][SIZE="1"][COLOR="Red"]I love PostSecret and have known about it for quite some time now---a few years as a matter of fact. I even own one of the books they published of it.
I personally think it's really cool and a creative idea. Although I have never posted a secret on there myself (simply because I don't have any secrets) but maybe someday I will. [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]