BLOODTYPEOH/100

100 Q's for webmasters

From here.

1. Please introduce yourself.: My name is netty and I'm on the Net
2. How long have you been making websites?: I've been on the indie/small web since... 2022ish, maybe? But I've been on the web tinkering since I was like 7.
3. And what got you into the hobby?: Nostalgia & social media burn out like everyone else. More specifically, at the time I was delving into indie web dev, I also had started playing Dark Souls; I was super into it and felt a hyperfixation forming, so I tried to switch gears and course correct the fixation to web dev. And it worked?? I never finished Dark Souls, though :-(
4. What kind of website are you most interested in?: Personal sites! I also like seeing sites from artists that aren't necessarily boring/sanitized portfolios, like a squarespace type beat.
5. What's your workflow? Do you plan your websites out thoroughly or do you come up with the design as you go along?: Usually write the page contents in raw HTML first, and build the CSS around that. I don't plan things out very thoroughly, no.
6. Please link to your biggest inspirations.: ribo.zone and sweetfish.site for sure.
7. What's your favourite part about making websites?: Problem solving! It feels soooo good when you finally get some code to work.
8. And the thing you struggle with the most?: Consistency? I have a bad habit of dropping off the face of the earth.
9. Do you keep the same layout on all of your pages? Or do you use different ones?: The main site and the blog have their own layouts. There are one-off pages (like the ones in sundayjam) with their own layouts as well.
10. How confident are you with CSS?: Anything is possible with MDN Web Docs at my side...
11. Do you know how to correctly use <dl>?: Well shit man if I didn't before I sure will after answering all these Q's
12. What is your favourite HTML element?: Man idk
13. If you're making a new web page from scratch, what is the first thing you do?: Open the text editor and go crazy on that shit
14. Do you know JavaScript?: Narp
15. How about PHP?: Narp x2
16. Does your website have a theme that you stick to?: Yeah
17. Are you more focused on content or design?: I wanna say content, but there's really not much here... and as simple as the site design is, I feel like I've agonized over the design more than the contents.
18. Do you own a domain name? If not, would you ever want to?: I am the proud owner of bloodtypeoh.net yessir
19. What do you think of nostalgia-focused or "retro" websites?: They're overdone at this point, and most of the ones I see these days are a visual nightmare. Hostile to my eyeballs.
20. Is your HTML valid? Do you even check?: ... I checked just now and I have a few flags on a few pages. Nothing major, very easy fixes.
21. What are your opinion on buttons and banners?: They're fun!! I wish I was better at making them.
22. What do you think of button walls in particular?: They're rabbit holes and I LOVE them.
23. If you started over again, would you make something similar or completely different?: I doubt it'd be very different. I'm pretty content with what I've made here.
24. Are you envious of other people's websites?: I'm a bit envious of ppl who can make neat buttons for their site~ pixel art is not my forte.
25. What text editor do you use?: I'm testing out Pulsar right now, but I normally use VSCodium.
26. Why do you use that one?: It works and it's open source.
27. Do you host your image files on your web server, or on another host?: I host locally.
28. This might not be relevant to you, but what's your opinion on the Neocities vs. Nekoweb debate?: Not relevant & I wasn't aware there was debate
29. How much server space would you estimate your main website takes up?: 500mb...? Oh, it's 392.49 MB. Why is it so big...
30. Do you keep local backups of your files?: Yes
31. Do you prefer simple or highly visual websites?: They're both good, but I tend to prefer simpler sites.
32. Do you stick to certain colours? Do you do that on purpose, or is it your subconscious?: My website was never too colorful, but these days I like it pretty monochromatic.
33. Have you ever thought about quitting? Why?: I go through periods of time where my site is neglected, but I always come back around. I've never thought of quitting, no.
34. Do you have many webmaster friends, or is it a solitary hobby?: No. It's largely solitary, but sometimes I participate in community events.
35. Do people in your real life know about your website?: One person knows about it, and I doubt she ever checks it.
36. Do you update your website very often? How often is "very often"?: No, and I wish I was more consistent with it... or at least, I wish I wouldn't fall into inactive periods so often. It's so easy to get caught up in life.
37. And the overall design, do you change that much? Why or why not?: The look itself has changed over the years, but the skeleton has stayed pretty much the same - I started this site with a template from The Lilac Lynx and I never changed it. I mean, it works! And I like it. I've thought about designing something new from scratch now that I'm more comfortable with HTML & CSS, but I can't think of anything I'd like more than what I have now. Maybe in the future.
38. Is your website more you-focused, hobby-focused, or outside world-focused?: It's focused on me and my hobbies/interests.
39. Do you do web design professionally?: No
40. If not, would you like to? And if you're comfortable answering, what do you do for work?: No. I work as a receptionist at a gym. I smoke cigarettes and I don't exercise, so it's a great job for me
41. Do you communicate with people by email very much?: Outside of work, not really. I should find some strangers to e-mail... if you're a stranger reading this, you should e-mail me. Tell me about your day or something.
42. Some people reject social media and use websites as a replacement. Do you keep social media outside of your website?: Not really, no... I use letterboxd and storygraph, but I don't use them like social media, so I don't think they count.
43. How about instant messengers? Do you use a mainstream one like Discord or Telegram? Or something like Matrix? Do you avoid them?: I'm on discord, yeah. Using it less and less these days, though.
44. Do you listen to music while you work on websites? If so, what kinds of artists?: Yeah, I just listen to whatever.
45. Do you keep everything you make on one website, or do you have more than one?: I can barely keep up with this one, I'm good with just the one.
46. On a similar note, do you keep to one topic on your site, or many?: The topic is Meeeeeee, so yes.
47. Do you present your real self, or at least try? Or do you construct a persona on purpose?: It's curated. Can't go showing all my cards, but it's no fun pretending to be someone else either. Like most things, there's a balance.
48. Have you ever made a good friend thanks to your website?: Just acquaintances.
49. Are you happy with the way HTML and CSS currently work?: Like, in general? I don't really feel one way or the other about it. If I was working with it in a professional capacity I might have more to say.
50. What are practices that you think people should avoid?: Autoplay. Guaranteed I will close the tab and never go back if there's random shit playing
51. What about under-utilised practices, or things you think people should do more?: I think more people should close the toilet lid when they flush. Actually, I think everyone should do this. Sorry, I couldn't think of anything webdev specific.
52. Do you use a lot of semantic HTML? Or are you guilty of generic structure?: Is semantic not the generic structure...?
53. Do you consider different browsers?: No...? Ohh you mean like, when I'm making my website? I thought you meant in general. Yes I make my website with other browsers in mind, and mobile as well.
54. Speaking of, what's your preferred browser? Convince your readers why they should use it.: Librefox, Orion on mobile. I'm not convincing anyone to do anything; besides, if you're here on this corner of the web then you already know what the deal with browsers is.
55. And what OS are you on?: Linux Mint. Still use MacOS sometimes.
56. Do you have a strong opinion on that, or do you just happen to use it?: I'm still new to Linux, so no strong opinion on it other than it's fun to try something new.
57. Are your websites mobile-friendly?: Mostly, yeah. There's a few easter egg pages that don't work or look great on mobile.
58. What are your thoughts on autoplay?: See above.
59. What are your thoughts on webrings? Are you in any?: They're fun! I'm in a couple myself.
60. Do you have any web shrines? What do you like to see in that sort of page?: I used to have some shrines, but they're archived for the time being. It's something I want to revisit some day for sure.
61. Are your websites "cliche", in your opinion?: Probably
62. What is your ideal website? Are you striving for that, or for something else?: You're looking at it right now babay
63. Are you an artist? Do you draw or design your own assets?: Yes, but I haven't been drawing a lot lately... most of the assets on the site are not made by me.
64. What are your favourite resource sites?: Everyone loves sozai sites, and I do too! But I have a growing fondness for the public domain.
65. Is there a habit you just can't get away from no matter how hard you try?: The way I format my .CSS is definitely not standard. I have no plans of changing that though, it works better for me.
66. What's your biggest advice for a new webmaster?: Have fun, be yourself and be safe.
Actual advice: right click + view page source! Copy and paste! Break shit and then fix it again. This is the way of the webmaster.
67. Do you keep all your styling in CSS? Or do you hard-code some?: Most of it is in style sheets, but very occasionally it's hard-coded into the page. For hyper-specific instances.
68. What do you think of frameset layouts?: Not a fan.
69. How about table-based layouts?: Even less of a fan of that.
70. Do you subscribe to the ideas of "one-column", "two-column" and "three-column" layouts? Do you use any of these?: I guess? The layout on this site is two-column.
71. Do you spend longer on the HTML or the CSS?: Depends on if I'm working on the main site or an off-shoot page. But overall I'd say CSS, probably.
72. Have you ever made a page with no CSS? It's useful for your thoughts.: Not since I was in highschool.
73. Do you ever find yourself making layouts with nothing to put on them? Or do you only make layouts when the need arises?: Lol no never. When it comes to new pages with new layouts, I either do something simple on my own or look for a template somewhere.
74. Would you consider yourself a beginner? Or advanced? Somewhere in the middle?: I can get around. Intermediate, maybe?
75. Do you have a habit of looking at the source code of websites you visit?: Not often, but if I'm especially charmed by a site I'm not afraid to right click and snoop.
76. How did YOU learn how to make websites?: Growing up on neopets, subeta, and the like, copying and pasting HTML, breaking it and fixing it again.
77. Do you ever force elements to do things they're not supposed to?: No
78. Thoughts on floating elements?: Tricky.
79. When you're sizing stuff, what do you use first? Do you use px, em, %, or something else?: I like em.
80. Do you have a favourite font?: Georgia!
81. Would you run a website with another person? How would that work?: It's not entirely off the table, but we'd have to be making or doing something really special (or really fun). I'm used to running my one-man show.
82. Do you surf the Web to find new personal websites very often?: Occasionally, yeah. One of my favorite internet past times.
83. Do you bookmark other people's websites? How would you feel knowing someone else bookmarked yours?: Yes! I have a bookmark folder of sites to look at later when I have free time. I'd be flattered if I was rotting in someones bookmarks somewhere.
84. What do you want people to be most impressed with when they see your website?: Uhhh... I haven't really thought about it.
85. Are you interested in technology outside of websites? Do you collect?: Not really, no...
86. How often and for how long are you online?: I touch more grass the older I get, but I still have the occasional day spent entirely online.
87. When it comes to your website, who is your target audience?: Meeeeeeeee :3c
88. Have you ever been interested in XHTML?: No
89. Do you program in general? Have you ever written a program for use with or on your website, not counting simple JavaScript?: No, but I've wanted to try learning a language... the problem-solving aspect is what I enjoy the most about indie webdev, so I think learning programming would be fun.
90. Speaking of programs that help you make websites, what do you think of static site generators (SSGs)? Have you ever used one?: I'm using one right now. The learning curve is a bit steep but totally worth it, wish I had gotten around to it sooner.
91. Do you keep a hitcounter? Why or why not?: I had one when I was hosted on Neocities, but the widget lost functionality when I changed hosts, and I never bothered to find a new one.
92. Do you frequent forums? Which ones?: Again, not since I was a kid. I've been thinking I want to minimize my discord use, so maybe I should find a forum to lurk.
93. Do you write your page content directly into the editor, or do you prepare it elsewhere, like a text document or a Word document?: Straight to the editor.
94. Do you think you appear cool to others? A more accurate answer now: do other people ever say you're cool?: I haven't thought about it in a while. I've been called 'cool' before, yes.
95. Are you embarrassed of your old work? Have you ever deleted everything out of shame?: I've definitely been guilty of it in the past...
96. Would you close down your website if you couldn't update it, or would you leave an archive?: That's not something I can imagine right now... I wouldn't take the site down just becoz I couldn't update it, but if I ever reached a point where I wanted to break from the internet, and wanted to close that chapter/part of myself, then yeah. I'd keep a copy of it locally for posterity. Maybe someone will archive it with the Internet Archive.
97. Do you reveal a lot about yourself on your website? Or are you more secretive?: I'm a faily open book I think.
98. Are you willing to reveal who your best online friend is, and/or if they have a website?: Don't have one.
99. And do you optimise the images on your website?: Yarp
100. We're out of time! How do you feel after answering 100 questions? ....other than exhausted.: Just exhausted. If something like this goes viral again I will be opting out. I really enjoyed reading other people's responses though.