@befuddledbeetles - Tumblr Blog

Ok but like. What the fuck is there to do on the internet anymore?

Idk when I was younger, you could just go and go and find exciting new websites full of whatever cool things you wanted to explore. An overabundance of ways to occupy your time online.

Now, it's just... Social media. That's it. Social media and news sites. And I'm tired of social media and I'm tired of the news.

Am I just like completely inept at finding new things or has the internet just fallen apart that much with the problems of SEO and web 3.0 turning everything into a same-site prison?

dj-of-the-coven

Long collection of resources under the cut.

You're right that the internet is smaller than it used to be, but there's still some cool stuff left in the corners. I'd recommend checking checking out Neocities if you haven't--it's an independent web hosting platform like Geocities of the old web, and there are hundreds of interesting and active pages discoverable both through their search function and through web buttons (links attached to small pictures with the title of a website) within the websites themselves. Here are three examples of web buttons you may find in link pages:

Most Neocities websites have link pages or button collections with anywhere from tens to hundreds of these. Don't be afraid to explore!

If you're looking for something more like a search engine, I can point you towards Marginalia. It's not a particularly smart engine, but it's perfectly usable if you've ever been taught to use search engines back when they were mostly run through keywords instead of full sentence comprehension. There's also an "about" and "tips" section on the front page with more information. The algorithm of Marginalia can be filtered by the user to allow, disallow, or require JavaScript depending on your needs, plus there are filters designed specifically to prioritize web 1.0 sites or mostly text-based ones. It is possible to search for modern websites with it, but it can return websites from just about any decade (since the invention of the web, obviously) so long as they contain the information you're looking for. For example, here are some random interesting sites I've found using Marginalia:

Native Languages of the Americas: Native American Cultures

BASIC HTML COMPETENCY IS THE NEW PUNK FOLK EXPLOSION!

Earthbound Text Labs by Bill Eager

The possibilities for discovery are truly endless.

Now you might want to know about directories. These make browsing for websites easier, but require you to read through and judge which ones to visit, as there aren't algorithms ranking the sites besides the whim of whoever coded the directory. Some of them have themes, others don't. Here are two that I've used:

Yesterlinks Directory

Ichigo Directory

Directories can be harder to come by just by surfing the net, but they aren't impossible to find. Many personal websites have their own directories of interesting sites hidden within them.

Webrings are similar to directories, but are actually more community-based. You have to register your website to be a part of a webring, usually by sending an email to whoever runs it and meeting some kind of entry criteria. For example, my personal website used to be a part of a webring called Sweet Dreams, which was for websites that heavily utilize color palettes and images of cute things, particularly sweets. Webrings will give you access to a widget upon entry that allow visitors and other members to browse between the registered websites in a massive ring, ergo, where the term gets its name. Webrings can have any theme or criteria for entry. If you can make a website about it, you can find a webring for it.

Now, you might be wondering about social media alternatives. I can't offer much, but I can nudge you towards the idea of forums. Here's one I found that could really use some traffic. I also browse a bit on MelonLand forum, which is actually closed right now--it's currently closed on Mondays--but on any other day of the week, you can find a fun community there dedicated to web revival. You can find it through MelonLand's main page. I'd also recommend checking out SpaceHey, which is a MySpace clone that's customizable and easy to use.

I hope this is of some help to you. The internet may feel less magical than it used to be, but that doesn't mean that the spark has completely died out. These types of indie websites need more attention if we ever hope to reverse the damage done to the internet by centralization and corporate interest. People are trying to make the web a cooler place to be, but we're going to have to do the work of finding and interacting with these projects in order to get them off the ground someday.

xerxestexastoast

ALSO you should consider browsing Virtual Pet List and seeing if there are any pet sites you might be interested in playing. There is a whole genre of browser games right under your nose

biothreads

Another one that I just found recently is this, which is a whole collection of blogs, organized by topic!

A collection of 1,966 blogs about every topic

derinthescarletpescatarian

Look guys the real internet IS STILL THERE I'm going to cry

headspace-hotel

try Radiogarden

rosiewitchescottage

And it's amazing that you can find information that you looked for, just in the off chance, never expect ing that it would really be there.

Are you a word nerd like me, and my father before me?

Then may I introduce you to...

The online etymology dictionary (etymonline) is the internet's go-to source for quick and reliable accounts of the origin and history of Eng

Explore live radio by rotating the globe.

Thank you @headspace-hotel

jiiin22

dragon-in-a-fez

not to simp for a corporation but I love my Framework laptop so much. last week I accidentally sat on it and cracked the screen. I went to the manufacturer's website, ordered a new screen for a reasonable price, and when it arrived it took 10 minutes to install. no glue, no "warranty void" tamper seals, just a handful of screws that I only needed one screwdriver to turn. the new screen even came with some fun stickers that say things like "you should be able to fix your stuff". please please buy repair-friendly stuff when you can

libraford

Was at a café with an art exhibition today.

And there was an artist that had eight pieces, seven of which were decent photos and one of which was a photo with an ai background.

And i zeroed in on that ai piece so fast that I didnt even realize they were part of the same collection. Because not only was it ai, but compositon-wise it was much weaker than the others. Because of the AI background, I was aware of its other failures.

And then, because this one seemed so low-effort, I started questioning the legitimacy of his photos, which were perfectly fine and some of them i really liked. Like... not are these ai, but like... are they actually yours?

And then, because I spent so much time on this one guy's poorly composited AI piece, I forgot to enjoy the other artists on that wall.

When I was in art school, they told us that a collection is only as strong as its weakest piece, so when choosing your piece make sure they are a show of your best and that they work together. And I thought that was silly. But now that I see it in action im like... damn, it really does work that way sometimes.

lizardsmp3

saw this picture and wanted to draw it with steve and scraggy of course :]

yairqq

I found you on Patreon! cause I just watched the body (Buffy) and am not ok

lol interplatform communication.

Crazier part for me is that I planned to make an angsty fanfic with my significant gay other where Phil get's the diagnosis said character has before The Body (unclear whether he survives or not) BUT then we kept procrastinating and now there is a random fanfic (super well done!!) of the same thing? Like what are the chances a phannie who hasnt watched BTVS chose the same super specific thing lol. (Read it if you like well-done angst with loads of sweetness snuck in! https://archiveofourown.org/works/77728366 HE LIVESSSSS) Anyway, I'm only three or four episodes ahead of you and they are still lowkey painful. I don't want to spoil my moots this wonderful narrative decision but if you allow me, I just want to say that OH GOD I NEED PHIL TO ANALYSE THE EDITING CHOICES. The camera pans? The shakiness? The sound effects? The way the characters kept being switched so we time skipped periods of diassociation? The way they explored Anya's humanity, Willow's anxiety, Xander's frustrated helplessness, Gile's maturity, Buffy's... everything? The non-magic-world of it all until the last tense little fight, showing us Buffy can't escape it all even amidst a tragedy? EVIL. PERFECTION. OUCH. Please Sister Daniel in the sky, I pray to any deities to PLEASE make Phil have the sudden desire to upload a 3 hour analysis on The Body.