For people who have been debating whether to start their own online personal space that is independent of services like Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, etc:
Buy that domain name. Carve your space out on the web. Tell your stories, build your community, and talk to your people. It doesn’t have to be big. It doesn’t have to be fancy. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel. It doesn’t need to duplicate any space that already exists on the web — in fact, it shouldn’t. This is your creation. It’s your expression. It should reflect you.
The internet is vast. It’s endless and so it was this concept of owning something that’s yours whereas you can document anything was one of the two factors that first inspired me to start personal blogging back in 2010. The second element was my obsession with Anthony Bourdain's storytelling style.
With him, no existing concepts were reinvented. He wasn't adopting a different role. He wasn't trying to please everyone. He was honest, unflinching, and most importantly, he was truly interested in what he was reporting. He had earned the right to produce the kind of art he desired, and it was this freedom that struck a chord with viewers.
Although social networking platforms are everything nowadays, I still appreciate the idea of having my own personal website serve as my home base especially in times where every other platform can become unstable at any moment.