If you’re one of the only people who still hasn’t heard about PostSecret, here’s where you can (and should) check it out – www.postsecret.com. BUT WAIT! Before you click on the link, you might want to finish this article, because reading people’s secrets is as addictive as eating cookies or watching episodes of your favorite TV show…. once you start, you can’t stop! Which is precisely the reason that Frank Warren, creator of PostSecret, knew this concept would turn out to be a big hit.
PostSecret is an ongoing community mail art project, where people from all walks of life anonymously mail in a secret of theirs on a homemade postcard. There are no rules or restrictions made on the content of the secret, only that it be a real secret that has never been spoken before. Each week, a selection of received postcards are posted on the PostSecret website.
The anonymity of these secrets is what makes the concept so brilliant and compelling. Admissions range from one’s secret desires, embarrassing facts about themselves, to hopes, dreams or just silly quirks. The website is updated every Sunday, and there are always at least a few secrets that you can directly relate to. Knowing that someone else out there has the same secret as you is comforting and empowering and has a healing effect on both the writer and reader, according to Warren.
PostSecret was reported as the 10th most popular site amongst female students in USA, according to Youth Trends in 2008. Due to the success of the site, Warren came out with a book, PostSecret: Extraordinary Confessions from Ordinary Lives, in which he talks about his experiences with people all over the world who were inspired by PostSecret, allowing them to have dialogue on topics they felt they couldn’t before.
In addition to the initial book, there are now three other books that showcase PostSecret postcards, as well as some other Postsecret-themed events, which you can check out here.
What about you? Have you ever shared a secret on a postcard? :)