MSep 11, 2023
erik
In all seriousness, I think it's time to accept that web search is currently broken as an idea, and we all need to go back to sharing our favorite links on personal websites. And we need to make personal websites a thing again, too.
Sep 10, 2023 at 5:57pmWeb
Show threadloriSep 10, 2023

@erik I posted a big thing about this a while back but not only do we need personal websites, but people who have useful links to things they're interested in need to post them, and share other people's similar link lists, and copy each other's links for redundancy

I at least convinced a few people to go do it and felt good about that, my personal list is Palm related sites that take a lot of digging to find if you're trying to use Google, if you'll find them at all

Show threaderikSep 10, 2023
@lori I've actually started toying around with the idea of figuring out what it would look like (scalable-tech-wise) to make webrings a thing again.
Show threadTicktokSep 10, 2023
@erik @lori one of the reasons I like neocities since it allows people to make simple websites a la geocities days, but also webrings have started popping up on it.
https://thewikion.neocities.org/wiki/webring
Webrings on Neocities

Show threadThe DoctorSep 10, 2023
@lori @erik I think I'll write that post about New Yahoo today.
Show threadcedricdesSep 12, 2023
@drwho please tell me when you do, or where to follow this!
Show threadThe DoctorSep 12, 2023
@cedricdes It'll be on my website, and Switchboard will automatically post it here when the time comes (timed posts).
Show threadcedricdesSep 12, 2023
@drwho great!
Show threadKroc CamenSep 10, 2023
@erik Don't forget 'Web Rings!
Show threadJasper πŸ‰Sep 10, 2023

@erik like why don't we use our social graphs to generate origin links for the spiders, and origins of the webranking value too..

Could also have a 'report' function, indicate sites which use chatGPT output or act too much like content mills. Like you can generate tonnes of pages, but so many domains is not so easy, and domains are _for_ tracking sources & reputation thereof...

Inevitably it's subjective. (as is status quo search results)

Show threadπŸ‡³πŸ‡±πŸ‡ͺπŸ‡ΊJeroenπŸ‡ΊπŸ‡¦πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡¦πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡¦πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡¦Sep 10, 2023
@erik Anybody remember dmoz.org?
Show threadLCWebsXOXO [mod]Sep 10, 2023
@[email protected] I am totally here for the return of personal websites
Show threadTechDog-MartySep 10, 2023
@erik
Anyone who is struggling designing wifi or DECT wireless networks (or has coverage issues) might find this free website helpful.
www.jwaves.io
Show threadDave3307Sep 10, 2023
@erik Bring back Haley’s Comet
Show threadGreg StolzeSep 10, 2023
@erik Hey, www.gregstolze.com never quit.
Show threadEric LawtonSep 10, 2023

@erik

Mine moved a few times and went through a hiatus a few times, but it's been there for a long time and has been active again recently.

Show threadAmbient SpongeSep 10, 2023
@erik It's still useful outside of Google. I find Duck Duck Go to be pretty useful.
Show threadflamepanther ☒️Sep 10, 2023
@erik
Portals and webrings here we come
Show threadHoward Chu @ SymasSep 10, 2023
@erik webrings again?
Show threadShadowInTheVoidSep 10, 2023
@erik we need boolean search back. No "algorithm" telling you what it wants you to see instead
Show threadKernSep 10, 2023
@erik I've grown fond of Hugo. You can make a whole static website just by picking a theme & writing a few markdown pages. But neocities.org is even easier!
They don't want you to know this, but you can just write stuff and put it on the internet!
Show threadAmyNewsSep 10, 2023
@erik What @Em0nM4stodon said. Agreed.
Show threadThe Reply GuySep 10, 2023
@erik Easy fix: Start a Discord server where everyone can post their favorite links.
Show threadJosh RenaudSep 10, 2023
@erik Mine has never gone away!
Show threadΰΌ’ ɐΙ₯ɔǝʇɐɯ ʍǝɹpuɐ ΰΌ’Sep 10, 2023
@erik @tschak done: https://matecha.net/links 😊
Links :: Matecha.net

Here are an assortment of sites I think are worth checking out.

Show threadadamghillSep 10, 2023
@erik Happy customer of #kagi and pleased they are trying an idea to help surface personal blogs: https://blog.kagi.com/small-web. Not sure if it’ll work well, but glad they are trying other approaches.
Kagi Blog - Kagi Small Web

As a part of our ongoing pursuit to humanize the web, we are pleased to announce the launch of the Kagi Small Web initiative. What is Kagi Small Web? To begin with, while there is no...

Show threadamuletofyendorSep 11, 2023
@erik I've been thinking hard about this lately. The web wasn't what it was 20 years ago. I'm going to create my own site with animated gifs and everything.
Show threadDaniel DurransSep 11, 2023
@amuletofyendor @erik sounds like your site is under construction 🚧
Show threadRobSep 11, 2023
@erik I think this is why #postmarks is exciting so many people.
Show threadbenjohnSep 11, 2023

@erik yeah. It really felt like we had something pretty good there for a couple of decades.

I considered signing up for a paid for, advertising free search service that I found. I can’t even find the name of of it to share in a toot if I search β€œpaid search” now. Wow.

Show threadbenjohnSep 11, 2023
@erik wait! I found it… By running back through a chat conversation with my son. https://kagi.com
Kagi Search - A Premium Search Engine

Better search results with no ads. Welcome to Kagi (pronounced kah-gee), a paid search engine that gives power back to the user.

Show threadStuart Longland (VK4MSL)Sep 11, 2023
@erik Web rings here we come like it's 1995…
Show threadThe Saanich DailySep 11, 2023
@erik To all the "free speech" absolutists that insist social media is a platform that they have a right to use without censorship or moderation I say; start a personal website if you want free speech. You're not entitled to a platform. Maybe even host your own site.
Show threadmatzipanSep 11, 2023
@erik @jrconlin check Kagi out
Show threadJenniferSep 11, 2023
@erik what was that web directory in the 90s? Mosaic? We need that again.
Show threadkeithzgSep 11, 2023
@erik @reay I've kept mine nominally operational for just this eventuality
Show threadjoeblowenarbolSep 11, 2023
@erik For research past vendables and 5 months Google is seriously shittified. I'm finding Bing a great deal more useful now!
Show threadderptronSep 11, 2023
@erik Why??? I wouldn't be able to program shit if it weren't for web search :p
Show threadOllivier Robert πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡¦πŸ˜·πŸŒˆSep 11, 2023
@erik @[email protected] and bring back RSS, the real innovation here
Show threadNeia masksSep 11, 2023
@erik with raccoon on several gallons of coffee energy Did someone say webrings???
Show threadNiels MoseleySep 11, 2023
@erik https://www.moseleyinstruments.com/blog/links/
Interesting Links Β· Moseley Instruments Blog

Show threadMilikilo Sandstream Sep 11, 2023
@erik it's time to bring back webrings
Show threaddb0Sep 11, 2023
@erik Seriously. I couldn't even find the amount of calories burned by a rowing machine from all the AI-written SEO crap that was posted in August 2023.
Show threadGuyamrllgSep 11, 2023
@erik
Why is web search β€œbroken” precisely? Do you mean that the web is too full of shit, that search engines are perverted for advertisement purposes, and that SEO optimization has nothing to do with quality content?
I agree with your proposition of a kind of web of trust.
Show threadRick RaeSep 11, 2023

@rollingguyam

Agreed. I don't think the idea of Web search is broken so much as it's been subverted.

Maybe we need a search platform that detects SEO tactics and *downgrades* those results. Recognizes the hallmarks of AI-generated garbage and delists it. Ranks weighted by incoming link count, combined with recognition of junk domains so those links can't be faked.

I suppose that's not profitable, though...

@erik

Show threadsome kind of orange shapeSep 11, 2023
@erik You might be looking for https://postmarks.glitch.me/ a federated take on the old social bookmarking service del.icio.us.
cc @casey
Latest bookmarks | Postmarks

Show threadAndrew PorterSep 11, 2023
@clayote @erik @casey Just heard about this yesterday, and it sounds very interesting!
I like the idea of building things that talk to existing platforms
Show threadRaj πŸ‡¬πŸ‡§πŸ‡ͺπŸ‡ΊπŸ’»πŸ–₯(πŸŒ»πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡¦;πŸ‡΅πŸ‡Έ)Sep 11, 2023

@erik I was thinking similarly only yesterday. There was a time when if nothing filled your search criteria nothing was what you got. Now you just get screens and screens of irrelevancies, sometimes not even tangentially connected that "might interest" you, because they have to serve you *something* to hang adverts off.

That said, DDG, is still reasonably OK. No ads; not motivation to serve junk.

Show threadLaberpferdSep 11, 2023

@erik
I absolutely agree that personal websites and public visible accesible Forums need to be revived again

But i also want to say that webrings&co can not be the solution for everything. Specifically when you are serachign for documentation, technical&mathematical papers, pointers abut niche interests, then webrings. You might see a round of Retro computer enthusiasts but never find a datasheet for a specific chip if you dont have a universal web search for that type number

Show threadDeadly HeadshotSep 11, 2023
@erik
Personal directories!
Show threadMarmar ❄️Sep 11, 2023
@erik time to use pubnix
Show threadJuri Leino 一〇Sep 11, 2023

@erik this article is relevant in this context:

https://techcrunch.com/2023/09/08/with-postmarks-social-bookmarking-is-back-but-this-time-its-built-on-the-fediverse/?guccounter=1

TechCrunch is part of the Yahoo family of brands

Show threadDacharySep 11, 2023
@erik Alternately, pay for a search product whose incentives are aligned with its users rather than advertisers or mega corps. I switched to Kagi a few months ago and have been very happy with it: https://kagi.com
Kagi Search - A Premium Search Engine

Better search results with no ads. Welcome to Kagi (pronounced kah-gee), a paid search engine that gives power back to the user.

Show threadDecker harrisonSep 11, 2023
@erik
Wait you don't want to buy "Insert here" for this great one time offer πŸ₯ΊπŸ€¦πŸΌβ€β™‚️
Same, even Duckduckgo is now 20 ad links deep and also somehow linked into Bing πŸ˜”
That said I fear the powers that be have' their Cake and want no one else to get even a crumb'
Show threadColinSep 12, 2023
@erik @chirpbirb I need web directories again.
Show threadlorddimwit is now @[email protected]Sep 12, 2023

@erik

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