I am writing this post mostly for Gen Zs and Gen Xers from Nigeria and other West African countries. I have been surfing the internet for over a year now, and I rarely come across fun websites created by young people from this part of the world. I wonder why that is.
In a different essay I gave about 30 reasons why you should own a website. And if those 30 reasons aren't enough, here are 95 more reasons why you should own one.
What is a website?
We all have an account on either Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or similar platforms. Most of us use these platforms to consume content and entertain ourselves. But there's a whole world outside those platforms that is about more than just scrolling, liking and reposting.
A website is a collection of linked web pages that share a domain name and are hosted on a web server. Anyone with access to the internet can visit a website using a web browser on a computer, tablet or phone.
Many of us grew up experiencing the internet through cybercafés, Facebook, BBM, blogs, music download sites, forums and eventually Instagram and TikTok. We've become very comfortable being online, but perhaps less comfortable making things independently online.
Why a Personal Website?
A personal website gives you the freedom to present yourself without having to fit into an algorithm's preferred format. It encourages you to experiment. Imagine having a personal archive of the things you've learnt, read, made, discovered and experienced. Your website can become a record of your intellectual and creative development.
Unlike social media posts that disappear into an endless feed, your website can help you organise and preserve your work. You can revisit old ideas, see how your thinking has changed and build on previous experiments. It doesn't have to be updated every day. It doesn't even have to be popular.
And if you don't know what pages to add to your website, I've curated a list of [157 things you can do on your website].
In fact, a lot of people complain about the stress of having to go through several talking-stage conversations. Why not build a simple website that contains all your likes and dislikes, hobbies and favourite places to visit? That way, during your next talking stage, you can share a simple link, and the other person gets an idea of who you are, what you're currently reading or what you read last month. Fun, right?
You don't need to own a business or have a personal brand before you can own a website. You also don't need to be a professional web designer or developer to create a simple website that you can use for any of the many things already listed above.
Before You Begin
Before you begin this lesson, I want you to understand that the goal isn't to make you a professional website developer, but rather to make you knowledgeable enough to publish your very own website using HTML, CSS and very little JavaScript. The simpler the goal, the easier the outcome.
Remember, we're just trying to have fun and nothing more. This is my contribution to making the internet fun again!.
Let the lessons begin!