JesseMaloneNov 15, 2022
Matthias Ott

I wrote this three years ago:

“One day, Twitter and other publishing platforms like Facebook, Instagram, or Medium will indeed die, like so many sites before them. And every time this happens, we lose most of the content we created and with it a fair amount of our collective cultural history.”

Own your content.

Publish on your own site.

https://matthiasott.com/articles/into-the-personal-website-verse

Into the Personal-Website-Verse · Matthias Ott

Matthias Ott is an independent user experience designer and developer from Stuttgart, Germany. Besides design practice he teaches Interface Prototyping at the Muthesius Academy of Fine Arts and Design, Kiel.

Matthias Ott – User Experience Designer
Nov 12, 2022 at 9:17amMetatext
Show threadAndreasNov 12, 2022
@matthiasott one way is #obsidian +obsidian publish or free opensource alternative like pubsidian, flowershow.app, obsidian mkdocs, perlite....
Show threadAlexander Lehner, CPACCNov 12, 2022
@matthiasott Great article! I started my own web dev blog early this year and love experimenting with it. Need to implement Webmentions and RSS real soon. Thanks for the inspiration 🙌 😊
Show threadMatthias OttNov 12, 2022
@alex86 Great! Let me – all of us, actually – know when you have an RSS feed! 🤗
Show threadIris Thiele Isip Tan MD, MScNov 12, 2022
@matthiasott was just thinking about this the other day, that I should publish more on my website.
Show threadBarijaona RamaholimihasoNov 12, 2022
@endocrine_witch @matthiasott I will definitely publish more on mine !
Show threadVictoria ElliottNov 12, 2022

@matthiasott whilst I agree with the principle of owning your own content; social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter provide an almost universal ease of use which alternatives struggle to compete with.

This then leads to an inequality between those who do and do not have the inclination, confidence, or skills to master a new platform which isn’t intuitive to use (such as Mastodon or having your own website).

Show threadVictoria ElliottNov 12, 2022

@matthiasott People go for the happy path.

Ease of use has undoubtedly been a significant contributor to Twitter’s success. The shadow side of this is that alternatives are less appealing and so therefore the options in real-terms are limited.

You could even go as far as saying that effective design can be an enemy of the good due to creating a monopoly effect. It’s hard to find a meaningful alternative to Twitter if the options aren’t as usable.

Show threadMatthias OttNov 12, 2022
@vce_elliott Yes, I fully agree! I remember a vivid discussion about this at one of the first IndieWebCamps I attended. There is a barrier to owning your content and publication platforms are trying to make it as easy as possible to publish inside their walled gardens and to give us immediate gratification for it, so that it is convenient to just write and hit publish there. On the other hand: it is as easy as ever to get a website online that fits your personal level of technical skills.
Show threadMatthias OttNov 12, 2022
@vce_elliott Just as an example, you could start on wordpress.com and later move on to your own server. Some hosters also offer one-click installations of CMSes etc. And I still believe that over time more good design will flow into the alternatives so that they eventually are getting easier to use.
Show threadMatthias OttNov 12, 2022
@vce_elliott In a perfect world, there would be a service where you can get your own little corner on the Web with a quick installation of everything, your data stored in a format that is easy to exchange or convert if you ever want to change your CMS/SSG, and a website that has already a best-of of IndieWeb technology built in, like Webmentions or syndication to different platforms.
Show threadDoug HoltonNov 12, 2022
@matthiasott @vce_elliott Yeah I've run my own sites for years, but it can cost money & upkeep that make it inaccessible to most, even w/1-click installers. WordPress.com is a good compromise since you can always export & transfer your site if you want or if the service discontinues. The only alternatives in the works that I can see might be govt-provided Solid Pods (data stores) https://solidcommunity.be/ or decentralized peer-to-peer hosting such as IPFS https://ipfs.tech/
Solid Community – Solid Community

Show threadTheRealRolandNov 16, 2022
@dougholton @matthiasott @vce_elliott I think that not all people have something to say (or write). If they think that isn't their case, they can spent little money to do it. Twitter has been (and is, again) an important platform for me, but there's too many noise, like other social platform. It isn't anymore a microblogging platform
Show threadVictoria ElliottNov 16, 2022

@dougholton @matthiasott @WineRoland

For me, having a personal website means I have a place of my own to publish longer form content. It’s also a hobby where I can learn more through tinkering.

But as I use a website builder with only a handful of custom CSS, if I suddenly needed a more advanced skill set to do this, I’d be really put off.

I’d like to learn more over time, but it’s not going to happen overnight!

Show threadTheRealRolandNov 16, 2022
@vce_elliott @dougholton @matthiasott true. But maybe if someone wants only to write down their thoughts, they need not so much CSS, something like Livejournal, Typepad, or Blogger. But in this way the blog isn't really your... Right, I read your point
Show threadVictoria ElliottNov 16, 2022

@WineRoland @dougholton @matthiasott

Maybe just a plain notepad would be sufficient 🙂

Show threadTheRealRolandNov 16, 2022
@vce_elliott @dougholton @matthiasott or a typewriter 🙂 slow writing, so the thoughts have time to move from soul to hand and acquiring a body
Show threadCollector Of DreamsNov 24, 2022
@vce_elliott @matthiasott i has a WordPress website, even more lonely than my rss, and It was very beautiful, It was about my services of caring pets but changed into something further. I Also helped at a very large blog in several languages run by someone in Italy about #veganfood but después being so Big and nice, its almost dead. As we have fee time a dont share things unless we believe, there IS someone on the other side. For many of us, having knowledge on bizarre matters, Rss IS much more accesible and easy. One must understand that is fatuos and wont be permant, It flows with the River
Show threadGeekGyrlNov 12, 2022
@matthiasott This is why I run my own website/blog and have done so for about 25 years. Folks used to get so confused because it my web address wasn’t pointing to MySpace or LiveJournal back in the day.
Show threadJPNov 12, 2022
@matthiasott
Your own site isn't going to live forever either though. It will disappear as soon as you stop paying your provider, for whatever reason.
Just saying.
Show threadmuonNov 12, 2022
@matthiasott I have never perceived twitter as more than a transient feed. Finding older content from other people is nearly impossible (at least I wasn't very successful in that regard).
Show threadKWolfNov 12, 2022
@muon @matthiasott Social media are not valid to preseve knowlede, know how or culture. They are as spoken words: They should be recognized and perhaps led to catalise thougts to be fixed in books or magazines, hypotheses is to be scientifically verified, opinions to be further developed or to be rejected or forgotten.
Show threadAlex WykoffNov 12, 2022

@matthiasott Austin Kleon would agree. Own your turf https://tumblr.austinkleon.com/post/37863874092

(The irony of him posting this on tumblr back then is not lost on me.)

Own your turf

[Marco Arment](http://www.marco.org/2011/07/11/own-your-identity): >If you care about your online presence, you must own it. [Anil Dash:](http://dashes.com/anil/2012/12/the-web-we-lost.html) >In...

Tumblr
Show threadArmin FritzNov 12, 2022
@matthiasott A new dark age for future historians?
Show threadRoman LutzNov 12, 2022
@matthiasott … or at least publish also to your own site so it gets preserved when the networks go up in flames. I’m currently wondering what to do (and whether to do) something about my tweets. Not that there’s so much value in them, but I feel like there are a bunch of things I would like to keep. If only to go back ten years later and say “I told you so!” But that would require the timestamps to stay the same. If only I had written everything on my blog instead (or additionally) 🙂
Show threadThe vOICe vision BCI 🧠🇪🇺Nov 12, 2022
@matthiasott Does this assume that you will live longer than platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Medium?
Show threadMatthias OttNov 12, 2022
@seeingwithsound No, not at all! You can decide for yourself how much and what you want to use your own site for. Some people try to do almost everything via their site and actually also write replies there, like @adactio. Some publish blog posts on their site, share the links, and collect reactions via Webmentions. Or you could also start a microblogging section on your site and syndicate the posts into different platforms like Twitter and Mastodon.
Show threadThe vOICe vision BCI 🧠🇪🇺Nov 12, 2022
@matthiasott I may have been misunderstood: usually one's payments for domain hosting etc stop not too long after one dies. The digital after-life is still a complex issue, but it could matter for preserving one's contributions to the "collective cultural history".
Show threadMatthias OttNov 12, 2022
@seeingwithsound Oh, I misread your post, I’m sorry! Yes, you’re right. That’s a complex issue that we’re not discussing (and thinking about) enough. What I do is that I automatically send a ping to the Internet Archive every time I save a blog post. But that’s not the same as a URL that’s available “forever”.
Show threadThe vOICe vision BCI 🧠🇪🇺Nov 12, 2022
@matthiasott Thanks! Yes, I too regularly check the Internet Archive to see if things of importance can be found there, but to more or less systematically ping them with new URLs is a good idea.
Show threadSebastian PeitschNov 12, 2022
@matthiasott das ist ne nette Prämisse mit dem kleinen Problem dass ich gerade erst wieder ne Abmahnung bekommen habe für meine Seite weil ich Google Schriften eingebunden habe...
Show threadMatthias OttNov 12, 2022
@speitsch Oh, das ist Mist. 😔 Ist ja nicht per se ein Problem einer eigenen Website, trotzdem ärgerlich. Gegen den Anwalt wurde inzwischen soweit ich weiß Anzeige erstattet. War ja eine offensichtliche Abmahn-Masche. Ist einer Freundin auch mit ihrer Seite passiert (Webflow). Ihr Anwalt hat ihr geraten keinesfalls zu zahlen. Aber schon bescheuert genug, dass man zumindest auf sowas reagieren muss und Ärger damit hat. 🙄 Alles Gute, Sebastian! 🤞
Show threadSebastian PeitschNov 12, 2022

@matthiasott Danke.

Ich reagiere da gar nicht drauf. Ist aber schon die dritte die ich bekommen habe wegen solcher Spaßbären die meinen sie könnten das Recht ausnutzen.

Show threadStoneNov 12, 2022
@matthiasott The PeWe Verse very catchy! Great post, thank you.
Show threadHikariiNov 12, 2022
@matthiasott Realizing the day fast approaching as deviantart announced AI art generator and had everyone initially opt in. I always knew it but wasn't proactive enough. Sucks.
Show threada_regular-pearNov 12, 2022
@matthiasott Outstanding article! Have been thinking about creating a website recently too. The problem is that unlike social media you have to buy a domain and host your website. For hosting I could just use a spare raspberry pi but I don't have a domain, do you perhaps have any solutions?
Show threadYoav BergnerNov 13, 2022
@matthiasott I agree with this sentiment, but the longevity of personally controlled digital content is also questionable. We saw this migrating from floppy disk storage. Maybe it’s okay if we just wipe the slate clean every few years.
Show threadMathieuNov 13, 2022
@matthiasott this is starting to grow on me. Already have the domain, just need to take the plunge...
Show threadMatthias OttNov 13, 2022

@mathieuhuot …do it! 😁 It’s a lot of fun to build your site. Try to make it as easy and convenient for yourself to publish. And if it’s “only” an occasional thought, a little observation, or something you learned, that’s just fine. Enjoy making stuff. Good luck! 🤗

And in case you’re not sure about what to use: both @eleventy and @getkirby are fantastic. I use CraftCMS for my site and enjoy it a lot. But WordPress would do the job as well. 😉

Show threadMathieuNov 13, 2022
@matthiasott Hey, thanks for your support! I'll definitely make it my 2023 project. I will most likely go with @eleventy as I'm quite familiar with it and probably try this simple CMS https://frontmatter.codes/. We'll see how it goes! 😊
Headless CMS right in your code editor | Front Matter

Headless CMS running in Visual Studio Code that helps managing your static sites. Supports Hugo, Jekyll, Docusaurus, NextJs, Gatsby, and more.

Show threadDaniel Mclaughlan (He/Him)Nov 13, 2022

@matthiasott Great article, thanks for sharing.

I used to blog regularly and found a lovely community. We are still in contact on other platforms but I miss that space. I definitely had a blogroll🥰

Nowadays I want the convenience of a hosted platform like Wordpress dot com but the flexibility to explore the nuts and bolts.

Unfortunately I have a tendency to get easily lost in the implementation that I forget to, you know, write.

Show threadDaniel Mclaughlan (He/Him)Nov 13, 2022

@matthiasott I’m feeling that inclination to write again. However, I don’t have the time or energy for traditional self-hosting.

Revisiting Eleventy and Netlify again as a nice way to spin something up and write posts in Markdown.

For ages, I thought the lack of user friendly privacy-focused comments on static sites was a deal breaker. However, I’m realising the personal web doesn’t need a single solution: using other platforms like Mastodon can provide that sense of community.

Show threadMatthias OttNov 13, 2022
@straydogstrut That’s only unfortunate if you don’t enjoy tinkering with the technical stuff 😉 It your place, so if you tinker more than you write and it gives you joy, it’s still worthwhile, I guess? But I also struggle with this. And constantly write about it… 🫣
e.g. https://matthiasott.com/notes/just-put-stuff-out-there
Just Put Stuff Out There · Matthias Ott – User Experience Designer

Matthias Ott is an independent user experience designer and developer from Stuttgart, Germany. Besides design practice he teaches Interface Prototyping at the Muthesius Academy of Fine Arts and Design, Kiel.

Matthias Ott – User Experience Designer
Show threadDaniel Mclaughlan (He/Him)Nov 13, 2022

@matthiasott Thanks, another nice read😊

Every so often when I was blogging regularly, I would experience an identity crisis of what the blog should be about. I’d get so wrapped in knots deciding what to write about/or not that I’d lose momentum.

Starting again is a fresh start for new interests but there are also interests I don’t want to leave behind.

Chris Coyier’s site that you linked to is a great example of a personal site that combines interests.

Show threadRussNov 13, 2022
@matthiasott
I just borrowed a stack of books from the Deming Alliance. Inside many was an acknowledgment of who gifted the book. I found it beautiful. For example
Show threadmikiNov 13, 2022
@arush @matthiasott Sites die too, though, and it’s likely that Joe Shmoe’s random little website will literally die when he does. Same with fediverse instances. A commercial service with a well-paid crew managing it has a much better chance of survival than a $5 Linode VPS managed by one person. If you host your own site, you have to consider what happens when you die, teach your kids / siblinks / parents to renew your domain in perpetuity, ensure that they have all the credentials they need to do so, ensure they’re willing to hire somebody tech-savvy enough to maintain your server (if they're not tech-savvy themselves) and so on. Also, you can still lose your content due to mismanaged backup strategies and faulty backups, or lose your domain when your domain-granting organization disagrees with what you do, when your card expires at an inopportune moment etc.
Show threadJan  Nov 13, 2022

@matthiasott So true!

Coincidentally, @phil and I just had a conversation about this regarding SaaS in general:

https://floss.social/@janriemer/109336793708971941

Jan (@[email protected])

@[email protected] Oh, I completely agree with you! Nowadays, nobody owns anything anymore. Subscriptions everywhere! It is really messed up. Also, you make good points regarding sustainability and sellf-reliance. For example, if Netflix disappeared, all movies/series that are exclusive to them, would disappear as well. What a loss of cultural goods that would be! This is why I don't use streaming services like that. So yeah, it is very troubling for me as well to see this trend happening.

FLOSS.social
Show threadagNov 15, 2022
@matthiasott I find POSSE - Publish (on your) Own Site, Syndicate Elsewhere - a pragmatic balance. https://indieweb.org/POSSE
POSSE

POSSE is an abbreviation for Publish (on your) Own Site, Syndicate Elsewhere, the practice of posting content on your own site first, then publishing copies or sharing links to third parties (like social media silos) with original post links to provide viewers a path to directly interacting with your content.

IndieWeb
Show threadfireynisNov 15, 2022
@matthiasott I would agree and possibly go one further and make sure you publish your content in a transferable format, something like markdown over a WordPress site that stores it in a proprietary way in a DB. Tools like #hugo and #statamic work for this!
Show threadMatthias OttNov 15, 2022
@fireynis And @getkirby 🖤 and @eleventy 🎈
Show threadChris PirilloNov 15, 2022
@matthiasott ...there's always a trade-off. For some of us early online publishers, it was impossible to stem the tide / rise of social media and centralized platforms. But, as they say, the pendulum swings both ways. What's old is new again.
Show threadSidNov 15, 2022
@matthiasott Looks reality
Show threadfabiánNov 15, 2022
@matthiasott 🧠
Show threadKaliNov 15, 2022
@matthiasott my only issue with this idea is that everything will come to an end eventually. I used to follow a guy who ran a #raspberrypi drone blog half a decade ago but since his passing, I can’t find any records of his build log anymore. My only guess as to what happened is that his family stopped paying for hosting and the site came down too. I wish there were records left of him outside of my memory :(
Show threadDr Footleg (he/him)Nov 15, 2022
@kali @matthiasott Have you checked the internet archive or wayback machine sites for an archive of his blog?
Show threadKaliNov 15, 2022
@drfootleg @matthiasott unfortunately, yes. waybackmachine had no archives of it :(
Show threadKaliNov 16, 2022

@matthiasott @drfootleg

Hey @Raspberry_Pi does anyone over there have copies of Andy Baker’s blog from 2013-2015? I remember following it years ago but it might just be lost to time

Show threadSteven BodzinNov 16, 2022
@matthiasott well yeah but your own site dies too, unless you maintain it. There is no substitute for paper
Show threadCollector Of DreamsNov 24, 2022
@matthiasott you are right but i Also like to let go...It is too much effort for my scarce energies, on the other side, i enjoy more learning from others than sharing my #wisdom that has to do with #oneirology. In fact when i did share about It, not much interest was raised since people #dream and #forget their dreams and have no idea about the feeling of having so #SolidDreams that they get the same status as memories. This fact that our content vanishes whenever there IS a #Collapse has something spiritual on It: #VirtualFengShui like...if something one said or created reached someone and was Interesting for that person, great...if not, let It go to the place all the forgoten dreams go, the Knowledge IS #HeraclitoRiver...I can understand your point since i am a Sort of collector of #objects that i find useful for my nonsense, but, with information, that seems to come from everywhere, its very very tiring and for most of us, wont be read again, ever...
Show threadGary Bunker Dec 13, 2022
@matthiasott I've definitely become re-energized to update my site (25+ years old) in recent months. I can easily make backups of that information, and keep them on a thumbdrive if need be.