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127+ Possibilities... Things You Can Do With Your Personal Site

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The etchings we carve in the great stone of the internet are mere lines of code, pixels on a screen, immaterial ones and zeros. Ephemeral snowflakes forever disappearing from our grasp. Yet they're parts of our souls.

You're an internet citizen, but have you ever considered making your markings more permanent? With a place to call yours?

Creating a website is a worthy endeavor, and yet. It's an empty canvas, so full of possibilities it's terrifying. So I quell the overwhelm the only way I know how. With a list.

First, if you'll indulge me: some background.

I'm Zachary Kai, and though we're separated by time and space, it's a pleasure to meet you.

I'm more inclined to poetry and philosophy than programming, but the beauty of our humanity is our common knowledge. The only reason I learned to create my site is through the generosity of countless others, and I hope to continue that noble quest. It took me seven years to muster the courage to take up space on the internet. I hope you won't wait so long.

Wwhat of the ideas I mentioned? They're a constellation of potentiality waiting to explode into life: features to add, pages to create, posts to write.

This list is an invitation to paint your corner of the web with your essence. To build walls that showcase your strength, and to let them crack just enough to let your human show.

So. Take a deep breath. Your journey to carving out your space in the digital infinity starts here.

(Some items have a linked '*' which take you to examples on my site. Also on this page is my net compendium: useful links for the internet tinkerer/wanderer.)

Table Of Contents

Site Ideas

Features To Add

Community

  • 88×31 buttons: small nostalgic graphics linking to favorite sites or affiliations.
  • Directories: join a link listing of other sites with common themes or features.
  • Event Calendar: list upcoming online or local happenings.
  • Fanlistings: join a directory of other fans of topics you enjoy.
  • Guestbook: space for visitors to leave comments.
  • Links to yourself elsewhere: your other online presences.*
  • Reply by email: let visitors share their thoughts (link on posts and in the RSS Feed.)
  • Share link: an easy way for visitors to pass on your written works.*
  • Webrings: a group of related sites to explore.*

Design Elements

  • ASCII art: create artworks with nothing but text characters.
  • Background image: decorate the empty space around your writings. Or animate it!
  • Cartoon you: yourself, but cartoonifed for illustrative purposes.
  • Coat of arms: create heraldry for your site.
  • Color palette listing: showcase your site's color scheme.*
  • CSS animations: subtle motion effects for whimsy's sake.
  • Custom bullets: change how your unordered lists look.
  • Custom cursor: a unique mouse pointer design.
  • Dark mode: alternative color scheme for low-light viewing.
  • Drop caps: decorative large letter at the start of a written work or section.
  • Fleuron: decorative typographic ornament.*
  • Handwritten signoff: harken back to letterwriting.
  • Mascot: character representing your site.
  • Moodboard: organize your thoughts visually.
  • Photo gallery: showcase your images.

Enhancements

  • Art portfolio: showcase your creative works.
  • Assumed audiences: who a specific written work is for.
  • Bibliographies on posts: sources and references for your writing.*
  • Color/seasonal themes: options for visitors to customize your site's appearance.
  • Easter eggs: hidden surprises for curious visitors.
  • Epistemic disclosure: the research and the thoughts that went into your writing.
  • Estimated reading time: time indicator for written works.*
  • Footnotes or sidenotes: additional context for your writing.
  • Glossary tool-tips: pop-up definitions for terms in your writings.
  • Image map: clickable regions within a single image.
  • List of influences: what inspires you.
  • Omake: bonus or extra site features.
  • On this day: memories for the current date.
  • Progress bars: visually track goals or projects.
  • Resume/CV: your professional background and skills.
  • Shrine: dedicated space honoring an interest.
  • Sparkline: tiny graph showing data trends.
  • Tag cloud: a visual representation of common topics you write about.
  • Tutorials: step-by-step guides on topics you know well.
  • Weeknotes: a series of posts reflecting on your week.
  • Wiki-style backlinks: references of your posts linking back to each other to build a knowledge web.

Site Structure

Technicalities

Usability

Pages To Add

Post Ideas

The Net Compendium

Exploring

Cliques

Directories

  • BlogOfThe.Day:
  • Blogroll:

Interview Series

  • People And Blogs:

Search Engines

Webrings

Webweaving

Website Builders

Website Hosting

Bibliography & Credits

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Zachary Kai's digital drawing: 5 stacked books (blue/teal/green/purple, black spine designs), green plant behind top book, purple heart on either side.

Zachary Kai — he/him |

Zachary Kai is a space fantasy writer, offbeat queer, traveler, zinester, and avowed generalist. The internet is his livelihood and lifeline.

Acknowledgement Of Country

I acknowledge the folks whose lands I owe my existence to: the Koori people. The traditional owners, storytellers, and first peoples. This land's been tended and lived alongside for millennia with knowledge passed down through generations. What a legacy. May it prevail.

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