In response to one kind reader who recently wrote with some good suggestions about opening up this
website for reader editing (wiki-style) and other types of interactivity, I wrote the followng [excerpts from my reply]:
...I like having some discretion over what content is presented at
my site.
For the past few months, I have been getting lots of porn postings in my Guestbook, and it is easy
enough to delete them. Were I to open the site up further, I suspect I would then be dealing with a much more cumbersome maintenance
regime to keep the site clean. I would like to be able to say I have time for that level of involvement, but I do not.
As for interaction, interactivity among users: One regular poster and e-mailer (to me and others)
founded a yahoo group about a year ago, but became discouraged and gave up after some folks with very narrow agendas essentially
took over the direction of that site. I am not keen to undergo that kind of experience with my own site.
I am happy that my site remains essentially "agenda free." Folks are invited to post whatever they
like, and I practically never edit anything folks post.
Most people include their e-mail addresses, so it seems to me that there is plenty of opportunity
for people to interact on their own, directly and personally, and without requiring any intervention or, frankly, participation
from my side. I enjoy personal correspondence... but with over 250 participants in my Guestbook - growing weekly! - I can
see having to deal with too much were I to host a more interactive forum.
As for the general, overarching purpose of my site, I maintain it for three primary reasons: One,
to allow folks to have their say and to make themselves available for dialogue with others (via inclusion of their e-mail
addresses with their entries); two, to try to serve as a hub for most of the best 33-related info on the web; and three, to
serve as the location for whatever discoveries may come along about this enigma we call "33 experience."
If one looks over what all of the folks have written at my site, it seems clear that, despite some
very interesting and important observations and opinions from guests, there is not yet any consensus - or maybe
even any clear direction - toward deciphering this mystery. If - and I certainly hope, WHEN - someone "figures this thing
out," they will surely write to me and/or post that info at my site.
I do appreciate the idea of community and the interaction of same, so I encourage others to host
sites of their own for 33-related dialogue, and I will happily post links to and write ups about those, provided those sites
are sticking to the theme whilst avoiding the all-too-common pitfalls of rude and misguided bantering, agenda pushing, etc....
As it stands, I welcome from visitors - and will readily post - pics, facts, essays, and the like
at a visitor's request (provided that such data is relevant to the theme of my site). Please see
my Site Map [click here] for all of the pages at this site.
Thank you for your continued and courteous participation in my 33 Mysteries website!
If you've been following my blog, you will know that I rarely post personal "33 experiences." Here
is one remarkable enough that I have decided to include it.
My next door neighbors - aside from the amazing coincidence that I sort of knew both the husband AND
the wife (separately) well before they ever moved in next door (none of us were aware of that fact until after they moved
in) - they had a truck with a 33 on the license plate, and so it sat right next to my driveway, a few feet from my own car.
Virtually every time I go out onto my street, or more often to the nearest major intersection, I will
see at least one 33 on a license plate right there, close to home. My neighbor's "33" came VERY close to home, right next
door. I see this 33 plate without even having to leave my driveway. For some time, they had a large RV, and its serial number
- in bold, black print on the side - also included a 33.
Maybe that is not strange at all.
But when they sold their truck, then bought a new one, I was rather surprised to discover that the
new one had a different plate with another 33 on it.
License plates in our State are given out randomly (verified through our DMV), and these neighbors
have little or no interest in 33, nor did they select these plates in any way.
About two weeks ago, they sold that second "33" truck and they replaced it with a new Honda sedan.
They kept the same license plate, and so I still have a 33 on the plate next door.
Also worth noting: Far more cars with 33 can be found at houses on my street than would normally happen,
given their random distribution; at last count, there are about six of them within 2 or 3 blocks to either direction from
my house.
In this way, 33s on plates come to me; I don't even have to leave home to see a 33 on a license plate.
