A drawing of Ana holding a phone and taking a photo of a cat who is washing itself. The cat says, suprised, oh, hello Ana.

OhHelloAna.blog

Jottings from Ana Rodrigues

You don't have to be a “content creator” to have a website.

This is clearly the result of living in a capitalist society. In recent years, people have felt the pressure to monetise their hobbies, so there’s a constant state of hustle. We all need money to exist in our society.

In the online communities and circles where I try to hang out, there is a slight pressure to “create content”. It is expected to bring you exposure and credibility within the community and job opportunities. Of course, this happens. It’s a big reason why I’ve even had the opportunities I’ve had so far. I created something, and people saw it and wanted to know more about it. It’s excellent, and it feels like a reward!

Now, it pains me when this reaches the concept of a personal website. People often say, “I have no content to put on a personal website”, and 1) that is not true, and 2) it should not be the goal.

The goal of a personal website is to be reachable. I have a simple landing page with information on how to contact me.

You don’t have to be a content creator to have a website.

Dang, I want us to start putting our personal website URLs in our lanyards when we go to conferences instead of social media handles! What is the difference between a personal website that doesn’t have “content” and a social media account where there aren’t many posts anyway? The only thing in common is being reachable.

Just put your name and email, and it’s good to go! That’s content! Maybe one day, expand with a link to LinkedIn or, even better, add a CV in HTML. It doesn’t matter!

Give yourself permission to exist and be seen regardless of whether you have a blog, side projects or “content” - whatever it means.

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Reflections from IndieWebCamp Brighton

My loss. Their public consumption.