Weird, Inc. and 2025

I don't remember how I came across Weird and their projects but I'm glad I did. I appreciate their approach of using existing platforms, protocols, and practices from the yesterweb to put the personal website front and center.

Weird, Inc

First, the topic of Weird the organization and their aspirations.

We have big aspirations for Weird. At minimum, a 'social network of personal websites' can be catalyzed by simply mapping and linking existing web spaces together, playing the role of social glue. On a grander scale there's potential for a pro-social reformation of the web as we know it, putting people's websites at the center of our sociodigital interactions.

By aligning to the foundations of Seth Godin's Modern Business Plan, they aim to focus on:

  1. Truth - describe the world as it is
  2. Assertions - how you’re going to change things
  3. Alternatives - what you'll do if assertions don't pan out.
  4. People - who is on your team, who is going to join your team
  5. Money - how much do you need and how will you spend it

Below are some of the points that resonated with me.

Truth

Home ownership on the web, remarkably, is just as fraught with rent-seeking monopolists as our physical spaces. No one gets to own anything anymore.

While they're mainly referring to the social web, this is is generally true across many areas of our digital spaces.

Bluesky...is bringing into mainstream a nearly forgotten cornerstone of the Indie Web: Domain sovereignty

In a reinvigorated social web where your domain-name is your universal address in the digital sphere, Weird is the virtual home to which that address is pointing

'Weird the data importer' is our wedge into the data fortresses keeping our digital identities captive. What will start as a Publish Elsewhere, Syndicate (to your) Own Site (PESOS) strategy makes way for a fully self-sovereign Publish (on your) Own Site, Syndicate Elsewhere (POSSE) end state.

Imagine a WordPress-like website engine that aggregates all of your digital personas into a unified mosaic, completely under your control by combination of cloud backing and local storage.

Alternatives

If the assertions don't pan out, the alternatives that I think might be interesting:

Weird in 2025

Speaking specifically about Weird the product and what the team plans of shipping in 2025.

Weird is best understood as a single-page website generator

Q1 and Q2

'Weird the data importer' is our wedge into the data fortresses keeping our digital identities captive.

'Weird: ₱ESOS-edition' aggregates all of your digital personas into a harmonious mosaic, made completely yours by combination of cloud backing and local-first storage.

Setting up a POSSE pipeline however requires not just the right infrastructure...but also a big shift in workflow.

Most people will probably want a combination of both.

Hence our commitment to both models, starting with the least laborious one [PESOS].

Personally, I prefer POSSE, but it's great to see that Weird plans on meeting people where they are.

Late 2025

Around half-way through 2025, we're hoping to shift some of our attention away from Weird as an individualistic publishing tool to Weird as a network engine.

We think there's massive untapped potential in the web 1.0 concept of webrings, and we fully intend to bring them back.

All of this culminates in one of the key motivations behind the Weird project: A Network of Shared Purpose.

I'm not sure yet what this looks like but making it easier to discover and build networks of personal websites is a good problem to try to solve.

Conclusion

I wish them luck and success in what they're aiming to accomplish. I'm excited to see more projects like this sprouting to shake up the status-quo in our digital spaces.

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