A few small notes on the small web

The small, real, original web via space • time • tech

Incredible intro to the small web, and not centered around the Atmosphere like most of the things I post here. The internet isn't dead, you just have to know where to find the cozier, more authentic parts of it.

The Feed is the Product: Why We Stay in Walled Gardens, and Why We Might Finally Leave for the Open Social Web via Zsolt's pckt blog

Posts like this make me jealous of how talented some indie bloggers are. This is by far the most comprehensive case I've seen on why the open social web is so important, and why anyone still living in the Zuckerverse should make the leap over here. If I still had Facebook or Twitter, I'd share this with everyone.

Blog how you want to blog!

Especially if you're doing it for you. Everything doesn't have to be a spectacular show of professional journalism, covering breaking new stories that take dozens of hours of research.

A lot of us are here because it got way too toxic in the Zuckerverse and Twitter. Or sometimes we write just for fun. Mostly it's that.

This space isn't reserved for some highfalutin group of elite writers. It's for everyone.

I came across a post on Bear Blog's Trending feed yesterday. It was from this guy who took time out of his day to dig through someone else's archives and make a big list of posts he thought were "unessential", "repetitive", "redundant"; a list of negativity linked to different posts, trying to dunk on a really nice guy. A guy who writes thoughtful posts that inspire people like me and plenty of others to keep blogging. That guy is Robert Birming, and here's his response:

Re: Re: Blank blogging counts too – Robert Birming

I'm probably reading into it more than I should, but it's such a bummer because this place has been so chill otherwise. Honestly I guess that's a good thing though? I've been on the small web around four years and this is the most drama I've seen here so far. Props to Robert for taking it with grace and going about his day.