I am the lord of this territory. I hold complete and inviolable authority over it. Everyone who sets foot here, wanderer or friend from a neighboring realm alike, is a guest of this land.

  1. A domain name is the one thing in the digital world that carries genuine exclusivity and sovereignty. By holding this domain, I have the standing to set order, make rules, and offer advice to whoever visits;
  2. The compute and storage this territory runs on are entirely mine to control, and entirely mine to pay for. Out of a responsibility to keep this site's public order and its intellectual environment intact, I get to define how people interact here and what this place stands for;
  3. The heart of the independent web is owning your own identity and your own data. As an independent site owner, pointing out to the wanderers passing through how they might protect their own digital sovereignty is both a lord's prerogative and part of the give-and-take between neighboring territories.

To the Wanderers

I'd recommend you start your own independent blog, and take your data sovereignty back:

  • Commercial platforms monopolize how traffic gets distributed
  • Commercial platforms censor and shadow-ban constantly
  • Commercial platforms reduce creators to unpaid data labor
  • Commercial platforms can shut down at any moment
  • Accounts on commercial platforms get banned easily

I'd recommend cutting your dependence on walled-garden platforms:

  • They're monopolistic, and they're bad news

I'd recommend building a habit of reading long-form content:

  • Short video and infinite feeds fragment human attention

I'd recommend cutting back on posting emotional, reflexive reactions on social media.

I'd recommend subscribing via RSS:

  • It cuts your dependence on algorithmic recommendations

I'd recommend using email as your newsletter of choice:

  • Rather than closed instant-messaging apps to reach people

To Neighboring Friends

I'd recommend building your territory around open web standards.

I'd recommend adding RSS support.

I'd recommend adding support for Webmention or Pingback:

  • So you can find out when your posts get cited elsewhere
  • It encourages cross-site commentary

I'd recommend self-hosting your fonts instead of relying on Google Fonts:

  • When you do, subset them down to just the characters actually used across your site, so the first load doesn't drag

I'd recommend self-hosting your own personal network too:

  • If you've got the time and the money for it