Independence
Spurred by post on another site, hat tip to The Brooks Review, about ownership of data.
Started more than 25 years back, and think, in internet years, that’s a virtual millennia, but at that point, I stuck with maintaining my site as a home base, as a root source, as a catch-all for what I do.
Think: this was before my URL astrofish.net. Even before there was blogging.
Independence
The point of it all?
Who owns the content?
And what happens when a particular “platform” craters, goes off-line, or just diddles with your data?
Always been a question, and the simple answer, I own my material. Simple enough, starts here, and ends here. The other point, though, in my own defense?
There are very few Shakespeare-quoting, fishing guide professing, liberal Texans who write horoscopes in broken grammar. While I shoot for a transparent style, yeah, not happening, not by now. Still have fun, though.
Independence
When I ran astrofish.net as a subscription site with its paywall? The only way to log in was via the site’s interface. No “Log in with …” WordPress, LinkedIn, FaceBook, Apple, Twitter, or any other kind of third party engine. Independence and transparency.
For years, I jealously guarded my client list, both e-mail and postal, more worried about privacy than the average millennial. While still secure, I doubt I’ll ever be sending postal again. Post-pandemic, new rules. However, the notion of owning one’s own content, that remains.
Being platform independent is a clear advantage. It’s also “growth-oriented,” and most important? Independence is sustainable.