I’ve been meaning to write some kind of Important Thinkpiece™ on the glory days of the early internet, but every time I sit down to do it, I find another, better piece that someone else has already written. So for now, here’s a collection of articles that to some degree answer the question “Why have a personal website?” with “Because it’s fun, and the internet used to be fun.”

If you’ve written something that feels like it belongs here—especially if your voice is one that’s frequently underrepresented—I’d be interested to read it! Holler at me via email (kwon at fastmail.com), Mastodon (mastodon.social/@rjkwon), Bluesky, or carrier pigeon.

*(It still is, but it used to be, too)

Article Author Date published Date added ↓
When I started building websites... Flotisserie (Lauren)
13 Feb 2026 28 May 2026
to the people of the internet rmf
28 May 2026
The Boring Internet Terry Godier
5 May 2026 28 May 2026
Looking at the Small Web Cayzle
6 Mar 2026 28 May 2026
Digital Friction Jack Grimes
18 Mar 2026 28 May 2026
Keep the Internet Weird Rachel White
3 Jan 2017 25 Jan 2026
The Slow Web Jack Cheng
1 Jun 2012 19 Jan 2026
Manifesto: A call for individuals to take back rights and control of the web V.H. Belvadi
19 Jan 2026
how to use the internet again: a curriculum Brooklyn Gibbs
23 Oct 2025 19 Jan 2026
Guidelines for a smolweb smolweb.org
6 Nov 2025 19 Jan 2026
About the Outer Web Navicomputer Robert and Chris
19 Jan 2026
A website to destroy all websites. Henry Desroches
19 Jan 2026
A Vision For The Web Alan W. Smith
10 Apr 2025 19 Jan 2026
Internet est mort. Voici comment le ressusciter. (The internet is dead. Here's how to resurrect it.) Arnaud Pessey
6 Nov 2025 26 Nov 2025
Your Site Is a Home Naz Hamid
17 Feb 2025 24 May 2025
You should have a website Nora Reed
3 Dec 2024 24 May 2025
What Is To Be Done? A Manifesto To Return To Web 1.5 CJ the X
1 Mar 2024 24 May 2025
We Should Replace Facebook With Personal Websites Jason Koebler
19 Dec 2018 24 May 2025
We Need To Rewild The Internet Maria Farrell
Robin Berjon
16 Apr 2024 24 May 2025
Unplatform: The definitive guide for escaping social media (and joining the indie web.) Damian Thomas
19 Jan 2025 24 May 2025
This is Not My Side Hustle Matthew Graybosch
19 Jul 2023 24 May 2025
The Web We Lost Anil Dash
13 Dec 2012 24 May 2025
The Web Renaissance takes off Anil Dash
3 Jan 2024 24 May 2025
the low tech manifesto synth-ruiner
18 Feb 2019 24 May 2025
The Internet Is About to Get Weird Again Anil Dash
30 Dec 2023 24 May 2025
The Dark Forest Theory of the Internet Yancey Strickler
16 May 2019 24 May 2025
Looking for humanness in the world wide social Itay Dreyfus
15 Jan 2025 24 May 2025
Inside the dark forests of the internet Itay Dreyfus
12 Feb 2025 24 May 2025
In Praise of Links Coyote
9 Mar 2025 24 May 2025
How to make a website for your creative work Jason Huff
10 Jan 2019 24 May 2025
Bringing back the minimal web tarneo
8 May 2023 24 May 2025
A love letter to my website Tobias van Schneider
17 Sep 2019 24 May 2025
Our Online Homes Need Infastructure Jay Hoffmann
25 Mar 2025 31 Mar 2025
There is no ‘Nice’ Web. Yet Bri Griffin
14 Mar 2025 26 Mar 2025
Making the Web Fun Again Kyle Drake
28 May 2013 22 Mar 2025
Writing down what I know Rico Trebeljahr
15 Mar 2021 2 Feb 2025
Why you should have a website R Scott Jones
5 May 2024 2 Feb 2025
Web of the People Erlend Sogge Heggen
10 Apr 2023 2 Feb 2025
The Revenge of the Home Page Kyle Chayka
1 May 2024 2 Feb 2025
The Internet is a Series of Webs Aram Zucker-Scharff
8 Jun 2024 2 Feb 2025
The Internet is (not) broken Paul Anthony Webb
15 Jan 2021 2 Feb 2025
The Extended Internet Universe Venkatesh Rao
24 May 2019 2 Feb 2025
The Calm Web: A Solution to Our Scary and Divisive Online World Karolina Szczur
18 Apr 2023 2 Feb 2025
Reweirding* the Web John Allsopp
3 May 2024 2 Feb 2025
Making space for a handmade web Chia Amisola
9 Jan 2025 2 Feb 2025
Dead Internet Souls Vicki Boykis
19 Sep 2024 2 Feb 2025
Bix's story of his internet Bix Frankonis
24 Feb 2020 2 Feb 2025
Against the dark forest Erin Kissane
22 Nov 2024 2 Feb 2025
A Handmade Web J.R. Carpenter
1 Mar 2015 2 Feb 2025
What is the Web Revival? Lian
27 May 2024
We can have a different web Molly White
1 May 2024 27 May 2024
This Page is Designed to Last Jeff Huang
19 Dec 2019 27 May 2024
The life and times of a personal website Rebecca Mqamelo
17 Nov 2022 27 May 2024
The Internet Isn’t Meant To Be So Small Kelsey McKinney
1 May 2023 27 May 2024
The Internet Is Like a City (But Not in the Way You'd Think) Anton Cebalo
1 May 2024 27 May 2024
The Impersonal Web Goodmode
27 May 2024
Save the Web by Being Nice Andrew Stephens
30 Apr 2024 27 May 2024
Manifesto for a Humane Web Michelle Barker
6 Apr 2024 27 May 2024
Let The Internet Be Grimy Ernie Smith
8 Jul 2023 27 May 2024
Is the internet dead? Are we? Chowder 3108
2 Jan 2024 27 May 2024
Internet manifesto sadgrl.online
27 May 2024
404 Page Not Found Kate Wagner
7 Jan 2019 27 May 2024
You don't have to be a “content creator” to have a website. Ana Rodrigues
14 Mar 2024 29 Apr 2024
The Analog Web Jay Hoffmann
16 Apr 2024 29 Apr 2024
The "IndieWeb" feels like coming home Nathaniel Daught
14 Mar 2024 29 Apr 2024
On content creation and personal web Juha-Matti Santala
16 Mar 2024 29 Apr 2024
Blogs are cool, actually Rina
9 Apr 2024 29 Apr 2024
Why Personal Blogging Still Rules Mike Grindle
12 Apr 2023 3 Mar 2024
Where have all the websites gone? Jason Velazquez
8 Jan 2024 3 Mar 2024
The Web is Fantastic Robb Knight
28 Dec 2023 3 Mar 2024
The Internet Changed My Life Maxime Chevalier-Boisvert
19 Jan 2022 3 Mar 2024
Surfing the Old Web Juan Villela
11 Jan 2023 3 Mar 2024
Splitting the Web Ploum
1 Aug 2023 3 Mar 2024
Social Websites Matt Stein
6 Feb 2024 3 Mar 2024
shite: static sites from shell Aditya Athalye
8 Mar 2022 3 Mar 2024
Ruminating on Walled Gardens Brandon
16 Feb 2024 3 Mar 2024
Reviving Ye Olde Personal Home Page Dominik Rabiej
30 Jun 2019 3 Mar 2024
Let Us Build a New Web Brad Enslen
13 Sep 2018 3 Mar 2024
L'informatique, c'était mieux avant (Computing was better before) Richard Dern
21 Jan 2022 3 Mar 2024
Into the Personal Website-Verse Matthias Ott
12 May 2019 3 Mar 2024
Game of Content Deep H. Dave
9 Mar 2021 3 Mar 2024
Do You Remember the Internet Before Social Media? dear talula
19 Feb 2022 3 Mar 2024
Digital Homes and Neighborhoods Jake Weber
23 May 2023 3 Mar 2024
Desktops.zip - Some thoughts on websites that look like desktops Simone Marzulli
14 Aug 2023 3 Mar 2024
Blogs Are Dead. Long Live Blogs! Gersande La Flèche
26 Mar 2023 3 Mar 2024
Blog Bookmark Rot Skelly
17 Feb 2024 3 Mar 2024
The web is yours James G
6 Jan 2024 11 Feb 2024
The old internet Rebecca Toh
16 Jan 2020 11 Feb 2024
The Bullshit Web Nick Heer
30 Nov 2018 11 Feb 2024
Refuge in blogs and the IndieWeb Robert Kingett
17 Oct 2023 11 Feb 2024
Rediscovering the Old Internet Vibe Noisy Deadlines
7 Sep 2023 11 Feb 2024
Poor man's web Serge Zaitsev
27 Apr 2021 11 Feb 2024
My website is a shifting house next to a river of knowledge. What could yours be? Laurel Schwulst
21 May 2018 11 Feb 2024
i really love the (hipster) internet Judah
2 Feb 2023 11 Feb 2024
I Love the Web fLaMEd
6 Apr 2021 11 Feb 2024
Computers: An Invocation for Soft Tech Katherine Yang
1 Sep 2023 11 Feb 2024
Click around, find out John Hoare
21 Jan 2024 11 Feb 2024
Why the Indie Web movement is so important Dan Gillmor
25 Apr 2014 4 Jan 2024
The Web Revival Melon
10 Nov 2023 4 Jan 2024
Please for the love of Blarg, Start a Blog Jay Springett
14 Dec 2019 4 Jan 2024
My website as a home Nico Chilla
13 Nov 2023 4 Jan 2024
Make your own independent website Victoria Drake
16 Jan 2021 4 Jan 2024
It’s Time to Get Personal Laura Kalbag
9 Dec 2019 4 Jan 2024
Everyone Should Blog, And That Includes You Alexandra
30 Dec 2023 4 Jan 2024
a personal manifesto Simone Silvestroni
20 Apr 2023 4 Jan 2024
You Should Have a Website Mark Murphy
12 Nov 2023
tiny internets Spencer Chang
12 Nov 2023
Taking an Internet Walk Spencer Chang
Kristoffer Tjalve
12 Nov 2023
The Quiet Web Brian Koberlein
12 Feb 2021 24 Oct 2023
Soft tech Helena Jaramillo
24 Oct 2023
Notes on the small web Felix Pleşoianu
10 Sep 2022 24 Oct 2023
How to fix the internet Katie Notopoulos
17 Oct 2023 19 Oct 2023
Social Internet Is Dead. Get Over It. Om Malik
15 Oct 2023 18 Oct 2023
The Importance of Personal Websites Hayden White
29 Aug 2023 16 Oct 2023
Build your own website! Devastatia del Gato
9 Jul 2023 16 Oct 2023
Why you should have a blog (and write in it) Leticia Portella
21 Jun 2020 30 Sep 2023
why the web? Justin Hall
30 Sep 2023
My 20th anniversary of blogging! Tracy Durnell
23 Sep 2023 30 Sep 2023
Exploring the Personal Web foreverliketh.is
6 May 2023 30 Sep 2023
Why Personal Websites are Important Chuck Carroll
25 Mar 2021 12 Sep 2023
What is the Small Web? Aral Balkan
7 Aug 2020 12 Sep 2023
The Year of the Personal Website Matthias Ott
6 Jan 2023 12 Sep 2023
The Value of a Personal Site Marc
15 Mar 2021 12 Sep 2023
The small web is beautiful Ben Hoyt
1 Mar 2021 12 Sep 2023
The Joys and Sorrows of Maintaining a Personal Website "Cheapskate"
6 Mar 2022 12 Sep 2023
Stop Crowdsourcing Your Confidence Darius Foroux
25 Aug 2016 12 Sep 2023
Rediscovering the Small Web Parimal Satyal
25 May 2020 12 Sep 2023
Passionless Web Manuel Moreale
16 Aug 2022 12 Sep 2023
On building a home on the web Daniël van der Winden
25 Feb 2022 12 Sep 2023
On attention management & owning your content Roel van der Ven
4 Jun 2017 12 Sep 2023
I miss the internet. Joan Westenberg
7 Jul 2023 12 Sep 2023
Hunting the Nearly-Invisible Personal Website "Cheapskate"
27 Aug 2020 12 Sep 2023
How Websites Die Wesley Aptekar-Cassels
21 Feb 2022 12 Sep 2023
How the Blog Broke the Web Amy Hoy
12 Sep 2023
How I experience web today Li Guangyi
12 Sep 2023
Homesteading 2014 Frank Chimero
21 Dec 2013 12 Sep 2023
Every person on the planet should have their own website Amin Eftegarie
6 Jul 2023 12 Sep 2023
envisioning my homepage as an online therapeutic space Winnie Lim
22 Nov 2020 12 Sep 2023
Eight years of blogging Paweł Grzybek
11 Mar 2023 12 Sep 2023
Early Web Design Helped a Generation Express Themselves Online. How Do We Capture That Feeling Again? Nika Simovich Fisher
8 Mar 2022 12 Sep 2023
E/N (Everything/Nothing) JR (Sawv)
12 Sep 2023
Death to Bullshit Brad Frost
8 Apr 2013 12 Sep 2023
Building a Digital Homestead, Bit by Brick Tom Critchlow
8 Mar 2022 12 Sep 2023
Bring back personal blogging Monique Judge
31 Dec 2022 12 Sep 2023
Blogging is alive and well Colin Devroe
11 Jan 2023 12 Sep 2023
At home on the internet Johnny Rodgers
12 Sep 2023
About this website Zinzy Waleson Geene
12 Sep 2023
About me (localghost) Sophie Koonin
12 Sep 2023
A Brief History & Ethos of the Digital Garden Maggie Appleton
12 Sep 2023
“Tom had us all doing front-end web development”: a nostalgic (re)imagining of Myspace Kate M. Miltner
Ysabel Gerrard
7 Oct 2021 12 Sep 2023
Line drawing of an old-school desktop computer with various whimsical items emanating from the screen including an ice cream cone, rainbow, puppy, happy sheep, and sparkles

I still love the internet (it's still fun)