Given how easy it is these days to outsource Web functionality that you once had to create for yourself, Wired Compiler asks whether the standalone personal Web site is an endangered species. Back in the day you had to install your own blog software, set up your own photo gallery, and take care of everything else on your own as well. These days it’s a lot easier to just upload your photos to Flickr, set up a blog on any number of free or paid blogging services, and keep track of your friends via any of a number of social networks.
Furthermore, the network effects offered by those sites provide some key advantages over building your own site. It’s interesting that having your own domain and Web site once set you apart from the crowd because it meant you were an early adopter, perhaps soon it will mark you as unusually old fashioned.
April 29, 2008 at 3:00 pm
Oh man. I never thought having my own domain name would make me feel old!
April 29, 2008 at 3:26 pm
this is ridiculous. The web is slowly being turned in to OpenSocial apps. Entire webapps are being built in widgets.
If anything the coming years should give my site better integration with the sites I use.
April 29, 2008 at 7:18 pm
People will still have personal sites (for name-space issues if nothing else) but I think the trend will be more integration than custom development for things which aren’t your main interests: most people are just going to link their photos to Flickr but a professional photographer probably wants more control.
Open data is going to play into this pretty heavily: I think as time goes on it’s going to be hard to sell people on a service which they can’t easily play with on their own domain without committing to you.
April 30, 2008 at 9:08 pm
Thanks for helping inspire a post 🙂
http://www.sixapart.com/blog/2008/04/hell_no_personal_sites_arent_d.html