“Bucket listing,” the idea of individuals creating a list of things to do before they die, is not new. Metro-Detroit natives Elliot Darvick and Brian Berman have connected bucket listing with social media, creating a website that offers a more interesting way to connect: Unbucket.
“The idea was actually a Mother’s Day gift,” Darvick said. “I live in Los Angeles, and my mom lives in Birmingham … We talked on the phone regularly and caught up, and then I thought: ‘What if every time we caught up, we could talk about things we were doing together over the year?’”
Darvick said this initial idea was built upon when he took a closer look at social networking.
“I just had this feeling that there are so many ways that we stay connected with social networking, but so little of it was bringing us closer,” he said. “So I kept thinking of this idea of sharing lists with people, and it’s actually bringing us closer because it’s about going out and doing those things together.”
He teamed up with Berman, a longtime friend of his, to make the dream a reality.
“We always kicked around ideas about different websites; and finally, one day, we started talking about the idea that became Unbucket, and we both got really excited about it,” Berman said. “I do all the programming and building it, and then Elliot does all the marketing and outreach. (They are) pretty well-split responsibilities.”
The website now allows users to create bucket lists and share them with friends and family. Darvick said the lists can be particularly useful to college students. Berman’s sister, media and information senior Marissa Berman, said the website has been very helpful when it comes to balancing things in her life.
“It helps me get through goals that I want to achieve,” Marissa Berman said. “We’ll check off what we’ve done. Like my boyfriend and I had a list of things we wanted to do and places to go over the summer, and we would check them off as we went along.”
The team says it’s important to focus on past accomplishments as well.
“The other thing we started to concentrate on is that it’s not just planning future experiences, it’s also about creating memories,” Darvick said. “That’s just as important. It’s not just about what you’re going to do, but it’s also a closed log of the things you’ve done with people you love the most.”
Although it is currently only a web application, Darvick said they are working on setting up a mobile app for iPhone, BlackBerry and Android users. The website is currently in closed beta testing.
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