I feel like I'm a fraud because of wix

[hellodreamymiku]

I haven't posted in melonland in like ... 6 months? oh my god.

So basically, I have never learned coding and neocities sorta scares me so I use wix to make my personal webpage. For the past year I've had a wix website but I never really advertised it because it felt like I was cheating and without even noticing, I was actually embarrassed of it. The website design I have right now on wix is absolutely something I would want but it could be better of course, still I am scared of upgrading it on neocities because well.. HTML and CSS just looks... very creepy to me. I want to consider myself a part of the indie web community and the whole idea of returning internet into individuality aligns with me perfectly. Yet I still choose to go for a corporation who is definitely trying to make the internet look all black and white and very marketable, I have deep down always had the feeling that I was a fraud. I just wanted to make this post to see if using wix for the indieweb community is accepted or not here. And any suggestion and where can I start on neocities would be really helpful. I love you all and I hope I am clear in my message 

[Absentmind]

Nah I would say using web builders are valid, to me, it's all about expression and decentralisation. If Wix is doing that for you, perfect! You obviously like what you're doing and that's great!

There seems to be this reoccurring idea that Neocities is some kind of cool kids club and if you make something that doesn't align with your perception of what that should be then it's somehow invalid. Which is totally wrong, anyone can post there and it can be anything you want! Wix is nice and accessible and in my opinion, a great place to start.

Can't say I agree with the statement that Wix is a corporation that wants to make everything "black and white". The people who use wix are often small-medium sized business owners who want to make a website for their business or students making portfolios. Since paying a developer to build and maintain your website is very expensive, a lot of people just can't afford it! Wix is a tool to be used to achieve a goal.

I get learning to code is very intimating but it's a skill that you learn and it takes time to master, you'll fail along the way like the rest of us have, but you will get there eventually! If it interests you then it's never a waste of time learning. You have your idea, now think: "hmm, how can I make that myself?" Just google things to see what you can find! Start with the basics on YouTube, start small but aim big and most importantly, have fun!

Another tip: After you've learned about HTML structure and basic CSS, go on people's websites and right click Inspect and look at how they've layed their site out and what HTML/CSS they've used to achieve that, I couldn't tell you how many site's I've had a peep at .

[Melooon]

No one has the right to tell you if your site is part of the web revival or not; only you can decide that 

When I started out on NC I did feel that the coding was an important part of the process; and at the time for me, it was! But Iv also played with the Wix builder and I think its a lot of fun! The web revival is about breaking down norms and rebelling on a web that often feels like its not made for us. You can rebel with code, but its just as valid to rebel with Wix, you can mess with that platform as much as any other and make it your own.

I really dont think that technology should ever be a defining factor of the things we create; you take what you know and what you like, and you push it to its limits, and you learn a little along the way to loop back into it. You can make your site with Wix, or Neocities or a potato stamp - it really doesn't matter!

[xixxii]

it sounds like the website you've made is causing you a lot of negative feelings! that's a bummer. if you aren't happy with what you made with wix, you can try other non-coding-based site builders; there's wordpress, carrd, hot glue, mmm.page, and straw.page. probably even other ones i don't already know about.

getting started learning html can be tough, but neocities has a brief tutorial and w3schools is a reference point a lot of people use, and htmlhobbyist has an overview as well.
i generally find it easiest to learn by deciding what i want to do or what i want my page to look like and then looking up how to do those specific things, and by poking at other people's code to see how they did something. looking at and editing premade site templates can help, too. (32bitcafe has a big list of resources that includes a bunch of templates!)

it can also be helpful to think about what you specifically want out of a personal website and why you're interested in it; having a better idea of what you enjoy and find interesting can help a lot with narrowing down what kind of tools are best suited for your purposes and finding material that works for you. if you aren't sure what you like or what's most fun for you, just try a lot of different things!

[Memory]

HTML and CSS just looks... very creepy to me.

Best thing about HTML is that you don't even have to code a single line or a single HTML tag.
Just use a WYSIWYG editor (what you see is what you get). No complicated programming skills are necessary. This thread about website editors might help: https://forum.melonland.net/index.php?topic=2543

[Semper]

If it helps at all, I started my indie web journey by making my first website on Weebly with its drag and drop builder. It took me a couple years to learn enough HTML and CSS to a point of competence so I could hand code my new personal site, and while on that journey my Weebly site remained my home base. I personally prefer coding through HTML and CSS over a drag and drop builder, since hand coding gives me more creative freedom, but I would not knock those builders. They're a good first step, and a perfectly fine place to have your site thanks to the low barrier of access.

There's nothing better than a more accessible indie web revival community!

[Paprika]

If I hadn't used Sadgrl.Online template, I would've never started HTML. I could also say I'm fraud since I haven't created my own template but honestly it's fine, no one is judging your skills, there's no competition. Have fun, be happy !

[starbreaker]

I haven't posted in melonland in like ... 6 months? oh my god.

So basically, I have never learned coding and neocities sorta scares me so I use wix to make my personal webpage. For the past year I've had a wix website but I never really advertised it because it felt like I was cheating and without even noticing, I was actually embarrassed of it.

I've been building personal websites since 1996, and while I would never use Wix myself because I'm one of those absolute mad lads who write raw HTML and builds his sites with UNIX shell scripts and a makefile, I am going to tell you that your Wix website is perfectly valid.

You don't need to have built it yourself with artisanal HTML and CSS.

You don't need to have your own domain name.

You can use a website builder, or PHP, or JavaScript.

You can build it with Notepad on Windows if you want, or if that's all you've got.

It's your website; you get to build it your way, and any elitist nerd who tells you otherwise plainly didn't get enough atomic wedgies growing up.

The more independent you are from corporate platforms, the better, but if you're new to this then starting out on a platform like WordPress.com, Wix, Weebly, or Squarespace is perfectly fine. You can always try learning HTML and CSS later. There's no rush. And no obligation.

If anybody tells you otherwise, send them my way. They can answer to my boot while I kick their asses into the Kuiper Belt.

[BagelCake]

i love this, i see everyone's cool little sites and want one of my own but felt like i can't make a site i love without learning a ton more first. it's nice to see the sentiment of "it's fine if you're not an HTML master, just make something you love"

so i'm going to do that and work on bettering my skills in the meantime so i can make my own fully custom site later that's all mine :)

[sibusen]

Also I think that looking at Neocities sites can be intimidating because the dominating aesthetic is maximalist with a lot of stuff going on and it can seem very overwhelming to build.

You could go straight back to basics and see what you can do with pure html. Personally I really like the really basic html sites that pretty much just looks like a Word document. If you did that you would see that it's not very demanding to get the html structure down and just add to that bit by bit in your own tempo!

That might also give you some headspace to focus on the actual content that you put on your site.

I think you can totally handle html if you just go with babysteps!

[Icey!]

While HTML and CSS is pufferable for the freedom and personality it gives, there are no rules when it comes to website making! Even I started my website making experience with Google Sites!

Although I will tell you that HTML and CSS does become very easy once you learn the basics, I remember feeling a bit scared of Neocities but once I dipped my toes into it I was already making full on layouts in a matter of minutes. You will be surprised how quickly you can make pages after only like a few hours of learning threw trial and error with simple CSS styling.

[starbreaker]

i love this, i see everyone's cool little sites and want one of my own but felt like i can't make a site i love without learning a ton more first. it's nice to see the sentiment of "it's fine if you're not an HTML master, just make something you love"

It took me almost thirty years to get this far (1996-2024). If you want to, you'll get there eventually. As long as you're not dependent on sites like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and TikTok you're already ahead of the game.

[PurpleHello98]

It's totally okay! Like others have said, the host/tools you use aren't what make you part of the Web Revival---it's the spirit! And if it makes you feel better, I got my start on a Weebly site absolutely ages ago. (I do kind of wish I could wipe it off the face of the Internet, but that's for irrelevant reasons.)

I also started writing HTML knowing absolutely nothing, and years later, I'm still learning new things very often! It only takes baby steps to get started, and eventually you can be really good at HTML and CSS! I recommend HTML for Dummies or similar books if your local library has any---they were great helps when I was getting started. Plus, for some reason, I think they're fun to just read through! Once you get through the basics, it'll come much easier, I promise. Happy webweaving!

[bby]

you are definitely not a fraud. everyone has to start somewhere! and learning web design can be really daunting at first. back in the 00s, my first site was on freewebs which is similar to wix i believe. i also used to use a lot of premade layouts and tweaked around some things. that's how i learned. heck, i still use those if i feel like it and leave a credit link somewhere on my site. my leprd space is just using a slightly tweaked version of the default user homepage everyone gets when they sign up because i'm not focusing on the design aspect of my site yet, just learning new skills.

having your own site is awesome and should be celebrated. it doesn't matter how you made it, just the fact that it exists is really cool. you don't have to handcode if you don't want to and in my opinion no one should shame you for it. it's your website: you chose how it looks and the content you want it on it. if wix works for you right now, then stay there. and if it doesn't in the future, you'll find another host.

 

[Zombiethederg]

Yet I still choose to go for a corporation who is definitely trying to make the internet look all black and white and very marketable, I have deep down always had the feeling that I was a fraud. 

Brother, if anything that makes you LESS of a fraud since your using their website to go against exactly what they want. Thats sick as hell, and if it works for you, then it works!

As for "being a fraud" honestly, I dont think you are. It seems lots of people agree, but I know that when I started making my own webpage, I was stealin code left and right (I of course left credit) for things. So far, I dont think im a fraud. Ive credited the people who've made the code and made my own things along the way!

You shouldnt feel ashamed at how you build your website, as long as its an expression of yourself, and your ideas are your own! Hell, even then theres some limit to that, as my website steals the sitemap from the Melonland website and turned it into the whole website! But even then, I still added my own flair yknow?

Point being, you are FAR from a fraud.