One Year of Posting

I first started working on this website three years ago, in September of 2022. Then it was just a gallery of projects that I’ve made built on top of the default Jekyll minima template. I’ve been continuing to add to it, turning it into my own custom nightmare with a bespoke build process for generating podcast feeds and customised Pico-8 cartridges. A website is just something that you can endlessly tinker with with you have the inclination to. Then one year ago today it sprouted a bog¹.

Like many other blogs that popped up at a time this was a reaction to the announcement that Cohost was going to shut down, something that I am still deeply upset about. For a lot of people Cohost was a reminder that websites can actually be fun. That they can be a place for creative output and joy and not just doomscrolling or reposting every blorbo that you see. That HTML is a canvas that you can use to paint, even if all you are painting is a silly bit of bespoke CSS or javascript to make something silly. I still have a todo list for things I wand to add to the site the length of my arm². Making my first posts a year ago I really had no idea if this was something I would stick to and I am glad and somewhat surprised that I have.

I have also tried to re-evaluate how I use the internet as well, trying to be more deliberate with how I spend time on it and what I’m reading and giving my attention to. I was using an RSS reader long before the Cohost shutdown and I am probably preaching to the choir here but I will continue to evangelise them as the best way to follow anything and most things do still expose an RSS feed even if they can be a little hidden. Youtube, Mastodon, Bluesky, Substack and Tumblr accounts all have RSS feeds that you can use to subscribe and read rather than having to log into each site and be bombarded with ads and algorithmically boosted posts designed to piss you off. I use Feedbin but there are loads of others.

I do still find myself falling into old, bad habits, especially on days when I am down or lack energy, but I really do recommend being deliberate in what you read online. Unfollow, mute or block people who post stuff that just pisses you off. It might feel like you are keeping on top of important news but you are probably just drowning yourself in misery (and hey, news sites also have RSS feeds if you want to actually stay informed). Read what matters to you, write what matters to you and share with people the things you find that are worth sharing. Or just post nonsense about Sonic the Hedgehog and Seto Kaiba. That is also important.