So, I've actually had this domain since 2003 or 2004 but had given up on it over the past years. I didn't have the time, will, or motivation to update and maintain it. Really the only reason I kept paying for it is because that's what I use for my main email address.
A few months ago I had been thinking about AIM and how I missed it and after some discovered that there had been someone who had adapted it to be used again. When I mentioned it to my bestie BookSavvy, she brought the Indieweb to my attention.
I used to love making websites and graphic design stuff. Something about the instant gratification of seeing your vision come to life. The hands-on feel of HTML coding and learning how to make it do exactly what you wanted. I think I mostly used Angelfire and Geocities for my hosts back then.
I used to have a lot of websites. I ran a handful of fanlistings and played in a bunch of online tcgs(and even ran a few of my own!), and had some fansites. It was a golden age of internet the likes of which will never be seen again.
Or so I thought.
Seeing so many embracing the old web inspired me to want to make some fanlistings again and in thinking about that, got inspired to rebuild my website. I spent about a week getting the layout and basic design down and I'm sure I'll be forever working to update and fill out the content.
I code my sites in Notepad. No fancy software or anything. Just me, courier new, and trying to figure out where I forgot to close a tag. I think I briefly used Dreamweaver back in the day but I hate the extra fluff that gets added with that type of a program. I like to know every single piece of code that goes into my site. Maybe I'll try something else someday but for now I'm happy with things as they are.
Why am I here? Why did I rebuild this site? Nostalgia, I guess. Nostalgia for a more laid back, kinder internet. Like many in my generation I'm so tired of social media as it is now. Nothing but ads, sponsered posts, and GenAI trash.
Maybe I'll get tired of this right away. Maybe no one will look at this site. Maybe I'll be terrible about updating. I don't know. For now though, I'm happy to rediscover this form of self-expression where I can post what I want to post, how I want to post it, and not have to worry about any trashcan app making the rules.