Crumbs! We were still putting finishing touches to MyAbodo when suddenly the internet snatched it up and ran with it… it’s caught the attention of loads of people and seems to be creating a real buzz:

First of all, the numbers:

That’s some pretty healthy traffic, especially considering we’ve not really started telling people about it yet! It’s also great to read the reviews, critiques and comments of MyAbodo (and seeing people embedding the widget) which are already springing up:

• StumbleUpon has good and bad reviews including ‘or construct a planet killer! horray!’
• Elsa Wenzel at Webware admits to ‘[wasting] a fine chunk of the afternoon playing with a kids’ Web site that makes a great model for what I’d like to see for adults. My Abodo is an excellent, Flash-based interface that walks you through building a virtual green home.’
• Montara Energy Ventures says ‘it’s a little cheesy for people who understand the underlying issues and already are clued in, but for those who are unaware, it’s a great tool to bring home the impact of their choices.’
• There’s a review at Ecostreet
• and loads more; try Googling ‘My Abodo’

On top of all that, it’s really encouraging to see the quality as well as quantity of interaction with the site when people get there. Entries in the description field for some of the Abodos suggests that people are really engaging with the site’s intention and options:

• This is as close to my real home as I can get (although we don’t have such a trendy roof!) Glad to know I’m making a difference but there’s certainly more I could do!
• OWNED YOU, PLANET EARTH!
• so fresh and so clean, peace tranquility and harmony great use of energy saving devices and solar powered appliances!
• My abodo is about conforming to the standards set by all the other energy conscious people in the world. I don’t want to think on my own rather just simply follow what everyone else thinks I should do. Why should I think for myself when all the other ” smart ” people in the world have already figured things out?
• It’s pretty awesome, I’m not gonna lie, and I definitely wasn’t expecting mine to be all eco-friendly, but hey, whatever works.

We’re pretty delighted with all that; we hope Defra are too and that the site continues to generate such interest. Go and check it out for yourself at http://www.myabodo.com or explore a cool little example widget below.