Users leave messages, short or long, casual or serious, from the
password of bank accounts to tales of an affair between a young boy
and a middle-aged man.
Some "secrets" might not be true but few seem to care and in
fact nobody knows except the user himself.
People not only post their secrets but also read others' secrets
and comment on them. The website ranks the hottest secrets
according to the number of comments they receive.
According to the website, it has attracted thousands of users
and about 12,000 secrets have been posted so far.
"This is the place I had been searching for. So many things were
piling up inside me that without this channel I would have had to
turn to psychologists," a message said.
Many consider it a helpful way to reduce stress but some say it
plays to an unhealthy desire to peek into other people's lives.
The website has a set of rules to protect privacy. Users are
asked not to provide real names and contact details including
website, email address, telephone number and address.
Political and erotic topics are banned as well.
The website operator says they check every message to decide
whether it is proper for posting and promise not to publicize any
user's IP address.
"It is safe to share," the website proclaims on its
homepage.
(Xinhua News Agency July 7, 2007)