Exploring the Personal Web

Posted in Personal Web on May 6, 2023 by foreverliketh.is ‐ 5 min read

Exploring the Personal Web
Image Details & Source

Picture of Lord Theodore Thomas Blackwood — The greatest explorer to have ever lived.

SCP-1867” by Djoric, from the SCP Wiki. Licensed under CC-BY-SA.

Audio Retelling of SCP-1867 by The Exploring Series


This page was last modified: May 24th, 2023


Welcome Aboard

This post will offer no guidance on how to create your personal website. We’re starting off here because I believe this to be one of the most essential pieces in whether or not you will consider the pursuit fulfilling. Sadness did this for me with her Cyberspace section. This is my attempt at that for you.

The first rule regarding personal websites is: “There are no rules.” This perspective I am about to share is limited, biased and unique to me, draw your own conclusions about the things you find.

To me, a personal site is personal. It is NOT: a CV or for-profit or barren or AI-generated or “fake”. A personal website is HONEST. Regardless of whether a site you come across possesses any of the those traits, I advise assessing it for sincerity.

Webrings

I’m not going to explain them here because an acquaintance of mine: Ray “brisray” Thomas hosts the quintessential

  1. History of Webrings

  2. List of Webrings

  3. How Webrings Work (Webring Technology)

pages on the internet. He estimates there are over ~7,000 websites via his list alone. I cannot recommend reading these articles enough.

Collectives & Projects

These are more akin to link directories, but that’s not all they are. They’re quite different from webrings and I’ve organized them here for any interested future explorer’s convenience:

NameHow To Join?FeaturesCreators
Bear BlogYou have to create your site via bearblog.devSearchHerman Martinus
BlogScrollGithubRandomDen Delimarsky
Bring Back BloggingCan’t JoinSearchAsh Huang & Ryan Putnam
Gossip’s WebCan’t Join*RandomUnknown
Hyperlink CafeGithubXSimon Dann
ichiYou have to create your site via ichi.cityXm15o [1 & 2]
I’ll Read ItEmail ManuXManuel Moreale
Improbable Island “Ads”FormRandomDan Hall
indieblog.pageFormRandom, List & RSS ServiceAndreas Gohr
IndieNewsFormList, Weekly Summary + Audio Edition & LanguagesAaron Parecki & Marty McGuire
indieseek.xyzFormRandom & SearchBrad Enslen
IndieWeb DirectoryIndieAuth*XGrant Richmond
i.webthings directoryFormRandom & Searchjoe jenett
JAUPFormXUnknown
johnvertisementsEmail citronsRandomcitrons
Lainchan Webring [1 & 2]Look for the “Let’s Create a Webring!” threadRandom [1 & 2] & PlanetLainchan
LinkLane.NetFormCategoriesUnknown
List-Me.comFormCategoriesUnknown
Marginalia SearchSearch “site:example.com” and get in the queueRandom & Website TinderViktor Lofgren
NeocitiesYou have to create your site via neocities.orgRandom & TagsKyle Drake
Nightfall CityFormThe Midnight Pubm15o [1 & 2]
No CSS ClubEmail MartinXMartin Chrzanowski
Non-Profit BloggersGithubXMatthew
nownownow.comEmail Derek SiversXDerek Sivers
ooh.directoryFormRandomPhil Gyford
omg.lol$20 per year + You have to create your site via omg.lolList [2, 3 & 4] & Work-in-Progress*Adam Newbold
PeelopaaluEmail SnooperXSnooper
PersonalSit.esGithubSites with FeedAndy Bell & Henry Desroches
RSS ClubEmail DaveOPMLDave Rupert
Search My SiteFormRandomMichael I Lewis
Smooth Sailing ListingsFormCategoriesLysianthus (Asclaria)
The Big List of Personal WebsitesForm’s at the bottomXCheapskate (terraaeon)
The Darktheme ClubGithubRandomGarrit Franke
The ForestFormRandomManuel Moreale & Carl Barenbrug
The kino webringEmail or GithubXTy3r0X
The Neon KioskFormXm15o [1 & 2]
The no-JS ClubsourcehutXFrank Homburg & shruub
The WebRings FanlistingFormXNicki Faulk
The Whimsical WebGithubXMax Böck
thoughts webringCreate a thoughts pageXWesley Aptekar-Cassels
tildeverseJoin a tilde & build your site thereList [1, 2, 3 & 4] & Random [1 & 2]X
uses.techGithubTagsWes Bos
WibyFormRandomUnknown
XHTML ClubEmail BradXBradley Taunt
XXIIVV WebringGithubRandom & SearchDevine Lu Linvega
Ye Olde BlogrollFormRandom, Planet & SearchRay
YesterlinksCan’t JoinRandom, Search & TagsSadness
1MB ClubEmail or sourcehutXBradley Taunt
512KB ClubGithubXKev Quirk
250kb Clubsourcehut or GithubXNorman Köhring
10 KB ClubGithubXSusam Pal
1kB ClubsourcehutXBradley Taunt
Exploration, Participation, Inspiration

These collectives aren’t just for browsing, aspiring site author. Don’t just think of these places as destinations to be travelled to, but as potential bonds to be formed! Connections to be made! Take the time to look for people that are writing or sharing things that truly speak to you, and then go even further beyond and reach out to them! Those people and their websites will serve as your inspiration. And, like them, once you have found what you have to say…

Join as many of these collectives as you can. Because you should broadcast your voice. Send out signs of life, state your presence. Do not be passive in your site’s discovery. Your personal website… You, are something worth sharing. Worth finding. As long as anyone believes that, projects like these will be worthy of our time.


Contributors: James, sizeof.cat, Vanza Setia


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