August 31st, 2024

Rediscovering the Small Web (2020)

The modern web is dominated by corporations, stifling personal expression. The author advocates for rediscovering smaller, independent websites, emphasizing their importance for creativity and individual interests in a commercialized landscape.

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the modern web has become dominated by large corporations and their algorithms, which prioritize engagement and monetization over personal expression and creativity. This shift has led to a more commercialized and less diverse online experience, where individual voices are often drowned out. The author reflects on the nostalgia for the early web, characterized by personal websites that showcased individual interests and creativity. These smaller, independent sites are still present but require effort to discover. The essay emphasizes the importance of this "small web" as a space for personal expression and creativity, contrasting it with the current landscape of the web that is increasingly user-hostile and commodified. The author shares their own experience of redesigning their website using basic HTML and CSS, highlighting the joy and satisfaction that comes from creating something personal and unique. The piece serves as a reminder of the potential for the web to be a creative space, encouraging others to explore and contribute to this less visible part of the internet.

- The modern web is dominated by large corporations, limiting personal expression.

- Smaller, independent websites still exist and offer creative outlets.

- The author finds joy in hand-coding their website, reminiscent of the early web.

- The essay advocates for rediscovering the "small web" as a space for individual interests.

- Nostalgia for the early web highlights the contrast with today's commercialized online experience.

Curating my corner of the Internet with a freehand web editor

The article reflects on the decline of personal websites in favor of commercial platforms, advocating for unique web design. It discusses limitations of current tools and introduces Hotglue as a freehand web editor promoting creativity and individuality.

The Death of the Web

The internet's evolution from creative individual websites to commercial dominance is discussed. Optimism for global unity and knowledge sharing shifted to profit-driven strategies, concentrating traffic on major platforms, altering user experience.

Surfing the (Human-Made) Internet

The internet's evolution prompts a return to its human side, advocating for personal sites, niche content, and self-hosted platforms. Strategies include exploring blogrolls, creating link directories, and using alternative search engines. Embrace decentralized social media and RSS feeds for enriched online experiences.

I Was a Teenage Webmaster

The article reminisces about the author's past as a young webmaster, contrasting the early internet's freedom with today's controlled online landscape. It discusses privacy concerns and advocates for a return to community-driven web experiences.

I lost my love for the web (2022)

The founder expresses disillusionment with the web community's shift towards rigidity and intolerance, citing personal experiences of backlash. This has led to a loss of love for the web.

16 comments

By @freediver - 3 months

Our contribution to the small web: https://kagi.com/smallweb

The site and list of blogs is open source, growing steadily by about 10 each day (almost at 15,000 at this point).

Every recent post from sites in Kagi Small Web is indexed and given preference in Kagi Search results.

How it works: https://blog.kagi.com/small-web

edit: The project just had its one thousandth commit!

By @nils-m-holm - 3 months

Here's my contribution to the small web: http://t3x.org

By @thehappyfellow - 3 months

One of the best internet experiences I had in a while is reading (and writing!) posts on bearblog.dev, check out their discover feed. Wholesome place.

In similar spirit, check out https://ooh.directory

By @mjfl - 3 months

In the same spirit, here is a site devoted to getting off the centralized platforms:

https://landchad.net/

By @roschdal - 3 months

The web was so much more fun in the 90s.

By @raytopia - 3 months

I feel like the internet needs a giant directory of indie websites. So you can actually surf around and find them.

The big modern search engines almost have to be intentionally hiding these websites because they're nearly impossible to find without using an alternative engine like wiby.me or search.marginalia.nu.

By @Kovah - 3 months

If anyone also misses StumbleUpon, there's something similar: https://cloudhiker.net

By @xenodium - 3 months

My contribution to the small web is a lightweight blogging platform: https://lmno.lol My blog is at https://lmno.lol/alvaro

You can drag and drop your entire blog from a single markdown file https://indieweb.social/@xenodium/112265481282475542

You can read the blogs from anywhere, even terminal (no JS needed).

No need to sign up or log in to try it out. I haven't officially launched, but if you'd like to start blogging now, I'll be happy to share an invite code.

By @1vuio0pswjnm7 - 3 months

Seems like a small web deserves a small client. Why use a "big web" client to read the small web. "Big web" clients are funded by advertising or advertising companies.

Bias disclosure: I have used a text-only client for the last 30 years.

By @rambambram - 3 months

My list of shared links is here: https://www.heyhomepage.com/?module=timeline&view=sharedlist

It's basically all the sites and feeds I follow daily with the Hey Homepage built-in RSS reader. You can browse the list and click around, or download it as an OPML file.

RSS = Really Social Sites; OPML = Other People's Meaningful Links

By @AstroJetson - 3 months

There was a push during Covid on Gemini pages. I did that for awhile, but the lack of real formatting and not being able to cross link articles became a stopper.

You can see get to some of them here

Collaborative Directory of Geminispace: gemini://cdg.thegonz.net/

But you need a Gemini reader

By @kaeruct - 3 months

One site in this vein that I hope never goes away is https://rpgclassics.com/

I discovered it as a young lad lost when playing some RPGs on emulators in the early 2000s

By @r85804306610 - 3 months

i've been publishing things as html2 pages, but not interconnected in any way. so each page (or sometimes group of pages) will be dedicated to an exploration of a single subject. i then send those pages to people who i think might be interested in them. that's all, they otherwise don't see the greater internet. of course people are free to add them to link aggregators, etc. but i don't police this practice. i simply don't care for my output to be consumed by general public, or by llms, or by corporate media, or by whomever who is not my friend or in my immediate immediate circle of friends

By @Jordan_Pelt - 3 months

Thank you for this. It has inspired me to delete my Reddit account and create an HN account. This gives me hope that the web can survive the social media era.

By @janandonly - 3 months

This is now the 7th time someone shares this link on HN. It must be worth a read

By @tropicalfruit - 3 months

mobile devices, app-ification and the social media that really started to kill the small web, kind of ironically.

and if you're a front end developer it was apple launching the meta viewport tag in 2007 killed the simple front end.