I got a comment from a reader yesterday asking what I meant by the phrase “the independent web” in my previous post. In my post, I defined it as “websites and web presences that are not part of a silo like Twitter, Facebook, etc, where people own their data and control it”. An extension of this is using technologies like RSS for checking for site updates and for podcasting, which are not controlled by another platform (even though entities like Spotify and other streaming services would like to “capture and keep users” within their ecosystems). Wanting to double-check, I did some searching to see if there were other references to this phrase. and found a number of links I will add at the end of this post. To me, the key aspect of “independent web” is not being dependent on a silo (like Twitter or Facebook). This can be self-hosting or hosting on a service that provides good export (Micro.blog as an example). I recently wrote a post about how easy should it be to create a website, based on a discussion between several bloggers. The key point of that discussion, to me, was that Twitter/Facebook provides ease of use/setup/no cost, but also a lack of control. To me, if you want to have an independent site, you should be prepared to pay something for it, and the cost of hosting a weblog or website is pretty low. Finally, to me, the use of the term “IndieWeb” has grown somewhat beyond this “independent web” definition to include using technologies like Webmention as part of a website to site-to-site communication. Again, to me sites don’t have to use Webmention to be considered part of the independent web. I hope this helps answer the question my reader had.
Other links on “the independent web”:
Business Insider – The Independent Web
John Battelle – Identity and the Independent Web
Web Designer Depot – What is the Independent Web and Does It Matter in 2021?
Victoria Drake – Make your own independent website
The History of the Web – Toward an independent web
Mental Pivot – Support the independent web
💬
Andy
