Every red-blooded guy out there has dreams of creating his very own man-cave fully equipped with an Xbox, endless supply of Cheetos, surround-sound speakers and televisions running "SportsCenter" or "Rambo" every hour. "Man-cave" was the first word that came to mind when I checked out the new website Manteresting.com, a sanctuary made especially for men's interests.
Manteresting is the male answer to the popular website Pinterest, which has the connotation of focusing mostly on feminine interests such as weddings and beauty. Even Manteresting's layout and functionality is in the same vein as Pinterest, but the two sites could not be any more opposite.
Upon first look, it is clear that the site has something for all guys to gawk at, no matter what their particular interests are. A quick scroll down the page offers at least a dozen images of posing pin-up girls, high-tech gadgets, sports memes and work out tips among other "manly" interests for viewers to browse through. Motorheads will enjoy the plentiful images of classic muscle cars, outdoor types will love the many do-it-yourself backyard projects and amateur chefs won't be able to resist the adventurous grilling recipes found on Manteresting. Members of the site have the ability and option to Nail (repost), Fist Bump (like) or talk about any of the images seen, much like Facebook, Instagram and countless other social media websites.
Junior Michael Joachim thought the website would certainly hold his interest at times.
"It's pretty similar to StumbleUpon, so it's definitely good for those occasions when I'm bored and just want to find something interesting," he said.
Although very cool in theory, Mantersting.com is not without its flaws. A glaring downside of the site is that many posts are heavily repeated, even when randomized, which is frustrating when all most users want to do is find new interesting posts for their viewing pleasure. Another problem with Manteresting is the content itself. Much of the matter is very specific, such as anime and high end fashion, making it better suited for a niche community website rather than a general male interest site for the everyday guy. Many have complaints that the site itself is inherently "girly" and too much like Pinterest for them to consider using regularly.
Junior Scott Kuzmicki had his reservations about Manteresting. He said, "I can't see myself using it often or at all. I can find many of the items in the posts in other websites I already go on."
Kuzmicki also added that the "girly" parallels to Pinterest make the site unappealing right away.
It seems the jury is still out regarding Manteresting, but it is worth checking out for any guy (or girl) looking for a little more man-cave in their lives. If you can get past the comparisons to more female-oriented sites like Pinterest, Manteresting.com is full of useful tips, charts and life hacks, making it one of the more useful places to visit on the web.
Brett Montana can be reached at brett.montana@student.shu.edu.
