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  • Sara Joy :happy_pepper:sarajw
    May 25, 2026, 7:49 PM

    "I’m not the only one. Personal sites are coming back. RSS feeds are coming back. Webrings are coming back. People are remembering that a website can be a home or a place instead of a profile."

    terrygodier.com/the-boring-int

    Yessss @tg - this echoes what I've been thinking lately, but put in much more depth and eloquence than I could have managed.

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Replies

  • Sara Joy :happy_pepper:sarajw
    May 25, 2026, 7:55 PM

    I can't decide if they are really coming back, or if they never really went away - just that veneer was over it - the big platforms were getting our attention and we collectively forgot how to surf the web.

    It's totally fine that platforms exist for those who aren't interested in building their own places on the web.

    Maybe it is coming back some, because the current social media mess is helping a new generation to see beyond the feeds, and try their own hand at building the web.

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  • Bjarne Oldrupoldrup@mastodon.green
    May 25, 2026, 8:22 PM

    @sarajw @tg You know what The Boring Internet does well too? Work in Reader Mode, or being sent to you e-reader with a click of a button.

    I like "boring"

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  • Khleedrilkhleedril@cyberplace.social
    May 25, 2026, 9:29 PM

    @oldrup @sarajw @tg Good and well but I take the view that if you need to switch to Reader mode then there must be something wrong with the website. Failed to just keep it simple.

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  • Jake in the desertjake4480@c.im
    May 25, 2026, 8:51 PM

    @sarajw @tg totally. Yeah, I love this post- been gathering up stuff for this to make a post of my own.. so much amazing stuff resurfacing lately. Most of which has been around for a while, too. Awesome.

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  • Jake in the desertjake4480@c.im
    May 25, 2026, 8:54 PM

    @sarajw @tg there's so much amazing stuff to go through, and I don't want to miss any - my bookmarks are full of cool stuff. When I have time and motivation.. haha - but I did start writing some, it's tough to resist making a whole site for a reference, but so many of those exist - I think it's mostly about organizing what I have and trying to not make the blog post too long, but also avoiding perfection and eventually to just pump it OUT! 😂

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  • Sara Joy :happy_pepper:sarajw
    May 25, 2026, 8:55 PM

    @jake4480 @tg also a blog post, or a page on a website, doesn't have to be perfect or even finished on first posting. Make it a living document!

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  • Brian Nicarwendigo@metalhead.club
    May 25, 2026, 9:03 PM

    @jake4480 @sarajw @tg Get that sorted with a Beer and Bread category, and you're all set, brother! Surely you've shown this to me before, but I forgot to bookmark it... ;>)

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  • Xdejxdej@mamot.fr
    May 26, 2026, 6:07 AM

    Thanks @sarajw for sharing!
    I read it throughfully and as it ends with "If you got this far, I'd love to hear from you", I nottify @tg (I do not use RSS).
    Edit: At first read I missed that Mastodon was discussed as a "quirky, SMTP-shaped thing".

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  • the roamerthe_roamer@mastodonapp.uk
    May 26, 2026, 8:40 AM

    @sarajw

    "Every property that made these protocols feel old and uncool in 2014 is part of what's keeping them alive in 2026."

    Excellent essay on the resilence of the core internet, by Terry Godier. It lifts up the spirit of the battle-weary follower of #JoanMastodon.

    Thank you for the link Sara. (It makes such good sense in your post profile.)

    Hat tip to @tg for his great essay.

    #ThePersistentInternet #TheResilientInternet #OurWeb #ProtocolsNotCorporarions #TerryGodier

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  • Ben Curthoysbencurthoys@mastodon.social
    May 26, 2026, 9:14 AM

    @sarajw @tg In trying to find a balance between "the addictive psychic poison of smartphone social media" and "the need to learn about and prepare for participation in online culture", my 11yo has a nokia and an email address like it's 2003.

    I should set her up a proper oldschool blog too.

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  • Sara Joy :happy_pepper:sarajw
    May 26, 2026, 9:29 AM

    @bencurthoys it's hard! Our kids have access to tablets but the time they use them is very limited.

    I sort of plan that as they get older, we have some family pool smartphones, that they can use when leaving the house for the things these phones do well - maps, location sharing (with their consent once they are older ofc) - and on those I think whatsapp etc will be there, but on the understanding that anyone in the family might see it.

    Teenagerhood does need privacy too, so will have to see...

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  • Rob :bisexual_flag: 🫟robchapman@ohai.social
    May 26, 2026, 9:42 AM

    @sarajw @tg This is an excellent read. Even used finger, then went down a little rabbit hole and discovered there is also the 'pinky' command :)

    The other day I said something that rings even truer now I have read your excellent essay, and that is the current top layer of the internet was not created for those who remember the internet in all its original messy confusion - it is really for those that know no different

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