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----
-title: Why Have a Web Site in 2019?
-categories:
-  - Technology
-tags:
-  - website
-  - self-hosted
-  - blog
-  - online presence
-published_date: "2019-04-06 15:12:16 +0000"
-layout: post.liquid
-is_draft: false
----
-> Adam, why on earth do you have a website? Wait... Is this a *blog*? It's
-> 2019, why don't you just use Facebook?!
-
-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.
-
-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. 
-
-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.
-
-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 *Troll Nexus Center* because
-we were 15 and brimming with creativity.
-
-My reasons then for building the Troll Nexus Center still stand now. *Having
-your own website is having your own piece of internet property.* I first heard
-this wording from [Luke Smith over on his YouTube
-channel](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azkWYxyqh3Y) 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 ([we love ours!](https://www.thecommonwealthapts.com)) 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. 
-
-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 [announced they would be shutting down the
-old Google Sites in favor of an entirely new platform under the same
-name](https://gsuiteupdates.googleblog.com/2016/11/a-totally-rebuilt-google-sitesnow.html).
-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 oneself. 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.
-
-So that's why I created my own website. If you want to know *how* 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. 
-
-Now you know where to find me. If you want to keep up with me, subscribe to my
-RSS feed up top! 
-