Silicon Valley Musings

Originally posted to the Captology Notebook

It has been noted that SorryEverybody.com has a very personal feel. It presents the faces of thousands of Americans and their hand written apologies to the rest of the world.

SorryEverybody.com�s persuasive use of anonymity fosters such a personal feel. The site itself never reveals it creator�s identity; we only see his partly obscured face in this picture. There is no �Who we are� page. Only recently does the description of the up coming book reveal he is James Zetlen, a USC student.

The site does not indicate if its sponsored or owned by any particular organization. It appears to be a work of a small group of individuals. The main page�s use of the first person and thanks to �Andrew, Andy, Aristotle, Charles� and six others reinforces this impression.

There is no login or registration. At no time, does the site request your email address. The site doesn�t even create a Web browser cookie on your machine.

You can contribute pictures to the site anonymously. The submission page has only one button, �Upload for review� and a single check box to optionally release the picture for inclusion in the book.

Would this site be as compelling if it was hosted by MoveOn.org or the DNC? Would it be so popular if you had to register to browse the gallery? Would as many people have contributed pictures if they were required to provide a Microsoft Passport first? Would the pictures be as powerful if they where accompanied the contributor�s Amazon Wishlist?

The use of anonymity persuades you to post a personal, sincere apology. The contributors� anonymity make the apologies feel very genuine.