Exploring the Personal Web

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

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

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:

Name	How To Join?	Features	Creators
Bear Blog	You have to create your site via bearblog.dev	Search	Herman Martinus
BlogScroll	Github	Random	Den Delimarsky
Bring Back Blogging	Can’t Join	Search	Ash Huang & Ryan Putnam
Gossip’s Web	Can’t Join*	Random	Unknown
Hyperlink Cafe	Github	X	Simon Dann
ichi	You have to create your site via ichi.city	X	m15o [1 & 2]
I’ll Read It	Email Manu	X	Manuel Moreale
Improbable Island “Ads”	Form	Random	Dan Hall
indieblog.page	Form	Random, List & RSS Service	Andreas Gohr
IndieNews	Form	List, Weekly Summary + Audio Edition & Languages	Aaron Parecki & Marty McGuire
indieseek.xyz	Form	Random & Search	Brad Enslen
IndieWeb Directory	IndieAuth*	X	Grant Richmond
i.webthings directory	Form	Random & Search	joe jenett
JAUP	Form	X	Unknown
johnvertisements	Email citrons	Random	citrons
Lainchan Webring [1 & 2]	Look for the “Let’s Create a Webring!” thread	Random [1 & 2] & Planet	Lainchan
LinkLane.Net	Form	Categories	Unknown
List-Me.com	Form	Categories	Unknown
Marginalia Search	Search “site:example.com” and get in the queue	Random & Website Tinder	Viktor Lofgren
Neocities	You have to create your site via neocities.org	Random & Tags	Kyle Drake
Nightfall City	Form	The Midnight Pub	m15o [1 & 2]
No CSS Club	Email Martin	X	Martin Chrzanowski
Non-Profit Bloggers	Github	X	Matthew
nownownow.com	Email Derek Sivers	X	Derek Sivers
ooh.directory	Form	Random	Phil Gyford
omg.lol	$20 per year + You have to create your site via omg.lol	List [2, 3 & 4] & Work-in-Progress*	Adam Newbold
Peelopaalu	Email Snooper	X	Snooper
PersonalSit.es	Github	Sites with Feed	Andy Bell & Henry Desroches
RSS Club	Email Dave	OPML	Dave Rupert
Search My Site	Form	Random	Michael I Lewis
Smooth Sailing Listings	Form	Categories	Lysianthus (Asclaria)
The Big List of Personal Websites	Form’s at the bottom	X	Cheapskate (terraaeon)
The Darktheme Club	Github	Random	Garrit Franke
The Forest	Form	Random	Manuel Moreale & Carl Barenbrug
The kino webring	Email or Github	X	Ty3r0X
The Neon Kiosk	Form	X	m15o [1 & 2]
The no-JS Club	sourcehut	X	Frank Homburg & shruub
The WebRings Fanlisting	Form	X	Nicki Faulk
The Whimsical Web	Github	X	Max Böck
thoughts webring	Create a thoughts page	X	Wesley Aptekar-Cassels
tildeverse	Join a tilde & build your site there	List [1, 2, 3 & 4] & Random [1 & 2]	X
uses.tech	Github	Tags	Wes Bos
Wiby	Form	Random	Unknown
XHTML Club	Email Brad	X	Bradley Taunt
XXIIVV Webring	Github	Random & Search	Devine Lu Linvega
Ye Olde Blogroll	Form	Random, Planet & Search	Ray
Yesterlinks	Can’t Join	Random, Search & Tags	Sadness
1MB Club	Email or sourcehut	X	Bradley Taunt
512KB Club	Github	X	Kev Quirk
250kb Club	sourcehut or Github	X	Norman Köhring
10 KB Club	Github	X	Susam Pal
1kB Club	sourcehut	X	Bradley 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