What is HNT?

Half-Nekkid Thursday (HNT) is a concept that saw the light of day on May 19th, 2005. When I first proposed the idea to a couple of my friends, I figured it would last for a few weeks, and go no further than a handful of blogger buddies. Little did I envision it becoming the phenomenon that it has!

What makes HNT unique is that there is no HNT "site". Each participant is in total control of their own contributions. There is no money being made, no administration, no rules or requirements. There is a set of guidelines, and I offer my weekly submissions as a bulletin board of sorts so that participants can tell everyone else that they've posted their HNT on their own site. By keeping things on each participants' site, visitors can then check out the blog, and decide if they want to come back during the rest of the week. HNT is as much a marketing tool as it is a creative outlet.

That's ultimately what HNT has become. A creative outlet. It is not a sex thing. Yes, there are many who post sexy pictures. But "half-nekkid" doesn't necessarily refer to the flesh. The concept of "half-nekkid" lies in the mind of the person posting the HNT. Many bloggers have used HNT to show parts of their soul, parts of their conscience, and parts of their lives. Many have used HNT to break out of whatever shells they might have found themselves living within. I have received scores of emails from people who feel liberated by being able to post pictures with a little more skin than they ever thought they would. Others have appreciated the fact that there is no "skin rule", and that they welcome the sense of community.

And "community" might describe HNT the best. I have made friends through HNT that I feel closer to than friends in "real life". With rare exception (and generally from non-HNTers), comments are overwhelmingly positive to everyone's weekly submissions. Everyone involved is aware that none of us is perfect, and that we all can use the compliments. Are they sometimes generic or gratuitous? Sure. But who cares? If someone has the guts to post a picture of themselves on the internet, then they deserve some congratulations!

HNT is a growing phenomenon. It was written about in the lifestyles section of "Business & Economy", India's most influential business and economy magazine. It's appearing at the 2006 Rogue Performance Festival in Fresno, CA. There has been a HNT party in Nashville, with others planned in the future! It has participants all across the world and it doesn't show any signs of slowing down! If HNT interests you, click on the button below to get to the "Guidelines for HNT" page. And then join in on the fun! But a warning--it gets very addicting in a short amount of time!


Last thing--feel free to leave comments here, or down below there at the very bottom of the page. I'd love to hear what you have to say!