March 7, 2003: In praise of unpopular sites
I used to think that the only cool websites and blogs were the ones that got a million hits everyday, but recently, I've come to believe the opposite. The coolest sites are the ones that get very few hits, and the less hits you get, the cooler you are. As the number of hits approaches zero each day and each month and each year, the coolness of the site skyrockets to almost infinity. Sure, some of you out there may disagree with me- you might say my philosophy is suspiciously anti-Nietzschean, but I don't give a good god-damn. This isn't some paean to the coolness of unpopular things. It is, in my opinion, a profound moral truth. Sites that get very little traffic have all the properties of something cool: exclusivity, undiscoveredness, purity. Sites that are overrun by legions of visitors are like an Amsterdam whore- they might be fun to visit, but come on- you can't pretend you're the first one who has scaled that peak. Don't get me wrong- I appreciate all the MetaFilters and Jason Kottkes of the world- some of those sites are rare exceptions to this rule- but to paraphrase Robert Frost, I'll take the site less traveled by.
Less traveled by sites that I think are cool: Gothamist and Deckchairs.
Comments
I agree, there's something cool about knowing a site all to yourself - like your favorite hole in the wall restaurant or an unknown designer. We're an indie blog.
Sorry if two's to many. You are very convincing and I can't help but to agree. I never thought of it that way though I always felt there was something special about being the only name in a guestbook.
I agree with you all the way... but do you know some unpopular sites that are for younger audieneces? I'd like to see some.
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