All Things Small Web

Small Web September, anyone?

Sun, 30 Aug 2026 20:04:56 GMT

Posted by: enchantedsleeper

Hey, everyone! How's it going?

I've been meaning to pop back up and make this post for weeks now, and then wound up leaving it to the last possible second anyway 😅 My year has been extra busy even by my own standards thanks to a new job I started in February, and even though I've been thinking all year about how I want to make sure I still run Small Web September, I knew it would take a bit of doing this year as I just haven't had a lot of energy for hobby stuff (case in point: I haven't touched my fanworks archive all year! Maybe this will give me the impetus I've been needing to dust it off).

And while I know that SWS doesn't *have* to run - or to be run by me - I really like running it and contributing to the small web initiative in this way. So, here's me giving it my best shot 💪 I'm on holiday for the next week and so I'm planning to pre-write many of the check-in posts to save myself some time later in the month. (At least, that's the goal...!)

If you're going "Wait, what is Small Web September? I'm not familiar", this post has a more detailed explanation! The short version is that it's a month-long small/indie web event run during the month of September, and it's open to anyone and everyone who'd like to take part.

Last year I kicked off the event during the last Sunday in August to keep the check-ins on a weekly frequency, but this year I've decided we'll kick off on Tuesday 1st September with the other three check-in posts falling on a Sunday as usual. So, here's a rough schedule of timings and discussion topics:

Tuesday 1st September: Welcome, kick-off and goals for the month
Sunday 6th September: Check-in 1 - Site structure and navigation (thank you to althea_valara for this super topic suggestion!)
Sunday 13th September: Check-in 2 - Recs & resources/Halfway point
Sunday 20th September: Check-in 3 - Accessibility
Sunday 27th September: Check-in 4 - Graphics, design & themes/Wrap-up
Sunday 4th October, or thereabouts: Retrospective & feedback

...Er, Dreamwidth managed to eat part of my post as I published this, so I'm rewriting this part. *facepalm* I hope you'll join me along the way! Tuesday's kick-off post will be the more fleshed-out announcement with full event details that I usually publish before we get going, since I just wanted to get this up and let everyone know what the plan is.

See you on Tuesday, and if you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to leave a comment!

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Smallweb September?

Sun, 30 Aug 2026 19:00:17 GMT

Posted by: althea_valara

September is in just a few days...

Last year, enchantedsleeper ran Smallweb September. I, for one, really enjoyed it. I'm going to be working on my sites during September for communal_creators, and I would LOVE to "double-dip" and report progress here, too.

So... is there any interest in a casual challenge for September? enchantedsleeper and kalloway, if neither of you have the bandwidth to host, I'd be happy to.

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NEOCITIES. FOR YURI

Tue, 18 Aug 2026 02:21:55 GMT

Posted by: toothpastepancake

Hi! I self hosted Neocities. It is for femslash/yuri fans and is on an application basis (but I'm not picky, though depending on how many applicants I get I may have to be eventually. If you'd like a place to put your static site that gives ya 20gb of storage and the ability to embed JS, check out FemslashCity! The catch is no custom domain names can be used because I don't have a proxy, nor is there CLI usage available.

This project was hard! There was no documentation whatsoever, but I saw someone propose a dockerization in a pull request and I jumped and now well here we are. I work p well with docker as well as Ruby on Rails which Neocities is written in so with that file and the knowlegde of rails I learned while hosting otwarchive it was... not easy by any means but not impossible either.

Anyway!!! Yay! I admittedly did this while intoxicated so I don't remember much but if I can retrace my steps I do plan on making a guide for others.

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Fic Archive V2 (Filters, Mobile-friendly, No JS)

Mon, 27 Jul 2026 02:14:10 GMT

Posted by: arimamary

I revamped the fic archive on my website with Coyote's Archive of Your Own. It's mobile-friendly, uses filters without JavaScript for extra accessibility, and has light mode and dark mode. Sixteen fics outside of AO3 for your reading pleasure.

( Read more... )

📚 Read Fic Here <<

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One less rotten link this evening

Fri, 12 Jun 2026 05:59:35 GMT

Posted by: pengilly

When surfing (ancient) personal websites, there are few cooler feelings than clicking a link, crossing your fingers...and seeing that it still works!

(Yes, this happened to me this evening. It was a link to a car dealership site the webmaster bought a replacement Toyota Celica from in 2001, but still! Little victories still count!)

...Now I want to paste that sleek, modern site in the Wayback Machine, and take it back to 2001...

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Neocities is currently down

Fri, 05 Jun 2026 17:17:01 GMT

Posted by: le_gaosaure

As the title says, Neocities is currently down. They posted on Bluesky:

"We're working on the DNS outage. It's not technical - someone is trying to legally attack us and Namecheap took down the domain. More details later."

(The Bluesky post.)

Update: see third comment for more info!

Update the second: it's back up!

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Guest Books?

Sat, 30 May 2026 12:51:55 GMT

Posted by: althea_valara

Does anyone use a guest book on their smallweb site?

This recent Tumblr post has me thinking about fandom interactions. Currently, I've put a LOT of work into my Neocities site but I have no way of knowing if people are enjoying said site, or finding it useful, other than to look at my stats every now and then.

Hence thinking about adding a guest book. While doing some web searching, I found atabook which looks nice, and it certainly would be easier than building something myself. I'd be interested to hear others' thoughts on guest books in general, and what solutions you use if you do use a guest book.

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Question > Prompt Generator (Answered)

Sun, 24 May 2026 18:01:21 GMT

Posted by: flareonfury

Not sure if anyone can help... but...

So I recently (a few months ago) tried to create my own prompt generator similar to this one: Doctor Who Pairing Generator & X-Men Movieverse Pairing Generator (full list of other generators)) because I have several challenge communities (xmen100 mcu100 dc100) that I'd like to create for them (and whoever else would like to use them).

Now as far as I can tell from inspecting the code on the above generator, I think I have all the html correct, but it doesn't seem to work HERE & HERE (for threesomes) so I'm wondering if it's because it has JavaScript in it? Does anyone know a work around?

( Read more... )

5/24/26 Edit @ 7pm: Thank you answered by finch - it wasn't working because of missing a commas in the lists! XD

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Hey there, Smallweb! Chatter post time!

Wed, 20 May 2026 01:54:30 GMT

Posted by: kalloway

What's going on, smallweb? Big projects, little tweaks, sidelined by [the universe], something else?

Share all the things!

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Designing Websites For Exploration

Mon, 18 May 2026 10:34:51 GMT

Posted by: rionaleonhart

I've occasionally mentioned my fan websites on smallweb check-in posts, but, now that I've got five of the things, I thought I might make an actual community post about them!

My websites are:

- Balamb Garden, about Final Fantasy VIII
- Silent Hill, about Silent Hill 2
- Kira's Tokyo, about Death Note
- Hope's Peak Academy, about Danganronpa
- The Website That Goes Wrong, about Mischief Theatre's Goes Wrong productions (e.g. The Play That Goes Wrong and The Goes Wrong Show)

For a long time, I thought I wasn't capable of making a website; I know very little about web design, and I couldn't work out how to structure it. And then I remembered a type of website I'd spend hours happily browsing when I was a kid at the turn of the millennium: websites that were designed to feel like you were exploring a physical space. Although these websites were structurally complex, they were often very visually simple, meaning I'd probably be able to create one even with my limited HTML skills.

When I gave it a go, I had a lot of fun making a website in this style! And... then I made four more, so it's possible I had too much fun.

If you take a look at any of my sites, I hope you enjoy them! And I'd be interested to hear from anyone else who has thoughts about 'exploring a physical space'/'choose-your-own-adventure' website design. Do you remember websites in this style; do you have one yourself; have you ever considered building one; is there anything you particularly like to see from this type of website, or any advice you'd give to someone who's interested in creating a website in this style?

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Imageboards for the Layman

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 20:50:34 GMT

Posted by: elyusion

So I only know how to use HTML and CSS (and other common computer functions someone who has been using one for 20 years would know), but is there a way for me to make an imageboard (like a booru if you know what that is) that won't make my head spin? I don't really mind learning a bit of another language if the base is all there and I'm just editing things, but the readme for Tinyboard scared me (°□°;) I really like pictures, and it'd be kinda cool if there was a place where my friend could upload pictures she finds too since we mostly have similar taste.

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Sat, 25 Apr 2026 21:29:48 GMT

Posted by: thedumbopt_imist

oh some retro socials i like are bliish and hjonk

theyre cool icl

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Sat, 25 Apr 2026 04:53:01 GMT

Posted by: thedumbopt_imist

I js saw this place n it seems really cool!!!
i like small web n old internet stuffs icl

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Hey There, Smallweb! Let's Chatter!

Sat, 25 Apr 2026 04:20:06 GMT

Posted by: kalloway

Busy busy...

What have you been working on and how are things going? Found any cool resources to share? Or just want to say hi?

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Hey There, Smallweb! Let's Chatter!

Sun, 15 Mar 2026 06:15:26 GMT

Posted by: kalloway

Beware the Ides of March, they're probably what's causing that alignment issue.

What have you been working on and how are things going? Found any cool resources to share? Or just want to say hi?

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Hey there, Smallweb! Let's Chatter!

Sun, 01 Mar 2026 08:44:56 GMT

Posted by: kalloway

Whaaat?! It's March already?!

What have you been working on and how are things going? Found any cool resources to share? Or just want to say hi?

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Hey there, Smallweb! Chatter post time!

Sun, 15 Feb 2026 15:35:01 GMT

Posted by: kalloway

What have you been working on and how are things going? Found any cool resources to share? Or just want to say hi?

What are you doing on half-price chocolate day?

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Hey there, Smallweb!

Sun, 01 Feb 2026 13:34:00 GMT

Posted by: kalloway

What have you been working on and how are things going? Found any cool resources to share? Or just want to say hi?

It's February! Any plans for the short month?

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Fannish webpage templates

Fri, 23 Jan 2026 13:24:58 GMT

Posted by: ceu

I made a template for media/fic recs (depending on what you're looking for) that allows users to select if filters are inclusive or exclusive, and filters automatically for results. It uses Javascript, so if you want to do advanced customizations you might need a little bit of familiarity there. But you don't have to if your needs are pretty similar to the default settings, and I explain (pretty thoroughly, I like to think) how to use the code in the documentation: https://fan.kingdra.net/recs/

Installation is done directly through the live previews, and also available on Github: https://github.com/aroceu/recs-template

Image preview:

This code is usable on Neocities, Nekoweb, and anything similar!

A while back, I also wrote up CSS to make fics downloaded from AO3 as HTML files look prettier. If anyone is importing their fics from AO3 to Neocities/Nekoweb/wherever as HTML files and want to make them look nicer than the default styling, you might be interested: https://fan.kingdra.net/ao3css/

Please feel free to let me know if you have any questions, run into any bugs, whatever! ♥

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How's it going, Smallweb?

Mon, 19 Jan 2026 00:55:17 GMT

Posted by: kalloway

What have you been working on and how are things going? Found any cool resources to share? Or just want to say hi?

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An interesting article

Fri, 09 Jan 2026 08:59:26 GMT

Posted by: mekare

I stumbled across this essay on community organisation and core web vs. peripheral web structures today. A fascinating read! It's been written by former organisers of a webring called yesterweb which seemed to have exploded in popularity before being shut down. The reflection on this experience (and general web trends) is really interesting.

Some excerpts:

The peripheral web can be described as the outskirts of the core web, with platforms such as Mastodon, SpaceHey, Neocities, Discord and IRC chatrooms, Matrix rooms, various imageboards, and others, including various functional clones of core web applications. It is the digital countryside of the corporate megalopolis. Advertising, sales, and data collection are substantially reduced if not entirely eliminated, providing better conditions for people to socialize in and a healthier experience overall. It is composed of web platforms that are hosted on separate infrastructure from the core web by individuals or organizations with various sources of funding. The peripheral web is discovered largely through word-of-mouth and personal research. In other words, bridging the peripheral web to the core web takes a significant amount of effort: the vast majority of internet users remain unaware of its existence.

The rapid increase in popularity of platforms like Neocities and Spacehey were a strong indicator that nostalgia was a significant force driving migration to the peripheral web in recent years. The community was first created when pandemic restrictions were just starting to loosen up. Nostalgia was often the first thing that stood out and appealed to new members: there is comfort in nostalgia, especially during particularly rough times.

However, Nostalgia would often lead to a regressive attitude within the space that made it difficult to achieve any sort of change. Users focused highly on nostalgia would value aesthetics as their primary focus which would lead to a distrust of new tools that did not meet their nostalgic criteria.

The organization began as a handful of individuals working to discover and address the needs of the community. As the community grew larger, it transformed into a loose organization composed of staff members. Finally, a well-defined organization formed at the core of the staff that created a distinction between organizers.

In its loosely organized phase, attempts were made to draw the whole community into organizing efforts. Results were poor because of low participation, and because the participants were mostly composed of the newest members who had the least knowledge about the community. We could not ensure an accurate representation from this setup, so we moved the decision-making as a responsibility for staff members. This would not work out either as moderators had varying levels of commitment and we could not reasonably expect them to take a greater responsibility.

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dotMeow: the non-profit to get a domain in .meow while helping others

Sat, 03 Jan 2026 11:14:25 GMT

Posted by: le_gaosaure

I stumbled upon this on Fedi and thought it could interest people around here =)

Folks are applying to the next round of Top-Level Domain creation (the .net, .com, , .social etc) to create .meow which would be run by a non-profit supporting queer organizations! So people could have a domain ending in .meow while helping with a good cause! The Kickstarter to fund the application is here, with lots of more detailed explanations (these folks have a Plan): https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dotmeow/meow-next-round-gtld-application.

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Happy New Year, Smallweb!

Fri, 02 Jan 2026 06:17:59 GMT

Posted by: kalloway

What have you been working on and how are things going? Found any cool resources to share? Or just want to say hi?

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Smallweb Chatter Post and Give Me Cool Links!

Mon, 27 Oct 2025 13:49:47 GMT

Posted by: kalloway

Heya, smallweb, how's it going?

First, I'd like to thank enchantedsleeper for running Small Web September. \o/ Thank you!

Second, I want to apologize for my absence over the last couple of months. Lots of real life happening. ^^;;

Third, I want to update our Cool Links in our sticky post so please, please give me some resources! If I get a lot, I might be a bit slow to update because of lots of real life still going on.

And Fourth, this post is yours! What's going well, going not so well, going in general, etc.

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ghost of you shrine challenge

Sat, 11 Oct 2025 13:30:09 GMT

Posted by: larissa

Hello! If anyone is interested in making shrines (shrines as in fan websites), I'd like to promote an event a friend is running: the Ghost of You Shrine Challenge. The goal is to create shrines to the challenge prompt “Ghost of You”, however you might interpret it. The event runs from 1 October 2025 to 31 January 2026 for a total of four months.

More information and sign-up form on the event website.

If you've never made a shrine before (especially in this sense of an individual website for a subject), feel free to check out makeashrine for discussion with other webmasters in this sphere.

(Not sure what to tag this, and hopefully it's okay to promote other stuff here - please let me know if not!)

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