One of my dear friends once told me (and I don’t think he meant it in a romantic way) that I am one of the most passionate people he knew. I thought about the compliment for a while and then decided that he was right.
I am.
I rave about everything I like. If I am passionate about something, then people around me are going to hear about it.
In the Bible, the greatest book ever, this is more or less put as ‘for out of the abundance of the heart, his mouth speaks’ (Luke 6: 45).
Over the years this has happened with TV series, vacation destinations, podcasts, books and yes, also with the occasional product.
i am
i am
not
a reviewer. There are more than enough people out there who are better at product unboxing, reviewing, comparing and testing products. If you want, go and read or watch their stuff. I know I did and liked (most of) it.
an influencer. I don’t make money from this site and I have paid for all products myself. If however, a company feels their product is missing on my list, they are always welcome to send it to me. No strings attached.
To me, it is not about influencing people to buy products. I don't like brands nor do I crave status. Admittedly, most of the things I write about are not cheap but that is hardly the point. I solely include a product if it has succeeded in making my life better. Some of these things are so geeky, nerdy and so nichey that hardly anyone has ever heard of them. The moment some of these things hit mainstream, I truly believe, the world will have become a more beautiful place. If somehow I can influence that process, heck yeah, call me an influencer.
(product titles are clickable and direct the user to the official product site when available)
A few years ago when I pitched my idea for this site to my wife, she looked at me funny and asked me the question I have heard many times since: 'How exactly are you going to make money out of this? What is your business model?' Taken aback by this provocative question, I was unable to answer. Today, I believe I have found the answer.
In a small way, this site wants to pay homage to all those people I picked their brains over the years. It wants to say thanks to all those passionate ones out there that shared their experiences, knowledge, and energy without expecting anything in return.
In a big way, this is me being nostalgic about the Internet of years gone by. A time in which people 'from the abundance of their heart, let their mouths speak.'
a graphic designer nor a professional photographer. That is why I worked together with Nele Bogaerts, a talented graphic designer who designed the site, logo and took the pictures (nelebogaerts.com) and Jurgen Walschot, who did the artwork (jurgenwalschot.be). Thanks to them for making this site a more beautiful place.
a native speaker of English. I majored in English at university, so I feel confident using the language for the purpose of this site. However English is not my mother tongue but I understand that if I want to tell the world, I will have to in English.