Why Slowpost?

Existing social media isn't serving us well. It's addictive, it makes us angry and anxious, and it distracts us from the people in the real world around us.

But there is a genuine need for an easy way to stay in contact with the loose connections that you might otherwise lose touch with. The old schoolfriends, the distant relatives, the former coworkers, the interesting people you meet at parties.

Back in the days before the internet, we kept in contact with such people by sending them letters. Many people would send an annual New Year letter to people they thought would be interested.

At their worst, these letters could be braggy, sanctimonious, fake-cheerful and boring, but at their best, they were awesome. A good letter would let you know about people who now lived near you, or had been thinking about similar things to you, or had read books you wanted to read, or had solved problems you were dealing with, or had moved nearby, or worked at a company you wanted to work at.

A good letter was a gift, and a good letter often led to re-awakening and deepening a friendship that might otherwise have faded away.

Slowpost is a simple app that makes it easier to send an annual email to people who want to receive it. You create a profile that lets people know that you plan to write an annual letter, and lets other people express interest in receiving it. You still send the letter by email, using the list of email addresses you extract from the app.

That's it. No bells, no whistles, no likes, no comments, no feed, no ranking, no phone app.

I hope you like it.

-Rob Ennals (author)