The 2018 IndieWeb Summit is now less than a week away, and I'd like to personally invite you, (yes, you!) to join us there.
IWS kicks off with a pre-party on Monday evening at the Pine Street Market where you can enjoy some great handmade food and drinks. More importantly, you can meet and befriend some of the most earnest and clever folks I know when it comes to having fun being yourself on the web. You're likely to share stories about how awful silos like Facebook and Twitter have become, get inspired to build things you didn't even know you wanted to put on your website, and hatch schemes for what you'd love to learn, discuss, and build over the next two days.
Tuesday is a day of discussions and, while there will be some extremely great keynote talks and a chance to show off your favorite feature on your own site, most of the day is reserved for discussions chosen by the folks who attend. I've seen sessions range from the extremely technical (build a Micropub server in 40 minutes) to the extremely personal (what is the meaning of identity on the web?). If you've got burning questions, you can volunteer to lead a session on a topic even (especially?) if you're not an expert. If you're not sure sit in on whatever feels interesting to you! There is no pressure to be clever.
Wednesday is all about creating. Take something you learned from Tuesday, or just something you've been meaning to do, and build it! There will be some optional HowTo sessions for some of the technical IndieWeb building blocks, and lots of knowledgable folks who would love to answer questions and even collaborate on projects. At the end of the day, you can show off what you've got. Or not! It's your website, no pressure.
As the producer of a weekly informational podcast about the IndieWeb, I would love to chat with anyone who is willing! I'll be conducting one-minute interviews on what inspired folks to get involved in the IndieWeb and what they're working on for their personal website. If you want to be interviewed, but we don't find time during the Summit, I'll be around Portland on Thursday, and on Friday I'll be around the Open Source Bridge un-conference.
IndieWeb Summit was one of the most inspiring events for me when I attended my first one in 2017. In the year since I have been inspired to add tons of new things to my website and built out some new IndieWeb-related tools, which I've (sort of) kept track of. Additionally, Homebrew Website Club Baltimore celebrated our 1-year anniversary, and hosted Baltimore's first IndieWebCamp!
So, no matter where you are in terms of technical skills, what your website currently looks like or does, or whether it even exists yet, I encourage you to join us at IndieWeb Summit!
