Not Your Father's MySpace: TheOuterPost.com

Thu May 18, 02:53 AM by

The internet is a messy business. Amongst pages of cigar aficionados, cute dogs, conspiracy theory pages, and Craigslist “missed connections” are some hidden gems. These secluded, hidden corners of cyberspace, like a book club, provide a legitimate (albeit virtual) social experience. While many are lost amid pages and pages of “guy falling off roof” MPEGS & ‘YouTube’s, there are a few websites who work to resonate with its users. Sites like Arts&Letters.com and Wikipedia make an attempt to provide actual innovation. The OuterPost.com can count itself among them. The OuterPost also addresses the basic community nature of the internet and instead of controlling the product, they merely channel the collective energies into a common arena.
The biggest innovation with The OuterPost community is the utter freedom that users have. From the profiles to the news forums, users determine the content of the entirety of the site. Allowing user the (gasp) opportunity to define their own web community as they seem fit; it is quite a brave new step in community sites. When it comes to the profiles, the recurring theme of freedom is not stifled at all. Users’ profiles are exactly that: the users’. If I felt like making a profile with a maroon and tope theme, then there I go. The rule of thumb for OuterPost profiles: if you can program it (using HTML), then you can have it.
The news forum is my favorite feature. Under each topic heading (Music, Art, News, etc) are a collection of a few of recent user posts. Following the common theme in the site, users freely (note: freely) post links, summaries, and responses to any news that they find worthy or interesting. Sometimes the results are appropriate: a quick glance at the world section gives news from the Al Zarqawi assassination and the World Cup. Other times they are bizarre. For example, one user posted an article about Brangelina selling baby Gobbledygook’s (or whatever its name is) baby pictures for what I would assume to be a sweet mint. Another example is the “History of the Bikini.” Not a bad topic, by my judging, but quite odd anyway. However, the schizophrenic scope of the articles and links make Google News browsing seem tame by comparison.
Recently The OuterPost crew began hosting radio shows. These shows, as endearingly abrasive as they are charming, really make for enjoyable listening. The shows, broadcast out of beautiful Banning, California, are really geared toward those turned off from mainstream radio. Covering everything from Anthrax to the Blues Explosion to Funkadelic, the OuterPost show is pure DIY in audio form. In addition to posting the radio shows online, users can post their own music up there. Last I checked, nearly thirty artists had posted music. The OuterPost isn’t built to endorse and promote ‘top 40’ music; AFI or Black Eyed Peas don’t need any help. Instead, the OuterPost is built specifically with indie and unsigned artists in mind. In addition, OuterPost has begun hosting shows at various bars scattered around Southern California. Personally I find this to be fantastic; apart from the MySpace tent at the Warped Tour, rarely have I seen website communities extend to the ‘real’ world.
If the above reasons were not convincing enough, then take a look at the recently purchased MySpace. Now a wholly-owned subsidy of Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation, the parent company of Fox Networks (and a small army of newspapers, music labels, and sports channels), MySpace has been becoming increasingly questionably ethical. Furthermore, I’d rather not my music, my friends, and Bill O’Reilly all be under the same umbrella. The OuterPost, while still living comfortably under the radar of the media behemoths, does not plan to be cowed by the giants; you could say they are looking for a fight; they want to meet the challenge of media hegemony head on.
There is uniqueness and an honestly participating in a community like this. It’s like when you meet a new group of friends; they talk to you, not at you, they listen to you as opposed to waiting for their turn to talk. And through them, you can learn a little bit more about yourself, what you like and what interests you. The primary difference and sincere benefit of The OuterPost is that they are genuinely here to help out, they want to re-cycle resources, connections, and information into the community. Instead of draining profits and fattening wallets, they give back to you, to me, and to the community as a whole.

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