Jesse Thomas was sitting with friends two years ago, talking with them about how funny it would be to make a blog about BYU's bathrooms. Now Thomas' web page has attracted more than 25,000 visitors.
Thomas created the page a year ago and has worked on it for five months in the past year. The site regularly posts and rates different restrooms on BYU's campus. Ratings are based on categories such as cleanliness, traffic and decor. In its short existence, the site has attracted a lot of attention.
Thomas has reached out to famous BYU alumni and other notable community members, asking them for contributions to his blog. Among the most notable contributors have been the former 'Jeopardy' star, Ken Jennings, the well-known rapper B Money and Mallory Everton, a member of Divine Comedy. Jennings wrote about his favorite restroom in the Talmage building. Thomas said Jennings was particularly excited about the blog.
'He seemed to love the idea, he emailed me back the same day,' Thomas said.
Despite taking a hiatus from the blog for about six months, Thomas has been able to get the blog rolling with the help of advertising. Greg Lloyd, an advertising student, has been the lead in advertising for the blog. Lloyd created a series of fliers with funny facts about restrooms. These fliers were placed on the inside of stall doors. Lloyd said the site received more than a thousand views on the day they posted fliers.
Daniel McIntosh, a neuroscience major in his senior year, has followed the blog since early on. McIntosh recently joined a contest on the blog where students all posted about their favorite restrooms on campus. A random winner was selected from all the participants and McIntosh walked away with the grand prize: a bottle of hand sanitizer. McIntosh said winning the competition was more significant than the prize itself.
'I mean you can get hand sanitizer anywhere,' McIntosh said. 'It was more just for the fun of the blog.'
More information and a documentary about the blog can be found at byubathrooms.com.