Post secret

This is the Facebook fan group for an initiative that began on Blogger and has since established a presence on twitter, myspace, youtube and of course Facebook. The initial challenge was to send in a postcard that displays a personal secret as a work of art, and various spinoffs seem to have gained a life of their own. The thead 'Text Confessions' invites you to post your details in order to send and receive secrets via the myspace page. 'I need to get this out' contains posts of confessions and also, touchingly, support. As one poster states, what 'postsecret' is truly about, is helping those who need it. In the gallery, postcards from the original blog are displayed.

Interestingly, the group's discussion board also contains some criticism of postsecret founder Frank Warren, for the fact that archive material is only available through his books. There is even an urban legend regarding the books, that some fans of the initiative have taken to slipping postcards with their own secrets into the books in bookshops, meaning that each buyer gets a unique surprise secret included. True or false? Hard to tell, but it is very intriguing.

What's great about the group: It shows humanity in all its heartbreakingly flawed beauty.

A word of caution: Give it a miss if your first instinct is to judge.

Click here to go directly to 'Post Secret'.