What is a “now page”?
Most websites have a link that says “about” that tells you the background of this person. It’s called an “about page”.
Most websites have a link that says “contact” that tells you how to contact this person. It’s called a “contact page”.
Personal websites often have a link that says “now” that tells you what this person is focused on at this point in their life. It’s called a “now page”.
See examples by browsing nownownow.com.
The URL is usually “/now”, like it’s usually “/about” and “/contact” in those examples, but the URL could be anything.
Don’t social media updates do that?
No. If I wonder how someone is doing these days, it doesn’t help me to see that they went on vacation last week, are upset about something in the news, or even got a new job. That’s not the big picture.
A /now page shares what you’d tell a friend you hadn’t seen in a year.
Why do I need a now page?
If you don’t already have a personal website, with an “about” page that’s about you, then this isn’t for you.
It isn’t for marketing or attention. It will not benefit you in any business way.
It’s useful for the same reason an “about” page is useful on your site: because people on your site want to know more about you.
Besides answering the common question, “What are you up to these days?”, those who have a now page say it’s a good reminder of their priorities. By publicly showing what you are focused on now, it helps you say no to other requests.
“A few days ago I added my now page and felt an immediate sense of relief from pitch emails that ignored the fact that I said explicitly on my site that my team and I can’t handle unsolicited pitches. Simple idea. Big impact.” — Zach Ware
“Any time I’m in something that kind of feels useful or fun, but isn’t clearly aligned with my bigger goals, I pull up my now page and ask ‘Is it on there? Should I add it?’ Most of the time the answer is no, and I move on. Sometimes it’s yes, and when it is, at least it’s an intentional priority shift.” — Gregory Brown
So what is nownownow.com?
After a few people added a /now page to their site — (see original story) — Greg Albritton suggested we keep a collection of everyone that has a /now page.
That’s all this is. It’s not a business. It’s not social media.
See the announcement and story here.
How do I get listed on nownownow.com?
If your website already has a /now page on it, as described and defined above, just email the URL to me. After you do, I’ll email you back with a link to log in and answer a few questions, which creates your profile here.
How do I make a now page?
If you already have a website, but don’t have a /now page, just add a new page. (For WordPress and Wix, see my instructions.)
Write something about what you’re doing now, and publish. Once it’s online, email me the URL.
If you don’t have a website, but have been meaning to get one, create a free one at BearBlog.dev. Before you announce it, I highly recommend getting your own domain name at porkbun.com. Point your domain to your Bear blog, and use that.
Can we add our business here?
No. Browsing nownownow.com is only interesting because you get a glimpse into people’s lives and how they focus.
If you have a business website that is really just you, then that’s OK. But other than that, I won’t be adding business sites.
You know what this needs? …
Please tell me. I’m here as a public servant, taking requests.
Or just make something first, and let me know. No need to ask my permission.
Who is behind this?
Derek Sivers. That’s me.
I’m just doing this because people asked me to. Email me with any questions or suggestions.