[kristianc]

Lovely design - but also shows the inherent problem. Not everyone can create a design like this. Medium and Substack mean that not everyone needs to. When everyone is able to publish, you invariably end up with a lot more crap, and it has to hosted by someone else.

[apublicfrog]

People who were not technical then and are not now made it work with Myspace, Neopets and Geocities. There are a number of free microhosts out there. And the big social media sites also allow you to post a lot more crap.

I think bringing back websites like hawkee etc and providing an easy way to host is the right way forward, but it needs a catalyst (like most things) to become a trend.

[rchaud]

There's a line from a 2009 episode of The Office that sums it up:

Jim: "Pam texted back saying we could give them all iPods".

Phyllis: Oh, if they don't have an iPod by now they really don't want one."

Website creation has reached its equilibrium rate of growth. Those who want a website will make one, and the rest won't. Personal websites are one of many media for public self-expression today; in 2004, the options were far more limited. Those who are on Neocities or mmmm.page or Bearblog etc., are the spiritual successors of that MySpace HTML template generation. They are a trickle relative to the number of people who'll start a Tiktok, Bluesky or Youtube account. It's not going to grow any faster than what it is, regardless of whichever points of friction in creating one can be eliminated.

[youngtaff]

Text is way too small for me… can’t read it without reader mode being on

[nicbou]

Unfortunately, most of these platforms end up enshittifying and using your content for it. A platform that you control can be a beautiful thing.