“I’m just trying to think of a way to start this,” thought Cassie, as she embarked on her first blog post: an interview with two of her friends on what the web means to them. An assignment to pass her journalism class.
Cassie: “Hello, everyone. Thank you for joining me today for this interview. I’m so excited!
I must admit that I’m a bit nervous. This first semester in school has been full of learning, but doing an interview is a bit out my comfort zone. So, let me get started with my first, and only, question:”
“Cosy, Cali, what is your vision for the future of the web?”
Cosy: “Quite an open ended question for you to start with, huh Cassie?”
Laughs, clearing their throat. Cassie smiled and started to feel at ease.
Cassie: “Okay, let me phrase it differently.”
Shuffles through a stack of paper.
Cali: “Why do you have a lot of papers, Cassie?”
Cassie [Gleeful tone]: “I love notes! My professor said that you need to learn to take lots of them because you never know what information will be helpful!”
Cali: “About your question, I have had a personal website since the end of high school. So, maybe about a year now. It’s my place to tinker. I sort of see it as a canvas. I was never particularly good with painting, but on the web I can make something artistic that means something to me.”
Cassie starts taking notes.
Cosy: Stays silent for a few minutes, thinking carefully about his response.
“I’ve never actually made a website prior to 2023, Velvet Smoking Lounge was my first dip into the world of the Personal Web, or as I like to call it, ‘The People Net’. I was raised during the rise of social media and I never really knew what the internet was like during the 90s or early 2000s, only bits and pieces of it.”
Paused, letting Cali speak who had just had her second cup of orange juice for the day and was full of energy.
Cali: “I thought that the internet was all about social media and school stuff, until I had a class in school about making websites. My teacher gave us HTML printed on paper and we had to assemble it. It sort of felt like Lego. Then when we went to the computers to type up our code in a tool called Notepad++, we could see our web page. It was sorta magical.”
Cosy: “I mostly stumbled my way onto the community by accident. I remember browsing through the Aesthetics Wiki and coming across an article about the Old Web. A comment recommended the site Neocities to learn more about it and I fell down that rabbit hole. I technically was aware of it back in 2022, but I didn’t really feel like I could do any of that stuff. I was not a techie nor was I good at coding, but I did have an interest. I remember Cinni.net being the first site I saw back then that created a spark that would become what my sites are now today.”
Cali: “I have spent many hours scrolling through Neocities to see what other people have made. There is lots to see: websites that look like cafes, sites all about anime, people writing about things that interest them. It has helped me so much to see other people making things. I feel empowered to try to make cool designs. Once I’m done with my poetry class I’m thinking about making a fan site for Paramore, my favourite band. I have no idea what it will look like yet, but I know I want to make it colourful!”
Cassie: shifts through her stack of papers, looking for the page on Neocities.
“Wow, I can’t believe how much one site has changed the way you think about the internet. From what I’ve seen, the things people have created and decided to post for the whole world to see is truly wonderful!”
Cassie paused, taking a deep breath.
“Okay, so I have another question about the Personal Web that may be broad, but please tell me if I need to rephrase it.
“What kind of spaces do you think the Personal Web needs more of?”
Cosy: “We need different people with different backgrounds to tell their stories, especially people in marginalized groups. Far too often, those voices are not really given a space to talk about their experiences and opinions about the world around them. We need those experiences to look at the bigger picture. The Internet does not exist in a vacuum, it’s a reflection of real life. If we don’t allow those perspectives to be heard, we will miss the things that need to be changed.
The web is not just for the programmers, experts, techies or the privileged. It’s for everyone, it’s for the weirdos, it’s for the outcasts, and it’s for the quiet nerds that need a voice that they wouldn’t have one otherwise. Although this is a double edged sword, it’s still worth it to see all the stuff people have to say and learn from. You can only get so much from the people who have the same opinion as you.”
Cali: “Making a website made me realise that the internet can be so much more than it is today. We can grow rich spaces where everyone has a voice and can share what matters to them. I saw someone write poetry on their blog and it put something in perspective that I haven’t really gotten from school: there should be no gatekeepers for art. I sort of felt like I had to graduate to write good poetry that I’d share with more than just my teacher. But on the web I can share my words and make the web page look cool.
I sort of mentioned this earlier, but the web really can be so empowering, so long as we do what Cosy said. We need more communities led by people from different backgrounds that help people get started. I’m actually thinking about starting a website making club with a few people in my creative writing class. More grassroots stuff that’s about building cool things, without getting too techy.”
Cassie: “I see, those are some excellent points. It really made me think about what the Internet means to me and my interactions with others. It almost makes me want to make a website myself, but I don’t really know how to start. Speaking of which,
“What are the key factors that prevent people from making their own personal website?”
Cali: “Making websites takes time. It’s sort of a hobby for me. Social media on the other hand is really easy to get started with, so I think it’s a bit harder for people to justify why they should make a website. I really wish there were more tools for making websites. And I wish website making was taught more in schools. Like, everyone could benefit from knowing a bit about HTML. That’s the thing you use to make websites.”
Cosy: “One word. Convenience. As Cali has said previously, social media is very easy to get into and doesn’t require a lot of time to join. Cultivating sites takes time and like every other hobby, requires a lot of passion to get into. I think it’s also because for someone who hasn’t dipped their toes into the community feels like they have a requirement to be good. It’s hard to get out of that mindset, especially when your brain is wired to compare yourself with others. But I would like to remind people that Rome was not built in a day.
One of the mistakes beginners make, in my opinion, is thinking about how your site looks instead of the things inside it. From my personal experience, that thought process leads to burnout. The best site could look like the most amazing thing in the world, with extra hover animations, js effects or whatnot. But that was never the main point of making a site, it was about sharing information and your thoughts about the things you care a lot about. It doesn’t matter if it looks like utter shite right now, it’s your site, you can do whatever you want. Your personal site is a garden that will always be under construction because it grows with you.
Cali: “I think it’s important that making a website feels explorative, rather than like you have to follow trends or what someone else is doing or meet some standard. As Cosy said, it’s your site. You can be creative! Websites are blank canvases; as such, there is no ‘right way’ to make a website.
My website has grown a lot with me. I started out feeling a bit anxious to share my poetry with people, but now I put it on my blog and my friends in different classes sometimes look and chat to me about my poems. It feels like my website can be a bit of a social bridge with friends, even if we’re not all making websites, y’know.”
Cassie: “Having a website sounds like a creative adventure! It’s getting my brain juices flowing from all the possibilities!
“How do I get started? What resources have been helpful to you in your learning?”
Cali: “I have found it really helpful to bookmark sites I like and take notes on them. I am a very visual learner, so I like to make what’s almost a moodboard of different screenshots and notes. I think it sort of grounds me: with something in front of me, I can start to build my own ideas for what I want to make.
There’s this community online that Cosy told me about called the 32-Bit Cafe that has been incredible for me too. They have a list of tutorials about design and coding that helped me grow after graduating from my high school computer class. They even have a list of ideas for things to do. Pursuing ideas on that list has filled many of my weekends!”
Cosy: “Yeah, I mean Cali already took the words right out my mouth. I honestly just learn on the field by looking at people’s sites through Inspect. I basically learn new techniques from other people in the hobby already. I actually started through w3schools, but I’ve learned the most from other people’s sites and their code. Stack Overflow also helps too with specific problems and questions I have. If nobody’s got me, I know Stack Overflow has got me. Can I get an amen?!”
Plays a clapping sound effect with people cheering on the tape recorder.
Cali [in a playful, friendly tone]: “Where did you get that tape recorder?”
Cosy: “I ‘borrowed’ it from the storage cupboard in my media studies class. Shh, don’t tell the teacher.“
cue cannedlaughter.mp4 lol
Cosy: “Jokes aside, 32-Bit has not only helped me find people to interact with, but given me the resources and encouraged me to keep making sites. There’s not enough words to say how grateful I am for their kindness and support, especially towards beginners like me.
Cassie: “Alright, that’s all the time I have for today! Thank you so much, guys for being here and answering all my questions. I have to admit, I didn’t get the hype around building personal websites before this. But ever since this interview, I’m excited to get started!”
Cali: “I’m always so excited to hear someone enthusiastic about making things for the web!
Cosy and I have a media studies lecture after this, but maybe later we can all get together and share how our sites work. We could help you make your first web page Cassie!”
Cassie: “Wait, you guys would really do that. For me?”
sniffs, wiping a tear in her eye
Cosy: “Yeah of course! We love yapping about our creative process and would love to have you join the community!
Cali: “We’d love to help!”
As Cosy and Cali got up to go to their next class, Cassie spent a moment reflecting on the discussion. Looking at her pages of notes, she starts to notice a theme: the web is full of possibilities. It could – no, should! – be so much more than social media. With that thought, Cassie started to work on a first draft.
This is a story written by Cosy and I. This story was written in real time in a Google Document.
