So Brendan Morrison and some friends are starting up a website that's particularly relevant right now since most of you are probably carrying a bunch of resolutions ("stop fumbling," "go to bowl game," "stop making everyone very sad indeed") around this January. They'd like MGoBlog readers to be pilot members of the site and politely asked for a little time. Here it is:

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Brian,

I have a good friend who graduated from UM with me in 1997. He had been climbing the corporate ladder since then but at some point decided he’d had enough. He started a project to improve the areas of his life that he saw going haywire – not having the time or energy to stay fit, or to contribute anything meaningful in his work life, to the community or the environment. Essentially he wanted to find balance and increase his effort in these areas.

Since he's also kind of a tracking freak he started working on a way to quantify progress in all these areas and that's what the website is. He's working on the assumption that there are people in a similar position who'd be interested in benefiting from the tracking tools on the website. He also sees the “empowurment” you get from recording and measuring your effort as a way of tackling a lot of the bigger problems America faces – getting in shape, helping the planet, and just finding more of a work/life balance in general.

Net, the goal of the website is to make the world a better place, but in an entirely non-commercial (it's free), non L. Ron Hubbard kind of way. My take is that it's like crossfit for your entire life, not just the physical fitness part of it.

I’ve been following the project since the beginning and have been a test user for a while now. I believe in the concept and wanted to do something to help. We’ve gotten to a point where the site needs more e-pinions and thought it would be cool to tap the mgoblog community for input.

As far as what kind of test users he’s looking for (his words):

• Those looking to increase their effort levels.

• Those wanting to “get better” and/or find more balance in their lives.

• Those searching for more happiness and less emo.

• People who aren't about smugness.

• Tracking types who enjoy tracking things.

• 18+ only.

Anyway, the site is sure to have plenty of bugs, issues and functional flaws which should be good target fodder for the more critical segment of the mgo readership – all the better. The website can be found at www.empowur.com.

- Brendan Morrison

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Less emo sounds excellent. Empowur is the site.