Why Make Your Own Site?

Jan 1 2017

The first thing people will ask me when I tell them I made my own website, is why? They'll mention today's social networks as solutions to online communication. To most, a personal site seems like a detour from our existing information highways. Though true, I'd argue there is value in the time-cost of taking this scenic route.

The fact is that today's social networks provide one source of information about our friends. However, they do so within contexts defined by their own corporate interests. Not only do they determine style, but incentives to profit influence every interaction one has with that network. The web, and one's website, are free from such pressures, ideally containing only information with a purpose. The format, appearance, and utility of its pages are unique to the individual; coming together and reflecting one's self in this strangely virtual medium.

No matter what happens, the few files making up your website are owned by you. Anyone willing to rent you a server on the planet can have your page accessed via a browser. It's an incredible feat for a species having evolved primarily on superior means of communication.

I guess the answer to my original question is that a number of factors motivated the creation of this site. Primarily it's my own front door to the web. It's also something I made as a mirror for my own observations, and a utility for others. Regardless of the motivation I plan to be here awhile, allowing this body of work to grow and evolve with me over time as both a living and historical documentation of my experience.