I recently came across this post where the author laments that the IndieWeb is “not for them”, simply because of their inability to implement Webmentions and thus (as they put it) the “IndieWeb is a social club for developers” only. (See also this one with respect to not feeling part of the “community”.)

Let me be extremely clear. You do not need Webmentions to be part of the “IndieWeb”. The only real “requirement”, if you want to think of it that way, is to just have your own site on your own domain where you put your own stuff. That’s it. How you make it look, what you put on there, what fancy IndieWeb.org “building blocks” you decide to implement, doesn’t make your site any more or less “IndieWeb” than any other.

Indieweb.org is a great resource. But I fear that for as much good as it does, it can do equal harm. On the surface, Indieweb.org has a fantastic message.

What is the IndieWeb?

The IndieWeb is a people-focused alternative to the “corporate web”.

It is a community of independent and personal websites connected by open standards and based on the principles of: owning your domain and using it as your primary online identity, publishing > on your own site first (optionally elsewhere), and owning your content.

Your content is yours

When you post something on the web, it should belong to you, not a corporation. Too many companies have gone out of business and lost all of their users’ data. By joining the IndieWeb, your content stays yours and in your control.

You are better connected

Your articles and status messages can be distributed to any platform, not just one, allowing you to engage with everyone. Replies and likes on other services can come back to your site so they’re all in one place.

You are in control

You can post anything you want, in any format you want, with no one monitoring you. In addition, you share simple readable links such as example.com/ideas. These links are permanent and will always work.

The message is simple. The IndieWeb is about people. It’s about owning your own domain and putting your stuff there. Great! But just below the surface, as you start to click on some of the links, IndieWeb.org begins to preach complexity. IndieAuth, Webmention, Micropub, WebSub, Microsub, building blocks, microformats, backfeeds, etc… These convolutions are niche, techno-aristocratic IndieWeb fever dreams which discourage and alienate those desperate to break from corporate web-silos and start anew on a simpler, more human web. Ignore them.

A note on “community”…

If you are reading this, or you have a personal site, you are already part of it. Full stop. You don’t need to be shy. You have things to say and people WANT to listen, they want to read, they want to connect. You don’t have to be an “influencer” or have a big following. Your writing doesn’t need to be AMAZING. You don’t need to write to an audience. Write for yourself. Then share it. People will be interested I promise you. The #indieweb revival is here and you are 100% invited! Tell your friends.

So, hopefully this message can make it out to those who need to hear it…

You want to be part of the IndieWeb? Be one of us? Get a domain. Put your site on it. Be yourself. Because the IndieWeb is about you.