Small Web September: Kick-Off & Goals!

[enchantedsleeper]

Our kick-off for Small Web September is already upon us, and that means it’s time to set some goals! What would you like to work on during the month?

These can be as vague or as granular as you like; a lot can change as you’re working on a project, so it’s completely fine to change them up as needed (or do away with them entirely xD), but it can still be nice to set some ~aspirations!

There’s no set format for this post (anything goes!), but for anyone who’d like to use it, here’s a little pre-formatted set of prompts you can fill in – just overwrite the placeholders 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 would like to make!)
<strong>What are you hoping to work on for SWS?</strong> (This can be as general as “add to my site”, or as specific as “archive X fanworks” or “implement a responsive layout”. You could even include ‘bonus’ or extra goals you’d like to get to if you have time!)

I normally include a ‘discussion starter’ or two at the end of each post as well for anyone who’d like to answer it, so here are a couple of questions you can answer if you fancy: What inspired you to make (or start making) your small web project(s), and what is it that appeals to you about the small web?

I look forward to learning about everyone’s goals and projects! 💜 Our next check-in point for the challenge will be Sunday, 7th September (you can check the full schedule and list of themes here!), but if you want to share something to the comm before then, feel free to make a post!

Reminder that we have these amazing banners for the challenge made by javert that you can save to use on your site, your blog or anywhere you'd like to show you're taking part!

Comments

[le_gaosaure]

Name: Gao (LeGaosaure or variations on most platforms)

Projects: *ticking on my fingers* so I have my fanfic archive (up to date, I just have to add fics as I post them elsewhere), my craft archive (I'm adding new projects as I share them, but more on it below), the site I made for the fan event I'll be launching in 10ish days (the Project Moon Anniversary Exchange, keep an eye on it if you happen to be interested ;) ) (complete, will just need updates as the event progresses), and the fan archives directory that lists small/personal fanfic archives, come apply if you have one ♥

Yeah, I'm not one to make one big general site with tons of categories and pages, so I end up with lots of different URLs x'D

What are you hoping to work on for SWS? I'm not committing to much given I already have writing and crafting plans, but the thing that needs working on is my craft archive: while I've been posting every new project on it since I launched it, I have... 15ish years of backlog to add to it? Most of it has been tackled already (I say "already" but I'm pretty sure I was already working on that for last year's event lol), I'm currently only missing some crochet projects. Around 60 x') So if I could make any progress on that, it'd be neat! It's so much more comfortable having one central place to link to people when I mention my craft, be it to show a specific piece, to showcase what I do more generally, or to immediately dig out a pattern!



As for today's questions... Honestly, I don't recognize myself in most posts about what the "small web" or "indie web" is even supposed to be. I just code websites because it's practical. Though I do have a specific event that kicked my butt into finding something I wanted to code (after 15ish years of having the knowledge but not doing anything with it because I didn't see the use): July 2023 DDoS attack on AO3. It was bad, on top of an already cursed month (both twitter and reddit were in utter chaos with ripples all over the other platforms...), and it shook me into realizing I could leverage my coding knowledge for something I cared about, actually: having my fic available elsewhere just in case. (I since learned that it's not only useful when AO3 is down, but also for people for whom AO3 is blocked. For example the whole of China. For some reason last time I discussed it with a Chinese reader neocities was perfectly accessible from China.) Then I realized I could also solve my quest for a unique platform to display my craft that I had been poking at for years. And now here I am, this tool back at the front of my mind, asking myself if it can help automatically instead of forgetting about it =)

[althea_valara]

Oh hey, I'm a crafter too, and except for a very small neocities site I threw together to show off some of my portfolio for a knitting/crochet instructor job, I have not archived my projects anywhere except Ravelry. I do like Ravelry a lot, but I've been considering making my own smallweb craft site just for fun/as a backup should Ravelry ever go kaput. I took a look at yours and it looks great! Nice layout and well-photographed projects. Who knows, you might inspire me to build my own craft site!

Good luck with your web projects! They all sound wonderful.

[le_gaosaure]

Thank you ♥ (Let's be real, my craft website documents my progress in photography almost better than my progress in craft x'D) If you decide to go for a personal craft site, I wish you lots of fun with it!

I used to be a big Ravelry fan, but I was there for the 2020 redesign and the crass ableism of the answers to user complaints from the team soured everything about the site for me so I left =/ And even beside that, I already had my crochet/knitting on one site (Ravelry) and my friendship bracelets on another (a French forum), so having a unique place was already something desirable regardless =')

[enchantedsleeper]

Honestly, I don't recognize myself in most posts about what the "small web" or "indie web" is even supposed to be. I just code websites because it's practical.

That's fair! I mean, for most of the internet's history, it was just called "making websites", right? But I also understand the desire to have a name for this passion that helps people to gather and find each other.

It's really cool that you started making your own archive after AO3 went through the DDoS attacks. I also started my archive in July 2023, funnily enough, although I think it was before the incident since it was right at the beginning of the month xD But I had a similar experience when AO3 was down for I think scheduled maintenance, and I realised that I could go and read fic on the personal archive belonging to one of my friends on Mastodon, which I then did! :D I even left a comment, and my friend was super stoked that their archiving efforts had given me access to fic during an "AO3 drought" xD

Wishing you the best of luck with your crochet project archiving and other plans during September! <3