I just sent out the first issue of my new newsletter Own Your Web.

Own Your Web is a newsletter for anyone who wants to design, build, create, and publish on the Web. Every other week, I’ll send out an email full of actionable insights, best practices, hacks, links, books, tools, and other high-quality insights I found or explored. Whether you want to get started with your own personal website or level up as a designer, developer, or independent creator working with the ever-changing material of the Web, this little email is for you.

Having a personal website in 2023 is a superpower. It’s a place to write, create, explore, and share whatever you like, without limitations. It’s a playground to try out new things, tinker with new technologies, and build something beyond the ordinary. It’s a tool to make yourself heard, to participate in online discourse, create community, and make new friends. And, it’s a place to truly own your content and tell your story. It’s your personal home on the Web.

But while it is as easy as never before to get started with a personal site, is it, at the same time, harder than ever to handle the complexity that surrounds websites today. Which domain should you pick? Which tech stack, content management system, or platform is the right one? Or should you use a static site generator instead? What about frameworks? Do I need to learn JavaScript? How do I choose a typeface in less than a year’s time? Which modern CSS features are safe to use? How can I make my site performant and accessible for everyone? To SEO or not to SEO? What are Webmentions? What’s RSS? And, what the heck should I write about, after all?!?

As you can see, there’s no shortage of topics to cover in a newsletter like this one. 😉 My current plan therefore is that each issue will highlight one specific topic, idea, or question that we all run into at some point. But I’ll always also include a tasty bunch of generally useful links that popped up in my feed reader.

If that sounds like something you might enjoy, sign up for free here:

👉 https://matthiasott.com/newsletter

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PS: If you are thinking about starting your own newsletter soon, have a look at Buttondown, the service I’m using for Own Your Web. Setting up the newsletter was a breeze and Justin and team were quick to respond whenever I had questions. But what I enjoy the most is how easy it is to actually write your newsletter. You can write your email in plain markdown or, if you prefer that, in a rich text editor. To add images, you simply drag and drop them into your text. They will automatically get delivered via CDN. You can also configure your own sending (or even hosting) domain and there are numerous advanced features (depending on the plan), like automations, webhooks, tags, or an API to programmatically interact with your newsletter and subscribers. And, starting with the basic plan, you can customize your newsletter with your own HTML and CSS snippets.

If you use the following link, you’ll get $9 off of your first month of Buttondown. In return, I’ll earn a commission that supports my newsletter. 🤗

https://buttondown.email/refer/ownyourweb

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ⓘ Webmentions are a way to notify other websites when you link to them, and to receive notifications when others link to you. Learn more about Webmentions.