How Do You Describe Are.na At A Party?

Are.na's Arena is a partner column with Are.na, a platform for connecting ideas and building knowledge. For more Are.na editorial content, visit are.na/blog.

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Half the point of Are.na is that it’s hard to write an intro for it. The twelve-year-old site, put in my own clunky words, lets people organize things they like and connect it to other people’s things. But each person has their own definition, as is evidenced by the channel “how do you describe are.na at a party?” Answers: “a piece of paper that keeps unfolding if you try,” “idea thrift shop,” “Pinterest for snobs,” or “the only internet service that if went away i would not eat for two weeks.”

The site was founded by artists. For years, co-founder Charles Broskoski worked a part-time job, steadily picking away at the site. Today, the site does not serve ads, makes money off subscriptions, and hopes to survive for 1000s of years.

Below, an interview with Charles and Meg Miller, head of Are.na’s blog.