The Official Hidden Lives Blog

Hidden Lives becomes i-confide.com

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 03:24:00 +0000

Dear Hidden Lives community,

We're delighted to be letting you in on a little secret... Hidden Lives is (finally) coming out of beta. And it's got a new name and a bunch of great new features.

The site is now called i-confide and we'll be telling the world about it very soon. The concept however is unchanged.

i-confide is a place to share your innermost thoughts and reflections with the world.

And we wanted to give you - all our early users! - the first opportunity to check out the new site.

http://i-confide.com
(login with your Hidden Lives password).

Explore, confide and check out all the new features such as commenting and favoriting. (For now we'd appreciate if you didn't forward this news onto any blogs or media outlets.) As always we welcome your valuable feedback.

Thanks, and enjoy!

The i-confide team
http://i-confide.com

p.s. make sure you subscribe to the 'showcase' if you want to get the best confides delivered to your inbox.

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FAQ

1. Why did you change the name from Hidden Lives to i-confide?

We had some feedback that suggested the Hidden Lives branding made the site a bit too 'heavy'. Some people thought Hidden Lives only focused on deep, dark secrets and/or skeletons in the closet. The new name of "i-confide" represents a better expression of what the site is all about; sharing your innermost thoughts and reflections. We also want to encourage greater interaction between the people who submit their thoughts and the people who read them. i-confide better illustrates this crucial two-way relationship. Oh, and we like the way "i-confide" sounds when you say it out loud.

2. What's new with i-confide?

Lots. There's greater interaction via commenting and favoriting. And if someone comments or favorites one of your confides, you can get alerted by email. You can also now view the confides in more meaningful ways by seeing the most provocative, obscure, recent and the 'best of' showcase. You can also subscribe to get the showcase delivered to your inbox every week or two. Also you can now upload different images to go with your different confides. And if you don't like any of the existing 'triggers' designed to provoke your reflection, you can invent your own. Can't forget that the site has had a complete re-design not to mention it's been re-developed from the ground up (it's in Ruby for you hackers). Um... there's a few other things which we'll let you discover for yourselves.

3. What about my personal information?

All your personal information and entries submitted to Hidden Lives have been transferred to i-confide. And yes, we're still committed to protecting your anonymity (you choose your username and we never divulge your email). If you want to cancel your account, please get in touch at http://i-confide.com/contact.

4. How do I login to the new i-confide site?

You can use your existing Hidden Lives password to login at http://i-confide.com/login. If you've forgotten your password, follow the link to get a new one. Of course you can always create a new account with a new email address.

5. What's in store for the future?

We're (still) doing this for love not money. The project has always been an experiment in humanity, and an attempt to prove that the web can be a great medium for meaningful and authentic human interactions. So, we'll see where it takes us!

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The 1,400th Hidden Lives Expression

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 02:07:00 +0000

The best decision I made was...

to not worry about past mistakes and keep moving forward.

Hidden Lives expression from chibakita, 31 years old, United States.

The 1,300th Hidden Lives Expression

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 12:10:00 +0000

I wish the world was . . .

more like Canada.

casxsia, female, 19 years old, Greensburg, United States.

See the original expression at Hidden Lives.

The 1,200th Hidden Lives Expression

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 10:23:00 +0000

I suspect that...

I might be about to make a mistake. It's a great suspicion to harbour, keeps you sharp.nebra, male, 38 years old, Galway, Ireland.

See this expression directly at Hidden Lives.

A Beautiful Hidden Lives Entry

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 14:36:00 +0000

I'm ashamed to admit that...

I just broke a promise to someone that I love. And I probably won't let him know.

fakeghosts, female, 16 years old, elsewhere, United States.

Go to this entry on Hidden Lives.

The 1,100th Hidden Lives Expression

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 08:05:00 +0000

I grew up thinking I would one day...

be in control - now I'm not so sure.

Submitted by AngelaJ07, female, 20 years old, Sydney, Australia.

View this expression at Hidden Lives.

Looking Forward

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 06:35:00 +0000

Coinciding with my return to Australia, I was delighted to see Hidden Lives recently pass 1,000 entries . My first stated goal was to exceed 1,000 expressions from 25 countries.

As of today (27 June 2007), there are 1029 from 29 countries. So first goal met. More to come. More zeroes required.

Apart from some early users returning, the latest surge in traffic has predominantly come from a news posting in the excellent Design Is Kinky which led to a daily traffic record of over 700 unique visitors.

Some other coverage over the past month or two includes:

- a link from online magazine The Cud.
- a linking within the forums (somewhere) at Vogue.
- a link at the blog Look At This.
- a blurb at the 'subset culture' blog disassociated.com.

The 1000th Hidden Lives Expression

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 06:29:00 +0000

The best decision I made was...

to leave when it was the time.

1vet4pet, female, 0 years old, City of Dogs, Romania.

View this entry at Hidden Lives.

The 900th Hidden Lives Expression

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 06:11:00 +0000

The lesson I still need to learn is...

that there are people out there that will not hurt me and that I can trust...

Tezza, female, 26 years old, Canberra, Australia.

View this entry at Hidden Lives.

The 800th Hidden Lives Expression

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 04:40:00 +0000

I want to be remembered as. . .

as someone who did what they thought was right, regardless of the consequences.

blank_canvas, male, 23 years old, brisbane, Australia.

View this entry at Hidden Lives.

Some More Mentions

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 25 May 2007 08:03:00 +0000

The recent interview with Lost At E Minor has provided an excellent boost to Hidden Lives. A few other links, postings and mentions are also helping drive entries towards the 800 mark. Here are a few links:

- The fun and creative Inspire Me Thursday posted about Hidden Lives yesterday.

- The NYC-based blog A Little Bit Harder seems like a fan of the site.

- The techmate blog on innovation in Australia somehow came across and featured Hidden Lives.

And I also submitted my own post promoting Hidden Lives to the interesting random magazine.

Another Hidden Lives Entry

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 22 May 2007 11:54:00 +0000

I find meaning in...

creative surprises - new colourful images or sounds or tastes to jumpstart reality - pockets of others' lives that you catch a glimpse of - they flip your head around and remind you of your smallness and of the cotidian beauty available everywhere for our sampling. These moments are fleeting and beautiful, singular and they resist linear time constructions and are therefore replete with true meaning for me.

Mumu, female, 25 years old, Brasília, Brazil.

View this entry at Hidden Lives.

The 700th Hidden Lives Entry

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 18 May 2007 05:21:00 +0000

If I wasn't stuck behind this desk...

I would be on a train trip. But I can't blame the desk, only myself for that one...

barry, male, 31 years old, somewhere, Australia.

The Intimate Revelations of "ham"

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 16 May 2007 03:21:00 +0000

I have not featured a specific user before, just individual entries, however a recently registered user really caught my eye. Here are some of her beautiful entries.

ham, female, 16 years old, Gold Coast, Australia.

Before I die I will. . . drink instant coffee in a laundromat, jump into a pile of leaves, eat all the ice-cream in the world and sit on the sidewalk watching 'it' all go by.

When I'm alone I. . . close my eyes and dance

I wish the world was. . . flat, and that the sun revolved around us, that unicorns were real and that at the end of every rainbow there would be dancing leprechauns with pots of gold.

You can check out all 17 of "ham's" entries here.

Interview with Lost At E Minor

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 16 May 2007 02:57:00 +0000

The ever inspiring and beautiful Lost At E Minor recently interviewed me about Hidden Lives. Here are a few excerpts:

LAEM: What led you to start it?
JM: I was reflecting on notions of identity and authentic voice - as I am prone to do - and my mind kept returning to the extraordinary gap between how we are perceived externally and our own inner awareness. I wanted to explore this somehow but did not know where to start. . .

LAEM: What are your plans for the site?
JM: At its core, I want Hidden Lives to become a unique, collaborative artwork brimming with intimate, beautiful and moving self-expressions from people all over the world. As to whether that artwork exists solely online, or in gallery exhibitions, public art displays or in hardcopy publications, well… I am keeping an open mind. Suffice to say, being in the 'big future thinking' phase is plenty of fun. . .

Read the entire interview here. And I would recommend subscribing to their weekly dose of pop culture and creative goodness.

Pssst. Share a Secret.

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 08 May 2007 12:07:00 +0000

One of the issues facing Hidden Lives is that while people might love and enjoy unveiling themselves to the world, directly telling their friends about the site might make them feel uncomfortable (even with a made-up screen name).

This is the reason behind adding the pssst...share the secret function to the site. It appears on every page of the site, towards the bottom right of every page as you can see here.

This function allows you to send an anonymous email to up 5 of your friends, letting them know about Hidden Lives. Hopefully this will help people spread the word about the site without their anonymity being put at risk.

So go ahead, share the Hidden Lives secret!

New Triggers Added

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 09:20:00 +0000

Three new triggers have been added to the site.

The truth is...

My secret place to escape is...

My spirits soar...

Respond to these triggers by logging into Hidden Lives.

Stay tuned for a new feature that will make it easier for people to spread the secret about Hidden Lives while (of course) preserving their anonymity.

Mentions and Additions

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 12:18:00 +0000

Pleased to say there is now a 'forgotten password?' option for all those poor people struggling to keep track of their passwords. Registered Hidden Lives users can simply head here.

And here are a couple more mentions of Hidden Lives.

artfuture :: An interesting blog featuring "creative content from the edge" - Hidden Lives art project.

Hongkiat :: A popular blog network by the looks of it - Reveal your inner thoughts with Hidden Lives.

So the site is slowly building. I am on the road (again) travelling through southern Vietnam so promotion has taken a back seat. But Remko Steenstra and I are exchanging ideas on a few new and very handy features.

Also stay tuned, as there might be a few fairly significant mentions/links to Hidden Lives in coming days. Fingers crossed.

The 600th Hidden Lives Entry

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 12:11:00 +0000

I once believed that life was...

beautiful.
that racism had ceased to exist.
worth living.
that friendships would last forever.
easy.
that hearts couldn't be broken
and when Mommy kissed my owwies.. everything would be better again.

Hidden Lives entry from givingupwasyesterday, female, -1 years old, United States.

A Hidden Life Unveiled

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 09:41:00 +0000

Life is...

18% grey.

Hidden Lives entry Life is... from seeker, female, 41 years old, Madison, USA.

New Feature on Hidden Lives

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 15 Apr 2007 12:25:00 +0000

A very handy link has been added to Hidden Lives. When you are viewing any individual entry, now you can quickly jump to every entry submitted in that category by clicking on the 'trigger' text.

So you can compare how different people from all over the world respond to 'triggers' such as:

When I look in the mirror I see...

Life is...

I wake at 3am thinking...

I still harbour a dream...

I want to be remembered for...

Another Hidden Lives Entry

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 08:01:00 +0000

Freedom is...

being absolutely honest with the world. When you have nothing to hide you have nothing to fear. Honesty is scary but surprisingly people are touched by it, however dark, tawdry and warped your inner thoughts may be.

Hidden Lives entry from Andy, male, 35 years old, Offenburg, Germany.

Another Hidden Life Unveiled

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 08:23:00 +0000

My life changed the moment...

.........I wore a black dress. For the first time this morning
being 9 yrs old wearing a black dress seems pretty weird, I want my pink , yellow or red polka dot dress.
where is mum by the way? **i am in thought** does she know dad is making me wear black?
Today i was going to wear all black, bubbles in my hair, beads round my neck black, shoes on my feet black. Still wondering where mummy is.
Today we bury mummy that's why you are wearing black.
.........my life changed the moment i wore black.

Hidden Lives entry from Lola, female, 31 years old, London, United Kingdom.

The 500th Hidden Lives Entry!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 05:48:00 +0000

The entries keep on flowing at Hidden Lives and I am delighted to feature the 500th entry submitted. And it is a beautiful one.

"I believe... words and thoughts have more power and energy than we are led to believe."

Unveiled by autumn, female, 40 years old, somewhere, Bosnia and Herzegonia.

Tinkering with Hidden Lives

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 05:25:00 +0000

A couple of small but crucial additions have been added to Hidden Lives by the 'man behind the code' Remko Steenstra.

Most importantly, when you are viewing an individual entry on the site, you can now view all the entries from this user. The link has been added under the user's profile below the image.

You can also view all the entries from the same country with a single click on the country name, again in the user's details below their image.

For example, check out this entry from StripyButterfly in the United Kingdom. Then under the Contributed link you can view all of her thought-provoking 10 entries.

Or perhaps you just want to check out all the entries from Norway.

I think you get the idea. Simple but very handy additions to get more meaningful insights into the people's reflections.

Lastly, options to sort and filter Hidden Lives entries in a variety of ways have now been added to every page except the 'splash' page containing the interactive tally. These sort and filter options will become much more crucial when there is more and more content on the site.

That's all for now.