The idea behind Wetpaint came to us when one of our friends was diagnosed with cancer. After the initial shock wore off, he did what most of us would do; he went online to learn everything he could about the disease. He found lots of facts, but not the stuff he really wanted to know—like how other people with cancer were coping. As we sat helplessly on the sidelines of our friend's dilemma, it dawned on us: why not make it easy for groups of people to share information, experiences and build social communities around anything they want?

A Wetpaint website is built on the power of collaborative thinking. Here, you can create websites that mix all the best features of wikis, blogs, forums and social networks into a rich, user-generated community based around the whatever-it-is that rocks your socks. A social website that’s so easy to use, anyone can participate.

The Wetpaint name comes from our natural sense of curiosity. The urge to touch something when we see a “Wet paint” sign. The urge to leave our mark. This curiosity and the surprising results that occur from collaboration are all part of Wetpaint.

Founded in 2005—and backed by Trinity Ventures, Frazier Technology Ventures, Accel Partners, and DAG Ventures —Wetpaint is headquartered in Seattle's historic Pioneer Square and we love the proximity to good coffee from a place that’s also ‘in the spirit of the time.’

We encourage you to get involved, share ideas, trade stories, and find people who are passionate about the same things you are. So try it, have fun, and let us know what you think.