REDISCOVERING MY LOVE FOR THE WEB ================================= Published: December 15, 2024 Author: Daniel Conderman (DJRC) Context: Recovered Conderman.Group personal-web essay Original URL: https://conderman.group/2024/12/rediscovering-my-love-for-the-web/ Now that my WordPress site is up and humming along, I cannot help but feel a wave of excitement. The tools and possibilities for creativity have reminded me why I fell in love with the Web in the first place. With a few AI threads helping me build things out, posting has become a creative haven. I skipped the last decade of WordPress evolution, and coming back has been a revelation. Even the vanilla setup is mind-blowing. Templates, features, and formatting are all here. I do not want plugins, third-party analytics, or unnecessary access. This site is simple, personal, and tracking-free. There are no third-party cookies or sneaky ads. Tracking visitors feels outdated and irrelevant. Unless I have interacted with someone firsthand, I have no confidence that a real person is visiting. Today's "Internet traffic" feels like a shadow of what it used to be. Twenty years ago, Google rankings felt real. Now Google has sold the ads, the search, and the clicks. The open Web's magic was buried under corporate algorithms, but I have rediscovered that magic for myself. FROM WEB 1.0 TO WEB 3.0 ----------------------- I cut my teeth on Web 1.0. HTML, CSS, and JavaScript were my playground, and I loved making them do magic tricks. Web 2.0 brought me into the professional fold: I got paid to build, create, and refine. It was a golden era for me as a developer. Now the lines between app and Web have blurred. The available tools -- especially WordPress and AI -- have reignited my passion. I am using Web 3.0 tools and AI 1.0 technology to have fun with my hobby, and it has been an absolute blast. AN INVITATION ------------- If you are a real person and have found your way here, say hello. This site is for authentic connections, sharing creativity, and celebrating what the Web can still be. It is an ad-free, tracking-free space -- a small rebellion in a world of hyper-analytics. DJRC signing out.