Indie web stuff is pretty cool. its nice to see personal websites returning not just in enthusiast circles but in some pseudo-normie circles too.
static websites like that are easy, cheap, can be styled however the user wants... the list goes on for their advantages over shit like Reddit, Twitter, Youtube etc. the only issue with them is their lack of discoverability, which is where webrings come in. One could also maintain a presence on social media and link users back to their personal website.
As someone who's used forums, I really lament their loss of popularity to algorithmic trash like reddit. They're so much better looking, the discussions are much higher quality, and you don't have kuso algorithms tailor made by psychologists trying to condition you into an addiction to their dogshit site. God I hate the modern surface web. and Discord! Why do so many people put information about their projects on a site that's inaccessible without an account and isn't indexable on search engines? though saying that, I don't have harsh enough words to get across my utter disdain and disgust at modern search engines.

>>26142
I can relate: I’ve had exactly this problem with modern websites—and it’s not just about manipulative algorithms, but also the culture surrounding social media that has practically swallowed up the internet; I’m referring specifically to this idea of an “online presence.” As if the internet were a second life.

These days, not having any kind of online presence (or being inactive for a while) is practically like not existing. In contrast, the old web was less about presence and more about an “ethereal” and peaceful existence, if that makes sense. There was no urge or need to post: you could go months between blog updates or news on independent websites. A bit like this site, actually.

I think the comparison would be that while the current web acts like a roller coaster or carousel, the old one was more like a bench in a park. Simply a place to stop and rest, and consider coming back at some point. The culture in general was much more “chill.”

Personally, I’d like to get more involved in the independent web, if not be a direct part of it (I have some super basic knowledge of HTML and CSS, so I guess I could try) instead of hanging out in the same old places. I’d prefer to forget about most of them: Discord is especially difficult in that regard because everyone uses Discord instead of the good old TS3 or IRC (you’ll be lucky if you find anyone who uses IRC).

By any chance, what kind of forums have you been on, or how do you get involved with the independent web?

I tried forums once recently, but on the only one I’ve been to (one that’s a bit specialized in fanfiction), the moderators were a bit… well, worse than Discord moderators, so I didn’t get the best impression.

I use Neocities and a few other sites that function as web rings for the independent web.

I'm subscribed to a mailing list that sends out URLs to various indie websites regularly, and I got this one today: https://www.horg.com/horg/

Pretty funny and interesting for such a dorky premise. I remember sitting in the library and running through those index sites that used to be common, and I'd run across stuff like this a lot. Warms me cockles just knowing people still bother.

>>26147
I blame the commercialization of the web people just don't want to write fanfiction or put stuff out there for fun, they want to crosspost, build a brand, turn what they write into a business.
They aren't in it for the passion of caring about a franchise, I stead it's about narcissistically building up their own ego and trying to profit off if people who are actual otaku. They're tourists.

>>26147
>you’ll be lucky if you find anyone who uses IRC
Depends greatly on what spaces you inhabit. Open source software is pretty tied to IRC still.

>>26148
You willing to drop a link to the mailing list? Actually sounds dope.

>>26149
You had me in the first half. In the second half... look, I don't exactly trust people either, but this is a deranged take. Fandom tourists exist and can be seriously awful and rude, but they aren't trying to poach money from "otakus."

You might need to take a breather offline for a bit, I think you might be caught up in the shock, anger, doom, etc. trap that social media sets up.

---------

My thing is mainly that it's really hard to find anything you actually want or need now. And if you do actually find what you're looking for than it is probably on Reddit. Which is a terrible platform that aims to be just as addicting, rage inducing, doom-scrollifying, and shocking as the rest...

And these platform, yes, do probably kill imagination and generally make people more illiterate.

>>26152
Been tied up with the exhibition, so sorry for the late reply. The mailing list is at https://randomdailyurls.com. Sometimes it's the guy running it sharing his own little projects, but sometimes it's not.