About
Real Sceptic started its life as the personal blog of Collin Maessen. It began under the name Mijn Online Plekje (Dutch for My Small Online Corner) on the 17th of February 2003. Over the years it evolved through several incarnations and eventually the content shifted towards the current subjects about scepticism, with a heavy emphasis on the environment, climate change and the politics surrounding it.
The cause for the eventual change to the site Real Sceptic started when the site owner began producing videos on these, and other subjects, on YouTube. The site served as a companion archiving the scripts used for these videos. As time progressed it started to include articles that were independent of the content released on YouTube.
These changes eventually meant the end of another blog run by Collin Maessen, the green lifestyle blog Virere. The contents of this blog was integrated in Mijn Online Plekje on the 3rd of February 2011. And Real Sceptic was officially established on the 23rd of August 2011.
Since that date Real Sceptic has covered a wide array of subjects on scepticism. With a heavy emphasis on the accuracy of the articles published on the site and the quality of the sources used. As scepticism doesn’t start with the viewpoints and claims of others, and being sceptical about those does not make you a sceptic. Being a sceptic starts with examining your own viewpoints, the positions you hold and the claims you make.
Real Sceptic, and its founder Collin Maessen, have no affiliations with any organisations or political groups. This site is run at personal expense, the only funding being YouTube video advertisements and contributions from site visitors. At the start of each year an overview will be provided of the raised funds and how they were used.