September is Suicide Prevention Month
Sep. 6th, 2025 05:14 pm![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png){kind=small}
post_secret_feed
—email—
Dear Frank,
I was the one who sent this in September of 2007. It was September of my freshman year in high school and I had just gotten out of a deep depression. On April 25th, 2007, I had written the note, thinking that life would never get better than my depressed, 14-year old existence. But for whatever wonderful reason, I kept going. Oddly enough, I didn’t get rid of the suicide note. I’m not sure what was stopping me.
I had wanted to send in a secret since I discovered Postsecret in 7th grade in the midst of my first bout of depression. I instantly fell in love with it. I try realized that other people were in just as much pain as I was. When I started to feel better, I realize I needed to get rid of the note. I thought that ripping it up and sending it to Postsecret was the best way to do it.
I am now almost 23 and studying to be a social worker. Right now, I want to do mental health advocacy. I want people to be able to access treatment and realize they’re not alone.
But I’ve also been struggling. This year, my depression came back with a vengeance, along with an eating disorder. Monday night, I I was exhausted and sick from days of restricting. I was so frustrated with the fact that I couldn’t seem to get better. I lied in my bed and begged God to take away my pain. I was so afraid of my own pain, I made my housemate keep my meds in her room so I wouldn’t have access to them in the middle of the night.
Tuesday morning, I barely rolled out of bed. I was procrastinating on getting ready for class, and I realized I hadn’t checked Postsecret this week. I scrolled through the Sunday secrets, past the pictures of the Smithsonian exhibit (which I fully intend to visit), then I saw mine. I immediately recognized it. I couldn’t believe it. I thought that since it wasn’t posted 8 years ago, it would never be posted. I was so glad that I was an inspirational suicide story. It was like getting a note from my ninth grade self reassuring me that it was going to be okay.
Ironically, I’ve been showing the post to everyone. My mom told me she was so glad she never had to read it. One of my housemates hugged me and said she was getting goosebumps. My pastor said he couldn’t imagine a world without me and was also glad I had introduced him to Postsecret. My therapist was amazed that you had kept it for that long and that it must have really impacted you. She pointed out that it was clearly written by a child (with the handwriting and the purple gel pen), and that if I could impact a stranger with my story at the age of 14, imagine how I could use my story now.
Thank you so much for Postsecret. For the approximately nine years I have followed it, it has amused me, changed my perception of others, and made me realize I’m not alone. I’m am so glad that Postsecret was a way for me to reach and inspire others, even 8 years later.
Sincerely,
Claire
Aspiring social worker and life-changer
—email—
Dear Claire,
Thank you for sharing your honest story and secret. It is gratifying to see the people PostSecret touches, in the same way you will never fully appreciate all the strangers you have inspired – and will inspire.
-Frank
—email—
Dear Frank,
It has been many years, since my secret was featured on PostSecret, but I have never forgotten about it. It was a hugely transformative moment in my life. I recently decided to share the story on a podcast. Here’s the link. After my story was shared on the podcast, I got a tattoo to remind me of this whole story, and to symbolize my resilience throughout all of this. I am so grateful that I had my opportunity to share my secret with the world. I am also thankful that I am in a place where it is not a secret anymore. Thank you for providing the space to share.
The post September is Suicide Prevention Month appeared first on PostSecret.
(no subject)
Sep. 5th, 2025 03:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
camwynDebating making myself a new long-sleeved shirt for office use this fall. The dress code started off as business casual, went to 'vaguely business casual tops and jeans and moderately respectable sneakers' after COVID, and periodically flicks back to 'wear suits and business shoes' on days when we have clients visiting the office.
that being said, I am considering how many sharks I can get away with on this top.
that being said, I am considering how many sharks I can get away with on this top.
The Somnium Files
Sep. 3rd, 2025 09:55 pmquestionable_content_feed
Pintsize and Date would get along pretty well
Promises, Promises
Sep. 1st, 2025 10:09 pmquestionable_content_feed
Yay stop trying to be coquettish it's weird
Code deploy happening shortly
Aug. 31st, 2025 07:37 pm![[staff profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user_staff.png){kind=small}
mark posting in ![[site community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/comm_staff.png){kind=small}
dw_maintenancePer the dw_news post regarding the MS/TN blocks, we are doing a small code push shortly in order to get the code live. As per usual, please let us know if you see anything wonky.
There is some code cleanup we've been doing that is going out with this push but I don't think there is any new/reworked functionality, so it should be pretty invisible if all goes well.
Mississippi site block, plus a small restriction on Tennessee new accounts
Aug. 31st, 2025 12:28 pmdenise posting in dw_newsA reminder to everyone that starting tomorrow, we are being forced to block access to any IP address that geolocates to the state of Mississippi for legal reasons while we and Netchoice continue fighting the law in court. People whose IP addresses geolocate to Mississippi will only be able to access a page that explains the issue and lets them know that we'll be back to offer them service as soon as the legal risk to us is less existential.
The block page will include the apology but I'll repeat it here: we don't do geolocation ourselves, so we're limited to the geolocation ability of our network provider. Our anti-spam geolocation blocks have shown us that their geolocation database has a number of mistakes in it. If one of your friends who doesn't live in Mississippi gets the block message, there is nothing we can do on our end to adjust the block, because we don't control it. The only way to fix a mistaken block is to change your IP address to one that doesn't register as being in Mississippi, either by disconnecting your internet connection and reconnecting it (if you don't have a static IP address) or using a VPN.
In related news, the judge in our challenge to Tennessee's social media age verification, parental consent, and parental surveillance law (which we are also part of the fight against!) ruled last month that we had not met the threshold for a temporary injunction preventing the state from enforcing the law while the court case proceeds.
The Tennesee law is less onerous than the Mississippi law and the fines for violating it are slightly less ruinous (slightly), but it's still a risk to us. While the fight goes on, we've decided to prevent any new account signups from anyone under 18 in Tennessee to protect ourselves against risk. We do not need to block access from the whole state: this only applies to new account creation.
Because we don't do any geolocation on our users and our network provider's geolocation services only apply to blocking access to the site entirely, the way we're implementing this is a new mandatory question on the account creation form asking if you live in Tennessee. If you do, you'll be unable to register an account if you're under 18, not just the under 13 restriction mandated by COPPA. Like the restrictions on the state of Mississippi, we absolutely hate having to do this, we're sorry, and we hope we'll be able to undo it as soon as possible.
Finally, I'd like to thank every one of you who's commented with a message of support for this fight or who's bought paid time to help keep us running. The fact we're entirely user-supported and you all genuinely understand why this fight is so important for everyone is a huge part of why we can continue to do this work. I've also sent a lot of your comments to the lawyers who are fighting the actual battles in court, and they find your wholehearted support just as encouraging and motivating as I do. Thank you all once again for being the best users any social media site could ever hope for. You make me proud and even more determined to yell at state attorneys general on your behalf.
Transforming Secrets Into Stories: Developers Needed
Aug. 31st, 2025 12:08 ampost_secret_feedFor two decades, we have shared millions of secrets, each one a piece of a larger story—our story.
Today we are launching a new project and are seeking contributors to help us build an interactive digital home for these secrets, creating a searchable archive that will allow us to discover new patterns, themes, and connections, and use these as creative catalysts to uncover new stories about us.
[Phase One] Developers: We need individual or business expertise in databases, web development, and AI to help us code the platform.
[Phase Two] Curators: We need your help to review and correct the words and images from postcards, ensuring every secret is captured with accuracy.
[Phase Three] Storytellers: We need writers and artists to work with our new tools, helping us uncover connections and discover new stories hidden within our secrets.
We are in [Phase One] now. If you can help with the following, please email me directly. frank@postsecret.com (Please share any relevant experience or skills). (Please don’t reply for Phase Two or Three now.)
• AI-powered text and image identification from handwritten postcards
• Integration of searchable metadata into files
• Creating a text, graphic, and semantic searchable database
• Familiarity with MAMP and MySQL 5.6
• Building a user-facing web interface.
Be part of PostSecret history by unlocking this global treasure trove of secrets in a new way, enabling deeper connections and a greater understanding. All volunteers will be credited on the project page and I will be happy to write personalized LinkedIn recommendations.
None of the analog beauty or anonymity of PostSecret will be lost. Our goal is to uncover and celebrate more humanity from the the growing collection.
As always, your contribution is invaluable. Thank you for your passion, your trust, and your secrets.
The post Transforming Secrets Into Stories: Developers Needed appeared first on PostSecret.
TMI content, y’all have been warned
Aug. 30th, 2025 02:50 pmcamwynToday, on ‘Americans will measure in ANYTHING other than the metric system (even the honorary Canadians)’:
( It happened in the shower, it’s tmi-chix worthy )
of all the nameless but notable figures in the Gospel out there, I never expected to find myself identifying with the woman with the issue of blood. Yeesh.
( It happened in the shower, it’s tmi-chix worthy )
of all the nameless but notable figures in the Gospel out there, I never expected to find myself identifying with the woman with the issue of blood. Yeesh.
(no subject)
Aug. 29th, 2025 08:07 amcamwynStill here, just haven't checked in on the site in a while. It's been... it's been a day. Over and over and over again, you know?