In the beginning, there were blogs, and it was the original social network. We built the community. We found our people. We wrote personally. We wrote a lot. We control ourselves, linking to each other so that newbies can discover new and good blogs.
I want to go back there.
the Web 1.0 The scene looked a lot different Web 2.0 The experience we’re used to these days, and personal weblogs or “blogs” have been a huge part of the evolution of Web 2.0.
In those days, it was really simple. You can sign up for a free site at geographical citiesHey ho , BloggerAnd memoirsor any number of free hosting sites that let you set up your blog, start with a WYSIWYG Editor, send your ideas to the world.
For those who were more adventurous, you could buy an actual domain name, pay for website hosting, and do it this way.
Whichever form a person chose, they would write their ideas long and short into a screen and send them out into the world to be consumed by the masses – whoever those masses might be.
Social media was not a thing back then, so all of our messages on different topics were done on our personal blogs on the web, and the discussions took place in the comments section of said blogs. It was a golden time.
People were more attached to each other
People were more attached to each other. There was not a great deal of anonymity because anyone could search for a file WHOIS information And find out who the blog actually belongs to. The trolls have simply been banned from your comment section, never to be heard from again.
When Twitter came into being, it started as a “microbloggingWhere people will go to put out short, repetitive messages instead of the longer personal essays we put on our blogs. It, too, has evolved, as these things do, and now it’s a hell of a thing we hate at once but can’t leave alone.
Watching Twitter’s demise under Elon Musk made me nostalgic for my personal blogging days. The decline of Twitter with the current erosion of old media has me thinking we need to bring personal blogging back again with a vengeance.
Control your own platform
The biggest reason personal blogs need a comeback is simple: We should all be in control of our own platforms.
If what happens on Twitter doesn’t show it, then our relationship with these social media platforms is tenuous at best. The thing we use to build our popularity today could be destroyed and off the internet tomorrow, so what?
What happens to all the content you create? Where will be the archive of all the funny memes and jokes? What will happen to all those selfies where you felt cute but didn’t delete them later?
The answer is we don’t know because we don’t control Twitter (or Facebook or Instagram or Snapchat or TikTok). If one of these companies decided to shut down their service permanently, there would be nothing we could do about it.
Owning your own content and controlling your own platform is essential, and having a personal blog is a great way to do that.
Personal narration is a lost art that needs to be returned
The best blogs gave us a glimpse into the life of someone we “knew” online. Good storytelling, along with a lively discussion afterwards, kept us coming back for more day by day.
Twitter threads just don’t do the trick — and neither will Elon’s so-called plan to allow it Tweets of 4,000 characters (I swear if you see anyone Twitter is beyond 4,000 characters, and that’s an instant ban).
Personal stories on personal blogs are historical documents when you think about it. They’re primary sources in the annals of history, and when people look back to see what happened during this time in our lives, you want New York times or Washington Post Tell your story, or do you want the story to be told in your own words?
Let’s go back to the community-building aspect of the Internet
People built entire communities around their favorite blogs, and that was a good thing. You can find your people, build your clan, and discuss the things your clan has found important.
We are now in an age where people come online to be the worst possible versions of themselves, which is an ugly sight to see. Take back the power with blogging and put a comment edit in place (it’s relatively easy for both WordPress and Blogger).
Trolls only thrive in an environment where they are allowed to run unchecked, and that is most social media. There are plenty of tools that allow you to keep those people out of your comments while still allowing those who value your words, ideas, and content to fellowship with each other in a community of your own design.
Reclaim power by building blogs
This is what the social network was originally about, and we desperately need to get back to that.
At the end of the day, we don’t know what will happen next with Twitter or any of these platforms. We don’t know what the changes are Web 3.0 You will bring it to the Internet. We know we’ll all still be here, wanting to share our thoughts, talk about anything and everything, and connect with our people. Personal blogging is the simplest and quickest way to do it all.
Buy this domain name. Carve out your space on the web. Tell your stories, build your community, and speak to your people. It doesn’t have to be big. It doesn’t have to be fancy. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel. It doesn’t need to duplicate any space that’s already on the web – in fact, it shouldn’t. This is your creation. It’s your expression. It should reflect you.
Get personal blogging back in 2023. We, as a web community, would be much better for it.