Who are you?!
We're four people who look for ways to use technology to break through emotional barriers. More about each of us:
We formed The Weather Report in 2014, and this is our first product.
What's all this please?
Weather is a universal experience; it affects everyone everywhere. This service uses the metaphors of weather and nature to talk about our emotional states, which makes it easier to engage with the way our emotions move and change.
Our core belief is similar to Fred Rogers' thought that “anything that's human is mentionable, and anything that is mentionable can be more manageable.”
When going through a difficult (or happy but hectic) time, one of the last things you want to do is repeat your story over and over to different listeners. The Weather Report gives you a shareable summary of your current climate.
One other thought: “You are the sky. Everything else — it's just the weather.” — Pema Chödrön
How is my weather report stored?
Your report is stored as a file on our server, kept outside the parts of the site that are directly reachable over the web, and served back only through the site itself. Note that these files are not encrypted at rest right now. Each file is given a long, unguessable, randomly generated name — that's why your report's unique link functions like a password.
That file only contains the contents of your form, minus your email address. We only save your email address if you check the box that says you'd be willing to take a survey later; it's stored separately from your weather report, so we can't associate the two together.
Additionally, if you check the “you can include my weather report in your aggregated analysis” box, we store your weather report's filename in yet another separate location, so it's never associated with your email address.
Our server, like most web servers, automatically logs IP addresses with the date and time they visited the site. That's a completely separate process from the creation or viewing of weather reports, but we figured you'd want to know that.
Finally, if you're nerdy and you know it, clap your hands. Then have a look at the code our work here was originally based on.
Do you do anything with the information in my weather report?
Only if you check the “you can include my weather report in your aggregated analysis” box. We're not sure yet what tools or methods we'll use, but at some point down the road, we'd like to see what people used this service for.
Do you have any content restrictions?
So… no. This space is intended to model the notion that it's okay to feel whatever you're feeling. As such, (for now) we aren't moderating any posts.
Really? What if I say that I'm suicidal or in a harmful relationship?
Sure, we'd love you to connect with a friend or resource to get help, but what if that admittedly catch-all solution is the very thing you don't need right now? That said, feel free to email us if you do feel that you want some referrals.
What if someone that I didn't intend to send the link to gets access to my weather report?
Email us at info@theweatherreport.org and we'll delete it as soon as we can.