Planning for the IndieWeb

I’ve had a website for many years. There were long stretches of time, where I didn’t keep up with writing on my site. I saw it as being for long form content. Yet, during that same time, I spent a lot of time on Twitter, There I was having conversations on various topics, 140 to 280 characters at a time. Something in me changed a couple of weeks ago, when Twitter turned off API access for 3rd party apps. I started thinking about the IndieWeb seriously. I’ve known about the IndieWeb and kept an eye on it from a distance. But now! Now I’m making plans.

The best way to learn about the IndieWeb, is to get curious. I’m looking at what other people have used. The people on the IndieWeb are creators, builders, and do-ers. They’re guided by a set of principles. They care about the user experience. They’re creating and developing mechanisms to interact between websites, and to share their content, outside any social media site. I like the idea behind the approach. This process is sparking my creativity.

Building Plans for the IndieWeb

I’m moving away from WordPress, for multiple reasons. However, I haven’t yet decided how I want to migrate. I think I might need to create a new web framework with IndieWeb foundations built in. I’m thinking about data formats, application design, software design patterns, and configuration management.

It’s going to take a while to build. So, it needs to be Open Source. Good documentation will be essential. I need to consider how a non-technical user could use what I build. I’d like to have no relational database. The users content must be able to be backed up offsite, and separately from the application.

Summary

I don’t have a well-defined plan. It’s more like a blurry watercolor painting. I have a lot of learning to do. The lessons I learn along the way, will likely nudge me in a direction. But at least I have a goal. That’s to join the IndieWeb.