Technically Not Tech: Iamguiltyof.com

Let’s just place the warning up front: iamguiltyof.com is not safe for work. Seriously, if you’re in a cubicle, go browse our events calendar. The site, created by Bensalem-based Web developer Brian Driscoll can be raunchy, disgusting, enlightening and tragic all in one. And it could also get you canned.
The concept is simple: users can confess their sins to the world. The entries appear in a single column on the site’s homepage. There is no sign up process, and the entries are 100 percent anonymous. Confessions range from the mundane (“I am guilty of…watching ninja Warrior!“) to the downright chilling (“I am guilty of…pushing you down the stairs when you were prego.”).
“It occurred to me that when it comes to things like Twitter and Facebook, it’s hard to say what you want to say because everyone can identify you,” says Driscoll. “For the most part they tend to be benign … they lack a certain level of honesty.”
The site is very much like PostSecret or Fmylife except boiled down to a paragraph; something that could begin as a voyeuristic lunch time distraction and end up as an easy way to lose an hour of your day. The Temple graduate Driscoll started the site as a side project to sharpen some of his Web development skills and to finally give him a site of his own. Driscoll has seen his small side project slowly picking up steam and collect over 600 confessions in a matter of weeks while gaining coverage in mainstream media outlets.

“Those aren’t huge numbers by any stretch, but they are kind of huge to me because I don’t think I have ever worked on anything that has gotten so many visitors in such a small amount of time,” he said. And while he knows the site’s 100 to 120 views a day aren’t on pace to surpass the Twitters of the world, Driscoll has been receiving more and more attention. The site was covered in the Phillyburbs.com and has been mentioned on several radio stations across the nation.
As his early success indicates, and as a read through the site will verify, Driscoll has found that guilt is universal. According to his metrics, men and women post confessions equally, and the more educated someone is, the more likely they are to post. Many of the confessions are receiving comments and some have been favorited over 100 times. Only 20 percent of users end up posting confessions.
In the future, Driscoll plans on adding features such as a mobile version and categories for confessions. He is exploring partnerships and advertising deals but hasn’t settled on anything quite yet. But for now he’s dead set on promoting the site.
“In my plan for global domination, the site should be getting 1,000 users a day at least,” he said.
Every Monday, Technically Not Tech will feature people, projects, and businesses that are involved with Philly’s tech scene, but aren’t necessarily technology focused. See others here.