Happy Birthday, Purple T

After I sent my most recent post on Tuesday, I realized it was Purple Titanic’s first birthday.

Thanks so much for being here. Really. I spend a lot of time writing, but you don’t have to read any of it. So I just feel really, really grateful that you bother.

Like any 12-month-old, Purple T has changed a lot in the last year.

Would you help me mark this milestone by answering two questions for me?

Share your answers in a comment or by reply email.

1. Which Purple Titanic post has stuck with you most? (Bonus: Why?)

I ask this, rather than your favorite post, because my aim is to write words that stick—that amplify a nag that’s been pawing at you, spark reflection on something you hadn’t considered, or resonate with an unexpected emotion.

You can find a recap of Baby Purple Titanic’s first twelve months at the bottom of the homepage. (You may need to click “load more.”)

2. Which of these do you think works best as the tagline for the Purple Titanic homepage? (Bonus: Why?)

1. Keep the current tagline: “Welcome aboard… There are lifeboats for all.”
2. “Where the personal meets the political meets the Titanical.”
3. “Transatlantic journeys, personal & political... with lifeboats for all.”
4. “Shipwrecks, politics, and personal stories, with room for all aboard.”
5. “Organizing words to make sense of the world. Come on board.”
6. I have another suggestion! (What is it?!? ??? !!!)

I initially envisioned Purple T as a small digital community: I’d pose a question, in the form of a personal essay. It would interweave Titanic history, the state of things in the U.S., and life in Germany. Robust discussion in the comments section would leave a frothing wake after every post.

But that was naïve. Now I’m living back home in the U.S. Most of my posts have touched on one or two of those themes, but rarely all three. And I’ve come to accept that most people read essays to, well, read them… not to discuss them with strangers online.

More than accept, in fact, I celebrate this: We don’t need more places for people to comment at each other on the internet. I’m happy if people want to read what I write, take whatever resonates with them, and turn their attention back to the real world. Which, heaven knows, needs our attention.

So I’d like my homepage to invite the newcomer in with a clearer promise of what they’ll find inside. (Or maybe not. Maybe you’ll all choose A. I’m excited to see if anyone has a good option F, though.)

By the way, if you’re reading this weeks later (I get it!)... it’s not too late. I still want to know your thoughts.

Bonus question: Every birthday cake has one extra candle—the “one to grow on.” Can you help me celebrate Purple T’s first birthday by thinking of just one person in your life who might enjoy reading what I write?

Whichever post was your answer to question 1 above, send it to that person and invite them to subscribe… and be my one to grow on. ;)

Poof! The candles are blown out. Thanks for coming.

Love,

Ari

P.S. In the first year, I averaged exactly 1.5 posts per month. Two posts in one week is an anomaly—I'm not trying to change that!