kalloway: White string light bulbs (Xmas Lights 15)
[personal profile] kalloway
Welcome to [community profile] smallweb, a place on DW to discuss all things smallweb.

What is the smallweb/small web? It's people, not companies, and individual websites and small services. It's connections without algorithms and can be informative, quirky, cool, or just there.

If you have a Neocities site, a fediverse account, or, uh, a Dreamwidth journal, congrats, you're already doing the small web thing.

This community is for chatting about small web stuff, showing off websites/personal archives/fan shrines/projects, etc. It might not always be lively, but maybe every now and then we'll bust out the vintage gifs.

The Three Community Guidelines )

Cool Links )
enchantedsleeper: Chibi artwork of my original character, Alyssa, who has dark hair and red-brown eyes with tan skin. She is nibbling on a small doll of a red-haired boy who looks alarmed. (alyssa)
[personal profile] enchantedsleeper
We’ve made it to the first check-in for Small Web September! \o/ How is everyone’s small webbing going?

If you’re just joining us, welcome and feel free to check out this post for full details on how Small Web September operates!

This check-in is a point for you to share what you’ve worked on so far, bring up any questions or obstacles that you’ve run into, or just chat about small web stuff in the comments.

Each check-in also has a discussion theme that’s intended to spark off thoughts and give people the chance to share advice or ideas on a particular topic. The theme of this check-in is site structure and navigation, suggested by [personal profile] althea_valara!

How did you approach the structure of your small web site or project? Did you plan out the structure and navigation ahead of time and follow that plan (or not!), or did you improvise? Did you opt to make a site map?

Has the layout or structure of your project(s) changed over time, and how did you handle that change if so? Do you know of any guides, advice or tools for anyone planning an overhaul of their site (or directory, blog, page, etc.)? Share them in the comments!

This is an optional theme, so don’t worry if you don’t have anything you want to add on this topic – feel free to just share an update about your project(s), or talk about whatever you like!

As a reminder, this is the first of four ‘check-in’/comment points that will be published during the event. For our kick-off and goal-setting post, go here: Small Web September 2026: Welcome, kick-off & goals!
enchantedsleeper: A blue icon with dark blue font reading, I don't obsess. I think. Intensely. (Tumblr icon)
[personal profile] enchantedsleeper
So, because I'm totally rational and logical in how I allocate my attention to things, I've taken a wild swerve off my very loose to-do list and started working on my site's Fanvid page.

(Never mind that I haven't even got around to making my Fanart page acceptable yet 😅)

I've got the basic vid embedding and hosting down, but I was wondering if anyone had any layouts they could recommend for displaying vids in a nice way? Just something like a grid layout, ideally with space for captions/fandoms, but I'm open to whatever people recommend. A bonus if it can be mobile responsive, but that's probably something I can tackle once I have the base code if needed.

I've seen various art portfolio layouts but I don't think I've encountered vids in the wild before (at least as a 'gallery' page) so I'll be really interested to learn whether anyone has tackled this on their site! Thanks in advance 👍
matsushima: (doll icon (Ichiiro & Candy))
[personal profile] matsushima
This is a pretty niche hobby project but I thought the [community profile] smallweb community might appreciate it.

I'm a doll collector and making a website to show off my dolls was what got me back into indie web design. When I first got into the BJD [ball-jointed doll] fandom (early/mid '00s), hobbyist personal websites were still pretty common and popular. background )

These doll websites were a big part of the hobby for me and what started as a desire to make a list of my dolls that I could link to from my Instagram bio turned into making an entire website with profile pages for all of my dolls, doll collecting and indie web resources, and - this is the part I think the community will like - a biiiig list of all of the doll sites I could find!

I've broken the list down into active and inactive/archived sites and put the lists into alphabetical order for ease of browsing.

If you are or were in the BJD fandom and have any links, please share them! This Webring.com Super Dollfie page haunts me because none of the referrer links were saved so I can't even see if the sites they link to are on the Wayback Machine so please let me know if you remember those URLs!

I'm always promoting indie web as part of the BJD hobby like collecting, customizing, etc.

I hope this is on-topic. Even if community members aren't into this specific fandom, I thought people might appreciate the effort to archive and revive this corner of the indie web.
maevedarcy: 'loving someone' written in pink neon lights from the ILIWYS by The 1975 (Default)
[personal profile] maevedarcy
Hi everyone!

So, I'm kind of a newbie at this whole coding and hosting a website thing (been at it for less than a year) and I have been hosting exclusively on neocities since then. Though I knew about the AI scraping thing on neocities, I kinda assumed this was just part of hosting a website and that I had to get used to it. Very recently, I learned that Nekoweb blocks all kind of AI crawlers and scrapers. Additionally, they apparently allow you to password protect pages and they have no type file limit for free accounts.

I am, however, reading their Acceptable Use Policy and I am wondering how it works for NSFW content. Most of my writing (my main use for my site is as a fanfiction archive and some other random pages I've made) is NSFW and so I was wondering if anyone else who posts that type of content has dealt with the restrictions they have on NSFW content. Some of my content does include underage or non-con subjects and idk if these would be part of their acceptable use policy or not.

I'm also looking to learn about other users experiences with moving hosts or what they'd do if they eventually decide to move hosts. Idk what to do!!!! I'm confused!!! Also I hate AI with a passion but also I don't know how comfortable I am with Nekoweb's limitations on NSFW content. Are there any other options for hosting in the small web that don't mean self-hosting? Because that's definitely out of the cards for me right now, I just don't have the infrastructure.

Just. Tell me all of your opinions!!! I need to know!!!
enchantedsleeper: Hello Kitty holding a pencil (kitty pencil)
[personal profile] enchantedsleeper
A cat lying on the keyboard of a laptop with code on the screen. Text overlaid on the banner reads, Small Web September, a month-long small web event on @ small web.
Banner by [personal profile] javert!

It’s that time again: Small Web September is here!

Running throughout the month of September, Small Web September (SWS) is designed to be a chill, friendly and accessible event for anyone to make progress on a small web project, from a personal site/indie archive to a shrine, directory, link hub, or anything in between.

Maybe you’ve always wanted to make a set of graphics, start a blog, or make a resource list – whatever it is, as long as it’s small web-related (by the helpful definition in our comm intro post) come and work on it with us during the month!

How does the challenge work?

Throughout the month of September, I’ll be posting ‘check-in points’ to this comm where people can talk about their projects, share their goals and the progress they’re making, ask questions, and trade tips and resources with fellow small webbers in the comments. Each check-in point has a theme to help spark off thoughts and get discussions going, but they’re not mandatory – feel free to just share an update with how your project(s) is/are going, ask for help, or whatever you please! There’s no cut-off point for commenting on each one, either, so don’t be afraid to comment on an ‘old’ check-in if you have thoughts to share.

You can also share updates to your personal blog or on social media - there's no wrong way to take part! Small Web September is designed to be flexible and accessible so that no-one feels the bar for entry is too high. Think of it like a fest or jam for small web stuff.

If you’d like to throw a question open to the rest of this community, share something interesting, or just show off your progress, you can also make a post directly to the comm! I hope that people will make their own posts in between the check-ins so that there’s plenty of activity to engage with in the comm. As long as any posts follow the community guidelines laid out by [personal profile] kalloway, you are good to go!

What’s the schedule?

I’m glad you asked! Here are the dates for key posts during the event:

Read more... )

How can I join in?

Right here on this post! (Of course, you don’t have to – feel free to jump in anywhere, but if you’re seeing this on the 1st, we’ve only got the one place so far xD)

Traditionally, we start off with a goal-setting post where people can talk about what they’re planning to work on, or start, during the month – and where they’d like to focus. Don’t worry if you actually wind up doing something different – no-one is marking you against what you said here! But it can be a nice way to begin the event.

For anyone who’d like to use it, here’s a pre-formatted set of prompts that you can fill in with your own info:
<strong>Name:</strong> (Username, nickname, whatever you like to go by)
<strong>Project(s):</strong> (Share a link to your project(s) if you’d like to, and/or describe what you’re making or plan to make!)
<strong>What are you hoping to work on for SWS?</strong> (This can be as general as “add to my shrine”, or as specific as “archive X fanworks” or “implement a new blog theme”. You could even include ‘bonus’ or extra goals you’d like to get to if you have time!)
And for a bonus discussion-starter: What do you enjoy about the small web and/or working on your project(s)? Is there anything you’ve learned so far that surprised you?

Spreading the word

If you want to spread the word about taking part in SWS (thank you very much!), we have these awesome banners made by [personal profile] javert and buttons made by [personal profile] biteshelter (for both Small Web September and this comm!) that you can save to use on your page/site/blog, or embed using the codes below!

A button reading small web next to a spiralling spider web. A button reading small web next to a spider's web extending out from the corner. A button reading small web september with a spiralling spider web next to it.
<img src="https://biteshelter.dreamwidth.org/file/295.png" alt="A button reading small web next to a spiralling spider web." />
 <img src="https://biteshelter.dreamwidth.org/file/733.png" alt="A button reading small web next to a spider's web extending out from the corner." />
<img src="https://biteshelter.dreamwidth.org/file/865.png" alt="A button reading small web september with a spiralling spider web next to it." />


A cat lying on the keyboard of a laptop with code on the screen. Text overlaid on the banner reads, Small Web September, a month-long small web event on @ small web.

<img src="https://javert.dreamwidth.org/file/286238.png" alt="A cat lying on the keyboard of a laptop with code on the screen. Text overlaid on the banner reads, Small Web September, a month-long small web event on @ small web." width="400" height="200" />

Photograph of a spider web with the words Small Web September superimposed on it. Below this, text reads, a month-long small web event on @ small web.

<img src="https://javert.dreamwidth.org/file/286085.png" alt="Photograph of a spider web with the words Small Web September superimposed on it. Below this, text reads, a month-long small web event on @ small web." width="400" height="200" />

I'm excited to hear what everyone's planning for the month! Happy SWS-ing!

DW really made me sweat for the formatting in this post. Why are you like this, DW... *goes to lie down*
enchantedsleeper: (ryuu)
[personal profile] enchantedsleeper
Hey, everyone! How's it going?

I've been meaning to pop back up and make this post for weeks now, and then wound up leaving it to the last possible second anyway 😅 My year has been extra busy even by my own standards thanks to a new job I started in February, and even though I've been thinking all year about how I want to make sure I still run Small Web September, I knew it would take a bit of doing this year as I just haven't had a lot of energy for hobby stuff (case in point: I haven't touched my fanworks archive all year! Maybe this will give me the impetus I've been needing to dust it off).

And while I know that SWS doesn't *have* to run - or to be run by me - I really like running it and contributing to the small web initiative in this way. So, here's me giving it my best shot 💪 I'm on holiday for the next week and so I'm planning to pre-write many of the check-in posts to save myself some time later in the month. (At least, that's the goal...!)

If you're going "Wait, what is Small Web September? I'm not familiar", this post has a more detailed explanation! The short version is that it's a month-long small/indie web event run during the month of September, and it's open to anyone and everyone who'd like to take part.

Last year I kicked off the event during the last Sunday in August to keep the check-ins on a weekly frequency, but this year I've decided we'll kick off on Tuesday 1st September with the other three check-in posts falling on a Sunday as usual. So, here's a rough schedule of timings and discussion topics:

Tuesday 1st September: Welcome, kick-off and goals for the month
Sunday 6th September: Check-in 1 - Site structure and navigation (thank you to [personal profile] althea_valara for this super topic suggestion!)
Sunday 13th September: Check-in 2 - Accessibility/Halfway point
Sunday 20th September: Check-in 3 - Recs & resources
Sunday 27th September: Check-in 4 - Graphics, design & themes/Wrap-up
Sunday 4th October, or thereabouts: Retrospective & feedback

...Er, Dreamwidth managed to eat part of my post as I published this, so I'm rewriting this part. *facepalm* I hope you'll join me along the way! Tuesday's kick-off post will be the more fleshed-out announcement with full event details that I usually publish before we get going, since I just wanted to get this up and let everyone know what the plan is.

See you on Tuesday, and if you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to leave a comment!
althea_valara: Photo of my cat sniffing a vase of roses  (Default)
[personal profile] althea_valara
September is in just a few days...

Last year, [personal profile] enchantedsleeper ran Smallweb September. I, for one, really enjoyed it. I'm going to be working on my sites during September for [community profile] communal_creators, and I would LOVE to "double-dip" and report progress here, too.

So... is there any interest in a casual challenge for September? [personal profile] enchantedsleeper and [personal profile] kalloway, if neither of you have the bandwidth to host, I'd be happy to.
toothpastepancake: (keyboard stock)
[personal profile] toothpastepancake
Hi! I self hosted Neocities. It is for femslash/yuri fans and is on an application basis (but I'm not picky, though depending on how many applicants I get I may have to be eventually. If you'd like a place to put your static site that gives ya 20gb of storage and the ability to embed JS, check out FemslashCity! The catch is no custom domain names can be used because I don't have a proxy, nor is there CLI usage available.

This project was hard! There was no documentation whatsoever, but I saw someone propose a dockerization in a pull request and I jumped and now well here we are. I work p well with docker as well as Ruby on Rails which Neocities is written in so with that file and the knowlegde of rails I learned while hosting otwarchive it was... not easy by any means but not impossible either.

Anyway!!! Yay! I admittedly did this while intoxicated so I don't remember much but if I can retrace my steps I do plan on making a guide for others.
arimamary: cheeky-looking otonashi haruna (happy-haruna)
[personal profile] arimamary

I revamped the fic archive on my website with Coyote's Archive of Your Own. It's mobile-friendly, uses filters without JavaScript for extra accessibility, and has light mode and dark mode. Sixteen fics outside of AO3 for your reading pleasure.

Read more... )

📚 Read Fic Here <<

pengilly: Optimus Prime looking to the sky (optimus)
[personal profile] pengilly
When surfing (ancient) personal websites, there are few cooler feelings than clicking a link, crossing your fingers...and seeing that it still works!

(Yes, this happened to me this evening. It was a link to a car dealership site the webmaster bought a replacement Toyota Celica from in 2001, but still! Little victories still count!)

...Now I want to paste that sleek, modern site in the Wayback Machine, and take it back to 2001...
le_gaosaure: A stylized rainbow, my user icon on AO3. (Default)
[personal profile] le_gaosaure

As the title says, Neocities is currently down. They posted on Bluesky:

"We're working on the DNS outage. It's not technical - someone is trying to legally attack us and Namecheap took down the domain. More details later."

(The Bluesky post.)

Update: see third comment for more info!

Update the second: it's back up!

althea_valara: Photo of my cat sniffing a vase of roses  (Default)
[personal profile] althea_valara
Does anyone use a guest book on their smallweb site?

This recent Tumblr post has me thinking about fandom interactions. Currently, I've put a LOT of work into my Neocities site but I have no way of knowing if people are enjoying said site, or finding it useful, other than to look at my stats every now and then.

Hence thinking about adding a guest book. While doing some web searching, I found atabook which looks nice, and it certainly would be easier than building something myself. I'd be interested to hear others' thoughts on guest books in general, and what solutions you use if you do use a guest book.
flareonfury: (Bruce/Joker/Lois)
[personal profile] flareonfury
Not sure if anyone can help... but...

So I recently (a few months ago) tried to create my own prompt generator similar to this one: Doctor Who Pairing Generator & X-Men Movieverse Pairing Generator (full list of other generators)) because I have several challenge communities ([community profile] xmen100 [community profile] mcu100 [community profile] dc100) that I'd like to create for them (and whoever else would like to use them).


Now as far as I can tell from inspecting the code on the above generator, I think I have all the html correct, but it doesn't seem to work HERE & HERE (for threesomes) so I'm wondering if it's because it has JavaScript in it? Does anyone know a work around?


Read more... )

5/24/26 Edit @ 7pm: Thank you answered by [personal profile] finch - it wasn't working because of missing a commas in the lists! XD
kalloway: (RoB Mino Choices)
[personal profile] kalloway
What's going on, [community profile] smallweb? Big projects, little tweaks, sidelined by [the universe], something else?

Share all the things!
rionaleonhart: top gear: the start button on a bugatti veyron. (going down tonight)
[personal profile] rionaleonhart
I've occasionally mentioned my fan websites on [community profile] smallweb check-in posts, but, now that I've got five of the things, I thought I might make an actual community post about them!

My websites are:

- Balamb Garden, about Final Fantasy VIII
- Silent Hill, about Silent Hill 2
- Kira's Tokyo, about Death Note
- Hope's Peak Academy, about Danganronpa
- The Website That Goes Wrong, about Mischief Theatre's Goes Wrong productions (e.g. The Play That Goes Wrong and The Goes Wrong Show)

For a long time, I thought I wasn't capable of making a website; I know very little about web design, and I couldn't work out how to structure it. And then I remembered a type of website I'd spend hours happily browsing when I was a kid at the turn of the millennium: websites that were designed to feel like you were exploring a physical space. Although these websites were structurally complex, they were often very visually simple, meaning I'd probably be able to create one even with my limited HTML skills.

When I gave it a go, I had a lot of fun making a website in this style! And... then I made four more, so it's possible I had too much fun.

If you take a look at any of my sites, I hope you enjoy them! And I'd be interested to hear from anyone else who has thoughts about 'exploring a physical space'/'choose-your-own-adventure' website design. Do you remember websites in this style; do you have one yourself; have you ever considered building one; is there anything you particularly like to see from this type of website, or any advice you'd give to someone who's interested in creating a website in this style?
elyusion: erm ackshually (nerd)
[personal profile] elyusion
So I only know how to use HTML and CSS (and other common computer functions someone who has been using one for 20 years would know), but is there a way for me to make an imageboard (like a booru if you know what that is) that won't make my head spin? I don't really mind learning a bit of another language if the base is all there and I'm just editing things, but the readme for Tinyboard scared me (°□°;) I really like pictures, and it'd be kinda cool if there was a place where my friend could upload pictures she finds too since we mostly have similar taste.
thedumbopt_imist: (Default)
[personal profile] thedumbopt_imist
oh some retro socials i like are bliish and hjonk

theyre cool icl
thedumbopt_imist: (Default)
[personal profile] thedumbopt_imist
 I js saw this place n it seems really cool!!!
i like small web n old internet stuffs icl
kalloway: Strings of Star-shaped lights (Xmas Lights 13 Stars)
[personal profile] kalloway
Busy busy...

What have you been working on and how are things going? Found any cool resources to share? Or just want to say hi?
kalloway: round multicolor christmas lights (Xmas Lights 31 Rounds)
[personal profile] kalloway
Beware the Ides of March, they're probably what's causing that alignment issue.

What have you been working on and how are things going? Found any cool resources to share? Or just want to say hi?
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