alt Hacker NewsI feel some uneasiness when I go to a website branded as "indieweb," and see a link to the author's CV prominently on the page. Sometimes you also see a professional taken headshot of the author or an enthusiastic description of his work history at prestigious institutions. And it's always a professionally made blog. You know the drill.
It feels like walking into a brightly lit clothing store in a fancy mall and seeing the anarchy symbol on all items. Look closer and you'll see an almost four digit price tag.
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Though I don't brand my site as indie web, my own website is a bit like this - I have a link to my consulting site and a headshot on there.
Why is that so bad? My professional life is a part of who I am. One could call me an IndieWorker, in that I'm self employed....
"But you live in a society"
A CV on your personal domain is the most IndieWeb thing you can do, it means your professional identity lives under your control, not LinkedIn's. The "anarchy symbol on expensive clothes" critique works when someone claims to reject the system while feeding it. IndieWeb does not claim to reject professionalism, it claims that your content should belong to you and outlive any platform. The headshot, the CV, the polished blog... those are fine. Locking them inside a silo that can shut down, sell your data, or vanish is the thing being criticized.
I see more simple blogs about the joys of having a blog. It’s still much better than the cottage industry around growth hacking your Substack.
A personal website is whatever you want it to be. Mine is getting more personal with every passing year because I don’t need a job. I want to geek out about stuff. However people’s websites are a product of the society they live in. Them bills gotta get paid.