Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Why Frank Warren Started PostSecret

Ever wonder why Frank Warren started PostSecret.com, which led to several bestselling books? This excerpt from his interview in Blogging Heroes addresses the question:


An Accidental Artist
“I think of blogs in the highest sense as a virtual community that you can grow and nurture,” Frank Warren says. “I think they’re creating the opportunities for new kinds of conversations—conversations that can offer healing, that can offer a greater spiritual sense for us, that can offer wisdom or learning. I really feel as though these new modes of communication, and these new kinds of conversations, can uncover hidden elements of our common humanity. Or, perhaps, truth or humor or art in places where we don’t normally look for those things. And I find that very exciting.”

Q. PostSecret started as a physical display, a community art exhibit. Why put it into a Blog?

A. I like to show the immediacy of secrets. When I put secrets on the blog they are living secrets. When you visit the blog and read a secret, you know that somebody is carrying that burden or dealing with that issue in real time, at that moment. I think that shares the secrets in a special way that’s medium-dependent.

Another thing PostSecret and the web environment provide is the opportunity for me to explore something more in my life. I feel like I am finding a greater sense of purpose or meaning in being able to help facilitate this community. That’s why, when I talk to people about blogging, I talk about how it’s about passion, about finding something you want to share with other people, and maybe just get more familiar with yourself.
From Blogging Heroes, Copyright © 2008, Michael A. Banks, published by John Wiley & Sons

2 comments:

Alice said...

Hi Michael, this is one of my favourite interviews from the book. I have had PostSecret on my blogroll for a long time and when I saw the Frank Warren interview in your book, I was thrilled. :)

Jamie Reeves said...

Thanks for shariing