The Small Web: Why I'm Bookmarking Personal Websites Again

Somewhere along the way, I stopped visiting websites. I visited platforms, which showed me snippets of websites, ranked by an algorithm that was very interested in keeping me scrolling and not at all interested in whether I enjoyed it.

This year I've been doing something that feels almost old-fashioned: bookmarking personal websites, and visiting them on purpose.

What is the "small web"?

There's no official definition, but when people say "the small web" or "the indie web," they usually mean:

• Personal sites built and owned by one person
• No algorithm deciding what you see
• No engagement tricks — no infinite scroll, no streaks, no notifications
• Built to last — simple pages, often hand-made, that'll still load in ten years

It's the web as a collection of places, rather than a single feed.

Why it feels different

Reading someone's personal site is like visiting their home instead of bumping into them at a crowded party. You see what they care about, how they arrange things, what they chose to keep. There's a person behind it, and you can feel the choices.

Some of my favorite discoveries this year:

• A retired engineer who writes long, careful posts about repairing vintage radios
• A designer who redesigns their homepage every season like a shop window
• A traveler who's documented every bus route they've taken across South America, with hand-drawn maps
• A teenager's site full of tiny browser games, each with a changelog

None of these would survive an algorithmic feed. They're too long, too niche, too weird. That's exactly why they're wonderful.

How to find the good stuff

The small web isn't hard to find once you know where to look:

1. Follow the links. Personal sites link to other personal sites. Look for a "blogroll" or "links" page and fall down the rabbit hole.
2. Use an RSS reader. It's the single best tool for following independent writers. You choose the sources; nothing is ranked or hidden.
3. Try webrings and directories. Yes, they still exist. Yes, they're delightful.
4. Search differently. Small, independent search engines that favor non-commercial pages surface things the big ones bury.

Why I keep this site

This blog is my small contribution. No ads, no tracking, no pop-ups asking for your email. Just writing, at a URL I own, that you can read whenever you want — or never, and that's fine too.

If you have a personal site, I'd genuinely love to see it. And if you don't, consider this a gentle nudge. It doesn't need to be impressive. It just needs to be yours.

The big platforms will come and go. A good personal website can outlive all of them.