you're. you're joking, right?

I check in on Neocities sometimes on my phone and the seeing the number literally just blew me away. Thank you so much to everyone who decided to follow along with my little site!

Followers aren't the point of Neocities. It's not the reason I joined this platform, and it's not the reason I stay, but I feel like it would be stupid not to thank everyone who follows anyways. There's such a connection on Neocities that I feel you really don't find a lot of other places.

I joined Neocities originally because I thought that the idea of coding your own website was really cool! I always wanted to learn how to code when I was a kid, so this seemed like a perfect opportunity. The main focus of my website is graphic design and web design, even though I'm an amateur. The reason I keep going is because Neocities is genuinely one of the best places on the internet I've ever been.

In our world right now, we have been robbed of third spaces. There is nowhere we can go anymore that doesn't have some sort of paywall. Because of this, we turned to social media. Social media is evil, basically. It feeds us the lie that this is where community is -- all while sucking you down into a never-ending doomscrolling pipeline where you can never take a breath of fresh air. The internet used to be a friendly place, where people could come to actually connect online. Now, it is hostile. Social media forces us into division rather than connection. On Neocities, I see people who are trying / have broken free from the fake connections of social media and turned to something real. I see a community that fights back. A community that cares!

Wonderful people from all parts of the world gather here to create a space that is their own, who want to share their lives and creativity with others. Every time I click on a website, I get a little glimpse into something I've never seen before. People come here to share love, empathy, trust and hope with people they will more than likely never see face to face in their lifetime. This is what the internet was made for -- true connection. People here bond over the smallest things, and it's beautiful! I believe the internet, just like the world, is supposed to be kind. I've been so lucky to meet people on here who have given me fresh perspective on life and a kind way to go. Thank you to everyone I've met here who has made my internet experience truly, truly wonderful.

I want to give a special shoutout to some of the websites who convinced me to make a website, especially RatPilled (now deleted). This is the site that really gave me the push to create my own website, and it genuinely makes me tear up thinking that I may have the same affect on others. I hope to continue sharing my light on the internet for others (or for nobody) to see. My second shoutout is for my friend Elly at Catboo. Thank you for letting me bounce ideas off of you and for going through my code when it doesn't work on Linux (even when it's late at night and you're probably annoyed at me lmao). You have been a wonderful friend to me and one of the best things I have gained from Neocities.

If you're reading this and are looking for some more wonderful sites to follow, wonderful webmasters to talk to, here are some of my recommendations:

Thank you so much for 400 followers, and for 2 genuine, kind, hopeful years on Neocities.