We've set up a new toy called Group Hug Live. It's a real-time confession site that doesn't require manual refreshing, and also has threaded comments build right in. Check it out. Unlike this site, it will not retain confessions forever, but it will retain them for quite a while. As always, remember that comments can be hurtful.

The site is back online. Hugs are gone for the moment, because that bit of software was broken and causing problems. I know that they’ll be missed, and we will look for ways to bring some feel-good stuff like that back. Comments will be making their way back soon. Very soon. I know that you’re furious about this or that. That this is unacceptable, and that you will post a ‘confession’ threatening to leave the site forever if your special wish isn’t granted right away. I’m very sorry you feel that way.

People are dicks.

I’m going to try adding comments back into the mix again. This time, you can even sign in using your Facebook profile. Neat.

We’ll see how it goes.

The site is not accepting new confessions because of some spamming loser who probably jacks off thinking about his father. I have too many things going on to deal with this right now. Sorry for the inconvenience.

This has always irritated me, and always been against the rules here, but soon they’re all going away. Just to be clear, do NOT post confessions discussing other confessions. Period. Exclamation point. Burp.

It’s long been a dream of mine to publish more than just short confessions on Group Hug. I think that there’s room for short non-fiction, essays, and intelligent opinion pieces. If you’d like to get your writing on 100,000 pages a day, pitch me an actual idea for something that you intend to write.

The individual responsible for that has be located, and it turns out he has a very, very, VERY small dick. Very few friends, lots of free time, tiny dick. Hilariously small. Made my day. Loser.

You can help with the cleanup effort by clicking the “minus” icon or, if there’s a stubborn one, email it to me.

Hey, to the whiners who like to post complaints about the site as confessions: you’re dicks. Thanks to everyone who donated. The grand total was about $300. I was able to give that to our generous host and our generous lead developer as a small token of thanks for some recent upgrades. The sad fact, though, is that we need thousands of dollars to make any big changes. And that’s not coming in. That means that I need to explore all avenues, even allowing advertising on here. If you have a problem with that, email me a solution, but don’t ruin the site with your bitching.

Love and kisses,
 Gabriel

The holidays are tough. Every feeling is intensified, the pressure to be merry is smothering and, ironically, I think it’s the easiest time of year to feel dissatisfied. But buck up. Actually, cheer the fuck up. We’re all alive, and we’re all loved. Hell, I love you. Do something to spread it around tonight. I’m really glad that you visit Group Hug, and that some of you have stuck with me for over 5 years now. Thank you. Happy New Year. Drink some champagne, tell someone you love them, and do something GOOD to confess about. Not all confessions are bad, you know. GROUP HUG!

We’re making some back end upgrades (hee-hee, he said back end), so things like confessing and rating are going to look strange. Don’t panic.

Three readers of this site donated money for upgrades. Highest thanks to those three. To every other regular reader, I'm asking again to help make these upgrades a reality. Just peel off a ten spot. It's the price of a movie ticket. Or send more if you're loaded. I've kept advertising and membership options off of Group Hug and it's worked well. Let's keep it up. DONATE.

I have a handful of new features finished, but I can't launch them yet because the server can't handle it. With the new upgrades, you can choose your theme (currently light or dark), and there are a bunch of new social features, too. Also a seriously fucking beefed up search.

So, this is where I pass the hat around. These new features just aren't going to roll out without a server upgrade, which costs money. I need to raise a couple hundred dollars, at least, in the next 24 hours or so, in order to make upgrades this weekend. So come on, send me $5. Or $10. Just think about how much happier you and everyone else will be with a faster, smarter, better GroupHug.us and head on over to the donation page.

Group Hug!

Helpful reader Marcus sent in a fix for the confessions page on Internet Explorer. What a shit, shit browser. Please use something else. Thanks, Marcus!

Hey kids, it’s Gabriel again. Lots of email now complaining about the site being “too white.” Hey, it’s no whiter than the rest of the internet. Relax. Can’t make everyone happy.

Next up: “Where did my confession go?” It went to the end of the queue. Yeah, the end. There are thousands of new submissions, all the time, so they’re lined up first come first serve.

There’s also a lot of: “Why can’t I submit a confession?” Probably because you’re using Internet Explorer. I don’t have a way to run Internet Explorer, and it’s a shit browser anyway. Try Firefox, Safari, or Chrome. Or if you’re handy, email me the fix and I’ll roll it out, ASAP.

And of course: “Your search sucks.” Yeah, it totally sucks. Basically, this site runs at a loss, and it would cost money to improve search.

Finally: “Bring back comments! I have really important things to say!” I know, I know, I know, I know. No.

Keep that email coming!

Group Hug is run by one person, and that’s me. There are hundreds of thousands of confessions on the site, and the total number of submissions is probably nearing a million. The confessions are moderated by you, the readers. When you “Hug” a confession, it’s essentially a vote to keep it on the site. When you “Flag” a confession (it used to be called “Shrug”, but some of you found that unfriendly), it’s a vote to remove the confession. Now you know. Group Hug!

There have been some changes around here, yes. You might recognize that coffee pot up there from the original site design, back in 2003. I’ve also been reading your email. You didn’t love the darker color scheme, or the “shrug” button, or the comments. I would like to return this site to the users. Start by “telling me”:mailto:hello@grouphug.us what you want to see on this site, and we’ll go from there. More soon.