About 10% of our overall site traffic continues to arrive from links to a document I published in the summer of 2008. The document was called A Brief Guide to World Domination, and it seems that a few people liked it.
We now have Spanish, French, and Chinese translations, all made by volunteer readers. Someone else made a Kindle version for you early adopter folks. Good times.
Then, in one of my prouder moments, the site was actively banned for several months in China and from the U.S. government computers in Afghanistan—apparently the search term “world domination” was concerning to both groups.
(I wanted to include this impressive fact in a book proposal, but my agent made me take it out—perhaps it’s not as much of a selling point as I thought.)
Anyway, it’s all been fun. And one of the things that’s MOST FUN OF ALL is hearing different people’s answers to the two most important questions in the universe:
1. What do you really want to get out of life?
2. What can you offer the world that no one else can?
Now you can send in a postcard with your own answers to World Domination Headquarters, and my assistant Libby will be tasked with uploading one of them every week for the next six months for everyone else to see.
(Libby’s working hours are approximately 2-5am every weekday, but I’ll pick up the mail during the day and leave it in her Inbox.)
Here’s Exactly What You Need To Do
1. Get a postcard – any kind you like. Your hometown, somewhere you’re visiting, something you make yourself, whatever.
2. On the back of the postcard, write your name, your Twitter ID (if you have one), and your answers to the two most important questions in the universe, in whatever fashion you want.
It’s OK if your answers are just a guess, an idea, or a work-in-progress. Of course, all of you fun artists can answer the questions in some kind of visual form. And if you’re stuck, not sure, or just want to write something else, that’s fine too.
3. Send the postcard to this address:
World Domination HQ
4110 SE Hawthorne Blvd #639
Portland, OR 97214
USA
That’s it. Once a week for the next six months, I’ll publish one of the postcards that comes in for everyone to see.
Sound good? Naturally, this is optional… but I’ll look forward to reading your notes, and sharing many of them with the world.
P.S. A note from my Very Conformist Lawyer: By sending us a postcard, you agree that we can use it to make you famous, or anything else we think of. Also, your postcard is probably worth a million dollars, but we won’t be paying you for it.
P.P.S. In case you missed the free PDF that started all of this, here it is.
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Image: Tsilli
February 11, 2010
Scott
Very cool in that Post Secret kinda of way. I’ll have to shop for hometown postcards now.
February 11, 2010
JoAnna
Very cool idea…Look forward to seeing them!
February 11, 2010
Al
I guess I must have a kooky sense of humor too because I think being banned both by the US and the Chinese Governments is great!
Keep up the good work…
About the postcard questions – I suppose postcards play into your image of intrepid traveler etc but why not set these up as Tweet Questions?
February 11, 2010
Jeffrey Luke
I’m sure these will be awesome – and POSITIVE. Better than some of the dark stuff I’ve seen on PostSecret – which I do find fascinating.
February 11, 2010
Eduard
Wow, besides the idea, very powerful questions. I’ll have to think some more about that second one.
February 11, 2010
Lisa
Why just one a week? I’d love to see much more than this. I too have enjoyed reading the replies to the two questions that people have posted.
February 11, 2010
soultravelers3
Fun idea! You’re going to get a LOT of mail! Maybe share them with some school kids near you?
February 11, 2010
Chris
Hi from PDX airport.
@Al,
Twitter is great, but this will allow for more creativity.
@Lisa,
Well, one a week is what we’ll start with. I’ll see what comes in, and if we can do more, we will.
February 11, 2010
Susan
Love it! I may wait until we get to Iceland or Bergen, more fun for me. My husband is a reader too, I’ll be interested to hear his answer.
February 11, 2010
Etsuko
Love the idea! I’ll send mine soon
February 11, 2010
Tyler
Breakin’ out the pattern scissors….
February 11, 2010
ConsciouslyFrugal
Al, some of us don’t have Twitter accounts! And some of us love the old school, dead tree way of communicating (sorry, beloved trees).
Yanno, knowing that your work had been banned would make me *more* inclined to buy the book. But I suppose your editor probably knows best.
This is a lovely idea. What a way to foster community and inspire folks. I’m going to participate!
February 11, 2010
Patrenia
This is an awesome idea! I’ll see what I can come up with. That 2nd question has had me stumped for a while. This will force me to answer it!
February 11, 2010
Meg
This is an *awesome* idea!
I have some postcards at home, but I think I’ll wait until we head out to Myrtle Beach in March to pick one up… (Unless I have a good one at home.)
Either way, I am absolutely sending you a postcard.
February 11, 2010
Yongho Shin
Amazing idea! Chris, I’m going to buy a postcard just for this.
February 11, 2010
'Nette
At the risk of sounding perilously dorkish:
<3.
You are continually, relentlessly awesome. Please do continue.
February 11, 2010
Benjamin Jenks
Great Idea!
I love postcards & am fashioning mine in my head now. I agree with Lisa though that you should post more than one a week. I want to check out a majority of what others have to say. Or maybe have a section/page for the ones that don’t make the “featured” cut.
All the best,
Ben
February 11, 2010
Mario
Sounds great! I’ll send my postcard soon! It will take a while from Argentina to Portland though =)!
February 11, 2010
Ben Overmyer
Interesting challenge for this:
To truly break free, try buying a plane ticket to a random location and send a postcard from THERE. Extra points if it’s a location with a name you can’t pronounce.
February 11, 2010
Shawna R. B. Atteberry
How can this NOT be a major selling point? I was already planning on buying the book, but if I wasn’t, that would have made me buy it.
February 11, 2010
Shawna R. B. Atteberry
And I will be sending a postcard. What a great idea.
February 12, 2010
mary
Chris I just posted mine from Edinburgh Scotland today. I love love postal communication especially postcards ! I’d love to know how quickly it arrives. Its got two blue HELLO ! stamps on it
February 12, 2010
connie barrett
I have probably heard these questions all my life, but right now I really heard it. I wrote 4 pages so far and found I need to examine the issue even more. I may never come up with an answer that will fit on a post card but it is so important to really probe these questions. Thank you for always being inspiring.
February 12, 2010
Luce
As always Chris, your posts are interesting and original but make us think about our own view on different subjects and participate like this one does. These are two great questions to answer and I will be sending my postcard to Libby for sure.
February 12, 2010
Andi
Awesome idea…I’m definitely sending a postcard in.
February 12, 2010
Timo
A great plan, I think I must find some local postcard!
I was actually once thinking that I would do request people to send in postcards as well, with the ultimate goal of getting one postcard from each country. Those cards would have then been used as material to create a huge poster for my living room. Too bad I did not have a blog back then, it has been a very slow thing to start.
I look forward to seeing what kind of answers people come up with!
February 12, 2010
Steve Scott Site
Congrats on getting banned. That’s pretty awesome. Will be sending a postcard shortly.
February 15, 2010
Kristin
Great idea, Chris. I look forward to seeing the postcards posted. I’ll have to put some good thought into answering these questions and will send mine soon!
February 17, 2010
Art Roy Remy
I am really a fan of your site. You are a source of inspiration for me to live life to the fullest in a creative and unconventional way. Great idea once again!
February 20, 2010
Karen
I picked up the postcards yesterday. You can expect them soon, Chris.
I love this idea! and am looking forward to seeing what everyone else has written. Plus, I would expect to see some fantastic postcards from around the world.
Karen
February 20, 2010
Jayde
Just got mine created and mailed. I didn’t require a lot of thought to answer the questions, but I do feel inspired by answering them. Thanks for the opportunity to do so and I can’t wait to see the cards that get chosen!
March 4, 2010
Annabel Candy, Get In the Hot Spot
Wow! My postcard is there on Flickr. I was looking through thinking that I couldn’t remember what I sent you but then I saw it. Thanks for including it. That’s a fabulous collection you have there!
June 2, 2010
Sharon Ogle
Ahhh Chris, thanks for dropping by my site. Sean never mentioned this postcard idea. My 2010 New Year’s Resolution is to mail a postcard a day to someone. So far, so good. You are now bookmarked, and I look forward to reading your blog.
October 7, 2010
Edge McP
Hey what a cool idea! Postcards are such a fun way of saying hi, I always send them to people even if I’m not traveling. Getting something from the postman is always a thrill and like a message from another time & place. Brilliant.
November 1, 2010
Erin Lindsay
Very post secret. I like the idea.