What I Have Learned Being on the IndieWeb for a Month
Source: Dev.to
Why I Went Indie
Around a month ago, after discovering omg.lol and writing an article about it (which turned out to be one of my most popular ever), I decided I finally needed to get serious about my own contributions to the IndieWeb. I’ve had a portfolio for years, but that was performative—designed for recruiters and potential future employers. I wanted something entirely different, just for me: buy a new domain on PorkBun, sign up on GitLab, build a new site from scratch with a design that sparked joy, and immerse myself in the independent Internet.
Creating all the different slash pages for my site forced me to inventory myself: what matters? what do I care about? what do I use daily that I ought to be grateful for? You can see all my different pages here. These introspective questions aren’t the kind you ask on typical social media platforms (Instagram, TikTok, or—God forbid—X). The sheer amount of content and stimuli on those platforms makes meditation difficult.
Tech I’ve Been Building
Below are a few pieces of tech I’ve developed on my site since I began (warning: ultra‑nerdy talk ahead).
IndieAuth‑Powered Comments
I used IndieAuth to add a comment section to my blog posts. Readers can comment using only their own website—no extra accounts or passwords needed. This turned my site from “a guy talking to himself” into a proper dialogue.
Micropub Publishing
I can write posts anywhere online using the same code that powers the comment section. I also turned my site into an API that lets me publish blog posts from Quill via Micropub.
CSS Optimization
My massive from‑scratch CSS stylesheet was split into fourteen parts, each hashed so unchanged portions stay cached in browsers. This improves load times and follows good coding practices.
Post Graph Plugin
I extended Robb Knight’s post‑graph plugin, giving me a cool, fully interactive visualization of my posts on the homepage.
88x31 Badges
I discovered the history of 88x31 badges, fell in love with over a dozen, and found an awesome generator to create my own.
Webrings
To connect with others on the IndieWeb, I added myself to several web rings, which provide social discoverability without relying on search engines.
Webrings & Deployments
My site is now part of:
- XXIIVV Webring
- Bucketfish Webring
- Hotline Webring
- Static.Quest Webring
- Dinhe.net Webring
- Fediring
- IndieWeb Webring
I use GitLab CI/CD to mirror my site to NeoCities, giving me a redundant backup and allowing the site to live within NeoCities’ ecosystem effortlessly.
Gratitude Log
I created a gratitude log at log.brennan.day. This subdomain lives in a separate repository tracked with Beeminder—I must update it daily or I have to pay! It’s a powerful accountability tool that pushes me to do what I know I ought to be doing.
Accessibility First
I made sure my website works for users who have JavaScript disabled (or no JavaScript at all). Heavy frameworks like React or Vue create sites that work for most people, but not everyone. Building an accessible site means it works for everyone.
Tilde.town
A few days ago I was accepted into the SSH‑based Tilde.town, another community invisible to those with a typical Internet understanding. It’s exciting to boot up my ancient ThinkPad X200T into a terminal‑only interface (the kind standard in DOS and pre‑Windows 95) and still be able to play games, communicate, and write in my new journal.
The Internet is full of amazement and goodness—you just need to know where to look. Invest your time and energy into something you truly own and share it with others. Imagine what we can build together going forward.