Geoff + Jay
This isn’t a website. Or even a blog. It’s a dialogue.

If a new web is coming, what most excites you about it?

A person walks alone down the street

Jay asks…

It's clear that there's a new version of the web coming, one that opposes the major platforms of today. If that version came, is there something you're looking forward to?

It’s funny, but you might get different answers from different people when asking them what they think the “new” version of the web is, or will be. If we’re talking about the “web3” moniker, then the new web scares the bejeezus out of me because it’s a mixture of crony business and made-up promises designed to grift.

But if we’re talking about something like the IndieWeb movement, then well, I’m gosh-darned excited as all heck! I think Twitter’s implosion was a wake-up call for many who invested so much time and energy into that platform. You never know if one day some billionaire will take over your favorite website and the content you gave it. I know several developers who had built up quite a social base over the years only to abandon it. Think of all the content lost! That’s what the independent web wants to eliminate.

For example: I recently created a Bluesky account and it lets me use my verified web domain as my handle. That’s great because my domain is, well, mine and I can take it with me regardless of what happens to Bluesky down the road. Export my content, take my handle, and I can move anywhere else — the way things should be.

All of this is merely part of what excites me about a truly independent web. If you “own” a piece of the web — such as a domain — that makes it your home, a place for you to curate and build up without the existential threat of billionaire interests. I mean, sure, there’s still registrars and whatnot, but it’s not like a domain can just be taken away without consent. (In most cases, at least.)

An independent web is a more personal one. That’s the web that excites me.

Next Question:

Would the internet exist today if the printing press didn't come before it?

One of us asks a question. The other answers it, and flips the conversation around with a follow up. No script or agenda or schedule. Just an ongoing dialogue between Geoff Graham and Jay Hoffmann waxing nostalgic about the web’s past and pondering it’s promise for the future.

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