It has never been simpler to create a personal website than it is today. There are dozens, if not hundreds of companies that provide you with all the tools you need to create your own personalised platform of unfiltered self-expression. If you have the skills and knowledge to design and build one yourself, that’s even better, but today, (almost) anyone can create a site for themselves. Even setting up hosting and buying a domain name is easier than it has ever been.
Whether you’re building a personalised business or simply blogging, digital self-expression is not only important, it’s a fundamental freedom we are all afforded, and one we should embrace.
Although we are starting to see a new wave of blogging, many people use Twitter as a means to express themselves. I still use Twitter, so I can see some value in this platform, particularly to make personal and professional connections through common interests, or to simply share something I like. However, Twitter is also a tool that encourages negative, impulsive, and ill-considered behaviour. It doesn’t really keep our minds healthy—much like all social media—in the sense that we are constantly looking to see who has responded or engaged with what we have published. We’re in a constant feedback loop fuelled by ego, whether we like to admit that or not. It’s something you will rarely experience offline. Beyond these quite apparent issues, when we try to express a thought that requires more than 280 characters our ideas become diluted, misunderstood, and misrepresented. It’s fragmented writing within a fragmented community.
In today’s digital and political landscape, having a space to create and write what you like and how you like is valuable, if even in principle. You make the rules. You needn’t care whether people like, retweet, upvote, applaud, or comment on your words. You can write mindfully—with meaning, substance, and creative freedom.
If you’d like some help setting up a blog, particularly on Kirby, get in touch.