I grew up on an internet that mostly asked me to make accounts. It took me until seventeen to realise I could make a place instead.
Build the web you want to see
My website, James’ Coffee Blog, is now over five years old. I seldom thought about how old my website was until recently, when I looked and realised that years had passed since the single black-and-white HTML page that comprised my site. “Hyperlinks are my friend,” I said, in a playful tone whose message foreshadowed my deepening appreciation for the web and what the web could be. Five years on, I find myself as invigorated about the web as I was at the beginning. I started what would become James’ Coffee Blog interested in blogging, seeing a personal website as a way to share words on the web. Those words would help me nurture my passion for writing. My website could, I learned, be a place for me to grow and experiment as a writer. Having a website encouraged me to ask the question what could I write today? Whether or not I published what I wrote, I was writing. I was making something. I was proud. My passion for the web is fuelled not only by my own experiences writing, but by seeing what others make. Seeing others’ websites, I have asked myself questions like How did they make that?, spurring my interest in web design. Web design is a topic I would later find the motivation to study in greater depth. I have been delighted by stories that people have shared, eliciting reactions in me from I see myself in this to That was fascinating! Blog posts on personal websites have made me curious, they have made me feel seen, they have satisfied my interest in learning – they have opened up new worlds, from the technical to the poetic, from the introspective to the collaborative. When I was thinking what would be a good fit for The Good Internet Magazine – a publication whose very existence makes me excited about the future of the web – a question came to mind: “what have I learned over the years that a new web weaver would find interesting?” Here is my answer to that question.
Blogroll – Manu
I believe we should all blog more and connect more with strangers. There's not much I can do as an individual. I can offer to be your first reader, …
Kagi Small Web
Discover the small web - personal blogs, independent YouTube channels, and webcomics from genuine humans on the internet.
For The Love of God, Make Your Own Website - Aftermath
The internet felt like a limitless expanse of free expression. Now I usually end up at the same three or four websites.
Wholesome internet 🌱
I’m watering a “cursed websites” folder in my digital garden shed, but also a “wholesome websites” counterpart, like any reasonably sane person on the internet should do in this day and age. And that's that.
blog prototype as a thread... a vision for the Ultimate Website. A website for a person. POSSE/PASTA. True to the web. Durable. Sovereign. Social web internected. I've been noodling on this since last summer and since then a lot of pieces have come together to make this possible. Let's walk thru it!
‘Building a better web is much more universal. Empowering people to own their identity, publish more freely, form many kinds of communities, and leave without losing everything.’ manton.org/2026/07/18/social-web-disconn…
Social web disconnect
www.manton.orgWebsites are cool. Make one. Carve out your own space on the internet.
You Should Make a Website
blog.ewancroft.uk
