what to make at IndieWebCamp

From IndieWeb


what to make at IndieWebCamp is a question that participants consider on IndieWebCamp Day 2 (and Create Days in general) and can be anything from updating your home page, to setting up a new site, creating new content, design, or code, or community contributions like wikifying, library contributions, or updates to IndieWeb software & services.

set up your website

If you came to IndieWebCamp without a personal website, and want one, you are highly encouraged to make that your first project.

Many have shown up without so much as a domain and left with a reasonably functioning website that they can continue to use and work on long after the camp has finished.

Steps:

  1. pick a domain name
  2. register it at a domain name registrar recommended by other participants (see related tutorial)
  3. setup a static home page, perhaps using GitHub static pages or another static hosting service

If you have any questions or challenges with any of those, IndieWebCamp is an ideal environment to ask peers questions and get answers to overcome any obstacles and make quick progress.

Participants are often encouraged to register a domain name and point it to a static web hosting the day/night before due to the delay from DNS propagation before you can type your domain name in a browser and have it show content from your web host. See related tutorial.

start easy

Participants are encouraged to pick at least one "easy" (for them) project that they can perhaps even complete before lunchtime, and then one or more "medium" or "hard" projects that they still think they can complete before the demos session.

Begin with a small, incremental project that can be started and finished in one day, or even in an hour (or less).

prioritize joy

Make or create content or functionality on your personal website that brings you joy to view, share, or use, or maybe something just for the fun of it.

start with your home page

If you have a website and are still not sure where to start with making something at IndieWebCamp, start with your home page, and consider one or more of:

  • Update anything out of date, like your bio, list of profiles elsewhere, or anything else static in your header, sidebar(s), or footer
  • Add new static content (or a section) to your header, sidebar(s), or footer
  • Re-organize or otherwise rethink what you want on your homepage

blog something

If your home page displays your stream of recent posts, and you have not posted recently, post something, like:

  • RSVP to the IndieWebCamp event you’re attending
  • a note about your experience at IndieWebCamp
  • what discussion session(s) you proposed or facilitated, or session notes you took
  • what other project(s) you want to work on, like something in the following sections:

from learning to making

Did you learn or discuss something inspiring during IndieWebCamp Day One?

Start with making something from new ideas, perhaps something you saw demonstrated on someone else’s site.

teach and learn more

The teacher becomes the student.

Many attendees will also often help beginners build and implement pieces of their own websites, and in doing so, learn about a broader set of challenges, perhaps coming up with new suggestions or solutions.

Everyone has needed help with something at some point, so you’re encouraged to ask for help if you ever feel stuck or you think there must be an obvious answer to a problem or question.

for you and the community

Attendees are also encouraged to work on projects that will benefit both their personal websites and the broader community, such as blogging what they have learned, wikifying their IndieWeb Examples, fixing bugs in open source libraries their site uses, or even releasing new or updated software and services.

See Also