IndieWeb: Why

The IndieWeb is a people-focused alternative to the “corporate web”.

I’ve been a believer for over a decade.

Here’s why.

I own my data

I used to use the social networks. They’d make money from me being there, and that was my price of admission. Everybody did it. It was normal.

Except it isn’t normal, and it shouldn’t be thought of as normal.

We gave up our ownership for ease of use, and I think that’s wrong.

The IndieWeb puts content ownership first.

I am better connected

Since Musk bought Twitter I haven’t been able to view any tweets on my phone. It complains about me using an adblocker and refuses to load the page, even though I’m not using one.

I left Instagram before they stopped letting you include links in your posts.

And I’ve ran out of free Medium articles to read this month, so I can’t read your latest post on that platform.

But I’ve never had a problem using other people’s personal sites.

Everyone else being on the IndieWeb helps me, so I do the same for them.

I am in control

On the IndieWeb it’s up to me to choose how I’m represented online and what gets made available.

Which is how the web should be.

I want the web to be more open

The web was built on openness. Anyone could publish a page and send it to others.

Since then it’s consolidated into a handful of platforms that dictate how things happen and how posts get seen, if they get seen at all.

Which means the IndieWeb is more than having your own site, it’s a movement, to restore the web’s original promise: to be a network that connects people.

If you agree

Here’s how you can join in.