diff options
Diffstat (limited to 'posts')
3 files changed, 95 insertions, 18 deletions
diff --git a/posts/2019-04-04-my-first-car-is-a-1953-hudson-hornet.md b/posts/2019-04-04-my-first-car-is-a-1953-hudson-hornet.md deleted file mode 100644 index 117dcfe..0000000 --- a/posts/2019-04-04-my-first-car-is-a-1953-hudson-hornet.md +++ /dev/null @@ -1,10 +0,0 @@ ---- -title: My First Car Is a 1953 Hudson Hornet -categories: ["Automotive"] -tags: [] -published_date: "2019-04-04 21:24:33 +0000" -layout: post.liquid -is_draft: false ---- -Start writing already... - diff --git a/posts/2019-04-06-why-have-a-web-site-in-2019.md b/posts/2019-04-06-why-have-a-web-site-in-2019.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..83d02f1 --- /dev/null +++ b/posts/2019-04-06-why-have-a-web-site-in-2019.md @@ -0,0 +1,95 @@ +--- +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! + diff --git a/posts/why-have-a-web-site-in-2019-aka-cobalt-rs-is-awesome.md b/posts/why-have-a-web-site-in-2019-aka-cobalt-rs-is-awesome.md deleted file mode 100644 index 1c72d65..0000000 --- a/posts/why-have-a-web-site-in-2019-aka-cobalt-rs-is-awesome.md +++ /dev/null @@ -1,8 +0,0 @@ ---- -title: Why Have a Web Site in 2019? AKA Cobalt.rs Is Awesome -categories: ["Technology"] -tags: [] -layout: post.liquid -is_draft: true ---- -Start writing already... |