Building blocks of the IndieWeb

The IndieWeb is designed to be modular in nature. It is connected through reusable building blocks of code that can work across different website and apps.

These are pieces of code that help to facilitate interactions and connect websites to one another. This page will give a general sense of what some common building blocks are, but if you’re a developer, feel free to read more about it on the IndieWeb wiki (IndieWeb, 2024)!

The simplest way to explain webmentions is... Imagine if the entire internet had Tumblr-like features.

Webmentions is a W3C (2017) open standard that allow websites to connect with each other, enabling owners of websites to know when someone else has interacted with their content.

Some common types of Webmentions include: replies, mentions (think in the lines of a Twitter or Instagram mention), likes and reposts.

Bits of code that give contextual meaning to content on your website. This allows content that’s posted on one website to be retrieved by another website or application.

Microformats (Microformats, 2024) can be used to link different platforms to your domain, and to make your website your identity in code!

Metcalfe’s Law of exponential growth dictates that a network is valued on the number of connected users (Cameron Tonkinwise and Mark Titmarsh, SMC Seminar, “Learning to be Online: From Anonymity to Celebrity/Journaling, Sharing, Promoting/Gaming, Voyeuring”, Wed 6 Mar, 2024).

The IndieWeb is still small compared to mainstream social media, but you can keep in touch with loved ones, and encourage people to become interested by Publishing on your Own Site, Syndicating Elsewhere (POSSE) (IndieWeb, 2024).

The idea is to link your social media posts back to a home on your website!

See how YOU can join in

Click here!

Join the community on Discord, Slack or IRC!