Webnotes: a simple replacement for comments, pingbacks, and webmentions
Webnotes are manually added to the end of a post by the author after publishing as a way to provide useful info, links to other relevant posts, and comments from readers.
Using Text Replacement
These custom text shortcuts can be incredibly useful in making some typing tasks easier—whether that’s routine things like your email address, or hard to type items like special characters.
The 30% tax on our friendship
I pay a 30% tax on keeping up with the friends, as they only post life updates on enshittified platforms.
Analytics for the personal web
Traditional web analytics emphasize the wrong things, at least for the noncommercial personal websites. Here are some ideas on what analytics for the personal web could look like.
Could Apple create a new model of the social web by combining personal websites with social media features?
A thought experiment about how Apple could create a new hybrid model of personal websites + social media leveraging iCloud and other products.
Some thoughts on killing your blogroll
Keenan is killing his blogroll, mostly because it sucks to decide what’s on it and what gets left out. He worries about how that makes others, and himself, feel. I get it. When I finally (re-)published mine awhile back—after a decade-long absence—I found it far more stressful than I had anticipated. And I wondered if … Read more
Small social networks are everywhere (still)
The common tale told about the rise of the big social media platforms is that they consolidated virtually all online social activity. And there’s a lot of truth to that. It was easier for many smaller communities to simply organize on a specific platform rather than build and maintain their own system, whether that be … Read more
Intentionality > Minimalism
I think that minimalism is a good, yet incomplete, frame for consumer purchases. But I also don’t believe that less stuff is inherently better. At least not for the life I want to live. Here’s one example to illustrate: I live in Phoenix and enjoy kayaking the Lower Salt River on the edge of town, … Read more
The bowling trophy
A number of years ago, I met a new friend via instagram. She was trying to visit all 400+ National Park units, a goal I was nearing completion of*1. So I offered to get together for happy hour so I could impart some of the hard-earned lessons I had learned while pursuing the same quest. … Read more
Two Men in a McDonald’s in Small Town America
My long road trips usually involve passing through countless rural outposts of what is known as small town America. Often, the easiest place to grab a bite is at some fast food chain; many times, it’s the only option available. If I can eat inside, I usually do. And inside many of them, there are two older … Read more