so. i was really bored. so i decided to surf some of my favorite sites. i was looking at postsecret's postcards of the week when i had this epiphany (okay... not epiphany more like a random idea)...

what if Cb had it's only postsecret type thingy?

i think it would be cool and it would work. i mean, half of us know how to us photoshop/psp/gimp/etc. maybe once a week, we can have people submit their secrets on "postcards" and we can post them up ...somewhere.

would this Cb postsecret be in the Lounge? Graphic Showcase? Entertainment?

ideas? interest? i actually have it pretty planned out. i just need an "okay go" because it would take a few things.

i'm sorry if my boredom made a really weird/pointless topic.

Hmmm, this is quite interesting. :D I don't think you need permission to do this but what are these few things you would need to do first?

I don't think it should go in Graphics Showcase. The emphasis isn't on the design aspect of the postcard.

Aw, We had something like this at Hitherston. That brings back fun memories. heh.
But we had an anonymous account that people could sign in on, and post.
So, that no one would know who it was from.

Anyways, That may be an issue for cB. How is it going to stay anonymous?
I mean, I guess it doesn't have to be anonymous, but I'm sure a lot of members would prefer it.

With that said, if we do end up doing this, I think the best place would be here (The Lounge).

I like this idea alot, really cool actually.

Hm, maybe there could be one person that all the secrets are PM'd to or something, and that one neutral person can post them, so people wouldn't know who they are from and such.

I like this idea a lot though, it would be nice in the Lounge.

i was thinking of making an anonymous account and let everyone know the password.

but then, we don't want to have thirty submissions a week. so i don't know how to sort through them and post them.

i usually like to get an "okay go" just to make sure it doesn't bother anyone.

That's a really neat idea, just the problem with making one anonymous account and giving everyone the password, somehow we'd have to make sure that it doesn't lead to trouble, and monitor it. If that made any sense whatsoever lol, but other than that I'm for it.

I've seen this at l-l.org, it's neat, people post their seriour secrets and it's sometimes really sad but you wouldn't know who had said it. I'm in for this.

This is a really awesome idea! I was just thinking that CB needed a postsecret thing, but I couldn't think of how we could do it!

Yeah, I wouldn't trust the people on this forum with an account that's actually used for something (there's trouble with normal accounts as it is) so making an account and giving out the password to everybody doesn't seem such a good idea.

I think that they should be PMed/emailed to someone and then they can post them...in fact (to be sure that it would be handled properly and the person running it wouldn't just up and leave CB sometime) maybe they could be PMed to Suzzette and me and then people can feel like we have a purpose as mentors? We're both pretty active, and if one of us has downtime where we just can't be on, the other can handle it. Just an idea.

I love PostSecret, and the whole concept behind it. I've always wanted for cB to have its own little PS shindig, but I never really comitted to it. I think it's an awesome idea.

Though, posting the "postcards" anonymously is still a problem. My first initial thought was to PM them to someone who can be trusted and whatnot, like how Sammie has pointed out. But, would members feel comfortable enough even PMing their secrets to another member?

If nobody minds, I'm moving this to Feedback. (:

Anyway, it sounds like a great idea on the surface. However, the whole anonymity thing does present a major problem. Can we just...print it out and mail it to someone and the recipient scans and posts it?

Why not email/pm them?...Not all of us are allowed to mail to online people.

but then it wouldn't be completely anonymous. you know where the postcard came from.

That's a pretty good idea, actually.

And better than the idea of a shared account... It would be an inevitable crisis.

It would be anonymous; that's how the real PostSecret works b/c you don't need to put a return address. Buuuut what Sammi is true, some aren't allowed to mail things. But couldn't it be option? Some people will still feel uncomfortable PMing an actual member.

However, PMing the Mentors is loads better than the anonymous account. That, even with really good intentions, wouldn't go over too well.

There is no way to keeping it completely anonymous as much better as it would be. I love this idea though. I think what we should do is just PM them to Mentor's as Sammi said, and you can take your pick at which one you trust more and then send them to them. Making the other account would be the biggest problem in the world. I know you have the best intentions but it would be best to PM them to someone on staff, someone trust worthy enough that we know they won't go tell the world about who's which ones were.

What exactly would be done with them? Would they just be showcased or what?

Well, do people want the option to comment on each one? Or should there just be one thread with constant posts of updates?

I like the thread better, personally. Comments are unnecessary in something like this.

^ I agree, Comments aren't really necessary. I would rather it just be the Secrets, that way you dont have to scroll through comments to get to them.

I agree for the thread, if others would like to discuss on them then there can be a seperate topic for it..
Where would this go exactly?
Sandbox?

uh, yeah there is. random email accounts, random aim s/ns, or you could always use this...http://www.deadfake.com/Send.aspx

not to oppose the idea because i like it, but blogring does this extact thing.

^That shouldn't stop us. Different forum, different people. The idea may take on something new with cB, you never knowI feel like the thread for the secrets should be in The Lounge, it doesn't seem appropriate anywhere else. For the Sandbox, did you mean a seperate thread to discuss the secrets? I'm actually against even having such a thread; I'd predict a possibly overall negative feel in the thread, and that'd be rather counter-productive.

A discussion thread in the sandbox could be nice,
but I like displaying them somewhere in the Lounge.
[however kaycee has a good point about the thread turning
negative. the NICE thing about post secret, is that you post it
and no one really comments on it or makes fun of you.
It's just there, and you laugh to yourself while sitting on the computer
or reading the book. So maybe a thread really isn't that necessary.
However the ACTUAL post secret thread, should be in the Lounge]


And I think PM'ing them to an active mentor is a good idea like Sammi said.
And if you still don't feel comfortable doing that, i'm sure there is
a way to do this anonymously.

-i wasn't sure but are these going to be actually handmade,
or will there be an option of using photoshop or something?

Actually, having thought about it, it just occured to me that if we WERE to make a shared account, we could always just stick it on indefinite mod preview, and delete anything else which it was used for.

wow.

i'm glad everyone loves the idea.

^i meant... wouldn't somone... know if the postcard was PM/Emailed? i have no idea how it works but you usually know who PM you or emailed you?

the shared account, i realized, would not be able to store the secrets for someone to sort through them. i mean, postsecret picks only like twenty a week to showcase. we should widdle out the postcards that don't fit.

the link i provided...you type their email in the to space and then in the from space, you make up an email, but you have to use a registered domain, like yahoo or hotmail. so if its to suzzette, you put suzzette's email in the to and then in the from space just put something like skdjfskjdhfsjkdfk@yahoo.com and thats what it comes up as when they get the email.

on another note, i dont think you're going to get enough weekly that you're going to have to pick and choose the ones you want.

You do know who's the person that's PMing you, as far as my experience goes, anonymity is impossible through PM. The Mentor idea was brought up as a middle ground. The Mentors are trustworthy, and hopefully members would feel comfortable enough to send the secrets.

I don't think we should be selective with postcards. As long as they're secrets, they should be allowed. And as James brought up, we can just put the account on mod preview and just go from there. Only secrets will be put through the queue and (I don't know if this is even possible) PMs disabled.

As far as choosing between the two, a poll could be made to figure the majority.

ok, is no one reading my posts!? there is an anonymous emailer in which you can send things, that way, even though the mentors are trusted, it'll remain a secret.

^lol. i read it. i think it's amazing actually. quite clever and it would be really useful for this.

I meant a thread just to display them...and display them all.

Kaycee, nah I just meant that it could go in the sandbox the overall thread. Because it could be considered a game in someways.

I don't care though, I think it would be fine in the lougne too.

So far, there hasn't been any outright negative feedback on the issue, so, in the case that this will go through, there are three options for sending the secrets:

• PMing the Mentors.
• Anonymous account on mod preview (with disabled PM?) in which everyone knows the password.
• Using DeadFake.com to send anonymous e-mail.

Which do you prefer?

anonymous account on mod preview or the mentor thing.


I think the Mentors would be the best thing to do though, in all honesty.

dead fake because maybe the person doesn't want to mentor to know either.

In my opinion, using either deadfake.com or a cB account is the best way to ensure that everything is in fact anonymous.

Yes, our mentors are trust-worthy but it may turn off some as it isn't completely anonymous.

deadfake or the Cb account. Cb account might be easier since it's already here.

Deadfake is the only way it'll be anonymous. Even with a cB account, unless the ip is hidden and what not (or a proxy is used, and even then there are ways of figuring things out) some of us might still be able to put two and two together. Not that anyone would be digging, but just wanted to sort of bring that up.

This is a great idea. And honestly, who cares how original the idea is. I've seen a few sites try this.

Katie, I don't see why someone couldn't scan a real postcard or a homemade postcard and submit that.

Since one person would feasibly be posting these, I don't see why it would belong in The Sandbox (if the whole PPD thing is an issue). I think it would be a better fit in Relationships than the Lounge.

And then that would attract more attention to Relationships. Good idea.

I know I have reminded people of Katie, but I didn't know that people mixed us up, too.

My gut feeling tells me it belongs in The Lounge because not every postcard is about relationships; some of the best that I've known are funny little quirks that people admit. Admittedly, though, the majority of the PostSecrets are most definitely about relationships and really, The Lounge does not need help with activity. I'll support the thread being in Relationships.

So far, I think, deadfake and the cB account are the two popular choices. I don't see why can't just use both, they don't interrupt each other at all. Someone could control the e-mail account where deadfake users send the cards, and we make an anonymous account on mod preview. If the anonymous account never gets used, then no biggie, that's not very much of a loss at all.

How'd this get to page two? Oh, wait, I think I know who.

So buh-rump-y-dump, anyone still interested? This'd be awesome to have before April starts.

still interested. i guess people should be given instructions.

+use DeadFake.com
+send postcard to a mod/mentor
+post it up in the The Lounge.

Mrm, how's Relationships? It could use the traffic, and really, the Lounge has enough pinned topics.

And we do need to figure out to who's e-mail address it'll be sent to. And and and, I thought we dropped the whole sending thing and took up the anonymous account?

<<Haila micro-managing.

we did? um. okay. i guess.

but if you put it in relationships, it puts the focus on relationships, not the whole idea of revealing any secret you want.

*Raises stubborn finger*

I still think it's a better fit elsewhere. First off, I think it'll just get lost in The Lounge. Second, it doesn't have to focus on romantic relationships at all. Any relations belong in Relationships. :)

Either that, or Art. :)

I was thinking about this morning. When I browse through PostSecret, it really makes me feel like I'm looking at intimate pieces of Art.

(That is, if this is exclusively a postcard thing)

Alright! The e-mail address for using DeadFake.com is CreateBlogSecrets@yahoo.com. The thread will be up soon *crosses fingers*, we just have to decide on where.

So, you guys: Relationships or Art?

i think art would be better. i think the lounge would be ideal but as everyone said, the pinned topics are overwhelming there.

I'd go for relationships, because when I read PostSecret, I feel closer to these people that I've never met and will never meet and while the postcards are so artistic, they tug at my heartstrings more than they are just aesthetically pleasing.

I also suggest that there be an accepted size (so that the cards are uniform). 640x480 or something in that ratio?

^Yea I think it better fits in relationships and that size sounds good. Something good enough that you can post the full size and it doesn't stretch the board.

I third what Anna and Holly just said.

do you think we should allow comments? on postsecret, there are little responses to certain postcards. obviously, we aren't going to allow comments like, "haha. you loser." or "what a stupid secret".

also, could someone post up an official announcement? i don't think everyone can see here.

Mmm, I don't like the comments thing; there's no way to not allow those kinds of comments unless the user's mod preview.

I'll put up an official announcement as soon as someone gives me the name for this lil' project of ours.