43 Things

I explored one of the winning websites, www.43things.com. I really enjoyed this site and spent WAY more time playing on it than I intended. It is basically a place where people post 43 things they want to accomplish. Some of them are funny, some depressing, and some are just plain weird. I liked that it had a very clear layout, anyone could use this site (and they do). I also liked that when you clicked on a goal you were able to read comments from people who had completed the goal. There was also a strong FAQ page with both a section on content help and section about the site.

There were some aspects of the site that made me uncomfortable. For example, some of the goals seem very personal to me, such as beat depression. Then when you click on it you see a list of everyone trying to do this, which is followed by their posts, which were VERY personal and sad to read. This is another example where, like any other social networking site, people don’t think about their own safety or personal privacy. Also, many of the postings seem like people are calling out for help and this doesn’t seem like the place to do it. On a good note, people seemed to be very supportive of each other.

Overall I view this is a social networking site. People make lists, post comments that often read like blogs, post pictures, talk to each other, etc. There are even “cheers” that you can give out to support others in reaching their goals.

I would say this is worth checking out if you have free time.