In addition to its focus on digital poetry, it also is dedicated to the promotion and archiving of other "contemporary formally innovative poetries. This is a reflection of its origins in SUNY Buffalo's Poetics Program, a program founded in 1991 by Charles Bernstein and Robert Creeley, which maintains a long-standing interest in experimental, progressive, and avant-garde poetics.
The extensive curated archives at the site make it a popular destination for the study and enjoyment of contemporary poetry: a 2000 estimate has the site receiving 10 million visits a year.
It is partnered with similar organizations, including UBUWeb and the University of Pennsylvania's PennSound project.