Why Timbuctu: story
From the Founder: Philip Smethurst
Timbuctu: A remote city in Mali, West Africa and a long known metaphor for “exotic, distant land.” It became famous when it was the last city added to the first world map. Hence, it got the reputation of being, “the ends of the earth.”
I created this location based service website, Timbuctu, because I have always valued the stories of people. I have sat in retirement homes and listened to endless tales of travel and adventure, knowing the possibility that those very stories will be lost to the next generation.
Timbuctu's location based service exists in order to place value upon the user’s stories. Where they go. What they do. It exists to cross-reference those stories with the stories of others who are working for the good of this beautifully created Universe. It exists to magnify the result of that good and use it to create a log of great endeavors to our generation.
As I built my own organization, Overland Missions, I didn’t know the stories of others who were doing the same work as I. And I had no way to learn on a large scale. That learning curve moved me to create a social network that allows the user to create a virtual map of their travels through Timbuctu's location based service. A log of their works. A visual reminder of the people in the developing world who are so easy to forget. A network that is a humanitarian effort in itself. So that the efforts of thousands of humanitarians will not be lost. So that in 5, 10, or 20 years, there will be a testimony of the people…the stories…and the adventure.
Use this application to better the world. To impact the next generation with your adventures.
- Philip Smethurst | Timbuctu Founder
