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diff --git a/posts/computing/2019-04-06-why-have-a-website-in-2019.html b/posts/computing/2019-04-06-why-have-a-website-in-2019.html new file mode 100644 index 0000000..f8520d4 --- /dev/null +++ b/posts/computing/2019-04-06-why-have-a-website-in-2019.html @@ -0,0 +1,176 @@ +<!DOCTYPE html> +<html> + <head> + <link rel="stylesheet" href="/includes/stylesheet.css" /> + <meta charset="utf-8" /> + <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /> + <meta + property="og:description" + content="The World Wide Web pages of Adam Carpenter" + /> + <meta property="og:image" content="/includes/images/logo_diag.png" /> + <meta property="og:site_name" content="53hor.net" /> + <meta property="og:title" content="Why Have a Web Site in 2019?" /> + <meta property="og:type" content="website" /> + <meta property="og:url" content="https://www.53hor.net" /> + <title>53hornet ➙ Why Have a Web Site in 2019?</title> + </head> + + <body> + <nav> + <ul> + <li> + <a href="/"> + <img src="/includes/icons/home-roof.svg" /> + Home + </a> + </li> + <li> + <a href="/about.html"> + <img src="/includes/icons/information-variant.svg" /> + About + </a> + </li> + <li> + <a href="/software.html"> + <img src="/includes/icons/git.svg" /> + Software + </a> + </li> + <li> + <a href="/hosted.html"> + <img src="/includes/icons/desktop-tower.svg" /> + Hosted + </a> + </li> + <li> + <a type="application/rss+xml" href="/rss.xml"> + <img src="/includes/icons/rss.svg" /> + RSS + </a> + </li> + <li> + <a href="/contact.html"> + <img src="/includes/icons/at.svg" /> + Contact + </a> + </li> + </ul> + </nav> + + <article> + <h1>Why Have a Web Site in 2019?</h1> + <blockquote> + Adam, why on earth do you have a website? Wait... Is this a + <em>blog</em>? It's 2019, why don't you just use Facebook?! + </blockquote> + + <p> + I've wanted to have my own website for a long time mostly because I like + playing with technology. I think it's cool that I can make a few files + on a computer in my closet available for the entire world to see. The + web has become a near-necessity in our daily lives and it's only been + around for a couple of decades. That has always fascinated me enough to + drive me to see if I can do it on my own. I started self-hosting my own + web server about a year ago now and it's been an awesome study in the + way all of the tech we use on the web works. + </p> + + <p> + A written website is also a good way to keep up on my writing skills. + I've graduated college and won't be writing essays for the foreseeable + eternity. Which is fine except that I have no reason to write creatively + or formally anymore. Having this site encourages me to continue turning + thoughts into words, even though it's more casual than a term paper. + </p> + + <p> + This extends into the professionalism of a personal website. Normally + you can't point your employer towards your Twitter profile as the + distillation of your online footprint. Having a website, especially one + that separates professional and personal interests, is ten times better + than a resume, especially in the world of technology. It lets you tell + people exactly who you are and what you do, without forcing them to + navigate through an auth wall or a bunch of puppy photos. Your + professional and personal lives don't bleed together quite as much and + it makes for a kick-ass business card. + </p> + + <p> + Most importantly however, I enjoy the level of control that I gain with + creating and operating my own website, something I have also sought for + a long time. In high school I set up an old Dell from my school's + recycling center with Windows XP and Microsoft Internet Information + Services. It didn't have SSL or even a domain name but it was reachable + over the WAN. I set up an upload system so that my friends and I could + 'post' memes and funny messages for each other on raw html pages written + with Microsoft Word. That was the extent of its functionality. It was + slow, insecure, and went offline every time the router got a new IP + assigned to it. But I didn't care. It was a site the school couldn't + block. It had no name and no rules and nobody could tell us what to do + with it because it was ours. And we called it the + <em>Troll Nexus Center</em> because that's what you do when you're 15 + </p> + + <p> + My reasons then for building the Troll Nexus Center still stand now. + <em + >Having your own website is having your own piece of internet + property.</em + > + I first heard this wording from + <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azkWYxyqh3Y" + >Luke Smith over on his YouTube channel</a + > + and it's one-hundred percent true. Tumblogs, Google Sites, Facebook + profiles, and GitHub Pages are all like renting an apartment. Sure, + there are some really nice apartments out there but it's not the same as + owning your own home. You have to pay rent obviously, and rent is + subject to change once your lease is up. If anything breaks you text + your landlord and wait to have it fixed. You aren't allowed to fix it + yourself and sometimes it doesn't get fixed at all. And of course you're + limited by how much you can customize things to your own liking. Whether + it's painting walls or knocking them down. + </p> + + <p> + These limitations may or may not apply to you. Whether you're paying for + storage, server space, metrics, or watching an ad every five seconds, + these services aren't free either. And you certainly can't fix + everything that goes wrong with them. I started on Google Sites. It's a + truly fantastic system. Building a site is like putting a PowerPoint + slide together. I just plain outgrew it. There were too many things I + wanted to do that I simply couldn't. I was also at the mercy of Google's + constant change. After I finished constructing my first site, Google + <a + href="https://gsuiteupdates.googleblog.com/2016/11/a-totally-rebuilt-google-sitesnow.html" + >announced they would be shutting down the old Google Sites in favor + of an entirely new platform under the same name</a + >. Weeks of work got thrown out the window. You might also not care + about ads or customization. You may be intimidated by doing things + yourself and prefer that the landlord take care of everything. + Personally, I like the challenge and the craftsmanship that comes with + doing something myself. And I like being in total control of my server, + site, and content. Not from a tinfoil hat perspective but from a "gosh I + really wish I could just share more than 15 gigabytes of family video + with my relatives in New York and Ohio" perspective. + </p> + + <p> + So that's why I created my own website. If you want to know + <em>how</em> I host my own website, look for another post about my + server setup where I'll explain everything I'm hosting and how I got it + all hooked up. And that's a wrap. Now you know why I'm here instead of + somewhere else online. Sure, I do have Facebook and YouTube accounts but + I don't frequently update anything on either of them. This site is my + home online. It's where I keep all of my interests, hobbies, and + memories for sharing with others. + </p> + + <p> + Now you know where to find me. If you want to keep up with me, be + old-fashioned and subscribe to my RSS feed. + </p> + </article> + </body> +</html> |