"I said what?!"
Capital-specific TFLN and Overheard sites gain popularity
Kristen Howell
Issue date: 2/25/10 Section: News
Unless you've been living in a world of perpetual Facebook exile over the last semester and a half, you've probably received an invitation to "Text From Last Night: Capital University," one of the new Capital groups dedicated to sharing that embarrassing drunk text that you sent last weekend. (You know. That one that you were hoping no one else would read? Ever?)
Luckily for the rest of Capital's student population, your public humiliation is only one click away.
"If you receive an amusing one, you just have to go on the site and type in the area code and text, then post it on the wall," Emily Hardy, a freshman and creator of the group, said.
She claimed that the whole site started as a joke.
"I was online, and saw that Ohio State had one. So I made one…and it just caught on," Hardy said.
Riding on the tailcoat of this fad is another Facebook site, "Overheard at Capital."
Adam Bidwell, a sophomore, got the idea after viewing the website "Overheard in New York City. "
"I was in the M.D.R. one day, and overheard this girl making a really stupid comment. So we decided to start compiling them," Bidwell said.
So what, exactly, is this site?
"The title makes it kind of self explanatory," Bidwell continued.
"It's an opportunity to exploit the stupid things that people say," Eric Thomas, a sophomore, elaborated.
While both groups have gained momentum through capitalizing on the slip-ups of others, Thomas stressed that there is somewhat of a difference between the two.
"Overheard at Capital is not about texts. It's what you actually hear, in person. Basically, it's Texts From Last Night, but without the text," Thomas said.
But what, exactly, qualifies as a good "Overheard at Capital" post?
"Absolutely anything. It doesn't have to be weird or stupid…just entertaining." Bidwell explained.
With the growing number of users on both of these sites, there is also a higher probability of inappropriate or offensive posts occurring.
"I haven't had to delete anything yet. If there was something that I thought went too far, I wouldn't hesitate to," Hardy said.
The creator of "Overheard at Capital," on the other hand, has no intention of editing his site.
"I feel like it would take away from the idea of the group. Anything is fair game, I'd say," Bidwell said.
By Kristen Howell
khowell2@capital.edu
Luckily for the rest of Capital's student population, your public humiliation is only one click away.
"If you receive an amusing one, you just have to go on the site and type in the area code and text, then post it on the wall," Emily Hardy, a freshman and creator of the group, said.
She claimed that the whole site started as a joke.
"I was online, and saw that Ohio State had one. So I made one…and it just caught on," Hardy said.
Riding on the tailcoat of this fad is another Facebook site, "Overheard at Capital."
Adam Bidwell, a sophomore, got the idea after viewing the website "Overheard in New York City. "
"I was in the M.D.R. one day, and overheard this girl making a really stupid comment. So we decided to start compiling them," Bidwell said.
So what, exactly, is this site?
"The title makes it kind of self explanatory," Bidwell continued.
"It's an opportunity to exploit the stupid things that people say," Eric Thomas, a sophomore, elaborated.
While both groups have gained momentum through capitalizing on the slip-ups of others, Thomas stressed that there is somewhat of a difference between the two.
"Overheard at Capital is not about texts. It's what you actually hear, in person. Basically, it's Texts From Last Night, but without the text," Thomas said.
But what, exactly, qualifies as a good "Overheard at Capital" post?
"Absolutely anything. It doesn't have to be weird or stupid…just entertaining." Bidwell explained.
With the growing number of users on both of these sites, there is also a higher probability of inappropriate or offensive posts occurring.
"I haven't had to delete anything yet. If there was something that I thought went too far, I wouldn't hesitate to," Hardy said.
The creator of "Overheard at Capital," on the other hand, has no intention of editing his site.
"I feel like it would take away from the idea of the group. Anything is fair game, I'd say," Bidwell said.
By Kristen Howell
khowell2@capital.edu
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