One major problem with the way how I operate is that I may start new projects and accounts and things, but then never quite finishing them. Or leaving them in a haphazard state. Which is precisely the state of a potential project I’ve been working on is.
This project was not even something that I had originally contemplated. It came from one of the many polls that I release for ZachsThoughts. This poll in particular, was about two name ideas with absolutely no strings attached or any context whatsoever.
Yet, this happened:
This is the highest engagement I have gotten on an Instagram poll ever, and I have done a lot of these over the past few years.
So this meant I must have been onto something, I deployed an open-response survey to see if I could get any more results. The result was just my cousin suggesting I post cat pictures. Which, while humbling, is not exactly what either of these two names imply.
But I cannot just wallow in despair and let this subside. I should do something with this. So I acquired perspectivepoint.substack.com and began to craft an introductory post and about page. (It is currently set to private to hide it from the Substack network, but I will accept any/all subscribers.)
Then comes the next stage: What exactly am I creating? The name implies that I am creating a place for many perspectives to come together. A digital magazine? A blog? Something that doesn’t yet have a name yet?
I’m still working out the kinks, but I try to look at this from an outsider’s view: What would someone want with this name? I decided to go with a place with no specific focus, where people can write and speak their thoughts about anything. While that may include politics, I would like to see topics that aren’t necessarily thought about online.
Of course, will this work? I doubt it. Many ambitious college students try to launch their own pet projects and fail miserably. But a collaborative one? Something that requires additional souls to put on weight? This might just be a disaster slowly unfolding.
Or it could be cliche, and overrated, as many other people have tried to start similar platforms/brands/companies, only to succumb by their own lack of interest, or failure to generate any momentum. Both critically and commercially.
So, will I go forward with this? I don’t know. I’d love other people’s perspectives (ba dum tss) on this. The project may very well never launch, or it could to thunderous applause. If you’re interested, click this link to automatically create an email to me with the subject line prefilled.
Below is a snippet from the Introductory Post:
Initially, this project was supposed to usurp the place of my own blog, but then I realized. Why? Why not host a place, almost like a literary salon from 1920s Paris, where multiple lenses of the world can collide and shape our ideas, rather than in a place without? Even though we live in a presumed world where ideas of various degrees can be shared and accepted, that is often not the case. People are afraid to speak of.
Written language is one of humanity’s most significant innovations. While people can express their views in video or audio format, there is a non-zero chance that they can be manipulated by someone else to create a false portrayal of the original creator. With written words, what you said is what you said. No fancy lights. Just the letters on the page.
We will see where the wind takes us.