Aspiration, meet inspiration

Making resolutions is a task usually earmarked for the New Year’s holiday, but the social networking site www.43things.com firmly believes that when it comes to life’s to-do list, there’s no time like the present.

With funding from Amazon.com, the Robot Co-op, a Seattle-based start-up, launched the site in December and asked visitors to enter the 43 things they’d like to accomplish in life. (The number 43 has no real significance -- but it’s as memorable as that $271 carpool violation.)

Since then, more than 78,000 people have entered more than 191,000 goals. By clicking on one of the goals listed on the site -- such as “learn French” -- visitors will then be linked to the 1,054 people who named that objective.

Community members can comment on goals, update their progress and provide encouragement along the way.

For their “friendster-ish” efforts, the Robot Co-op was recently awarded a Webby (a best-of-the-Web award presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences), beating out other social networking sites such as www.myspace.com (music focused) and www.BookCrossing.com (literary focus).

The homepage for 43things.com constantly changes, with goals randomly listed in different font sizes. Larger text signals the more popular ideas, so “buy a house,” “read more books” and “go on a road trip with no predetermined destination” are more visible than tasks such as “learn to play the Djembe” or “quilt 8 blankets for the 8 inspiring people in my everyday life” (yes, two people share that goal).

Cities are ranked according to the number of residents who’ve submitted their aims, with Seattle placing first with almost 700 goal-setters and Los Angeles ranking fifth with almost 340. The submitters’ goals often reflect their home city’s personality. For example, a few of L.A.’s popular goals include: “guest host on ‘Saturday Night Live,’ ” “own Coach and Horses” (the teeny-tiny bar on Sunset Boulevard) and “be a stuntman.”

And despite the proximity to and influence of the Silicon Valley, the Bay Area can’t seem to shake its hippie heritage. We doubt San Francisco’s “take a Wilderness First Responder course” will soon make it to L.A.’s list.