Richard MacManusTech journalist covering the modern Web Β· Internet historian @ https://cybercultural.com Β· Founded ReadWriteWeb (2003β2012) Β· π₯
in π¬π§
Richard MacManusContinuing Cybercultural's history of web design, we're still in 1993 but now we come to perhaps the world's first web designer: Jennifer Niederst Robbins. She designed O'Reilly's Global Network Navigator (GNN), which aimed to be an "online magazine". Not easy when you can't even control the colors on a web page! https://cybercultural.com/p/1993-global-network-navigator/ #WebDesignHistory
Richard MacManusToday I'm launching season 5 of Cybercultural: the history of web design from 1993 till 2012. It will be a celebration of the peak years of personal websites and blogs! My intro post explains the structure and a few of the main themes I'll be exploring (e.g. personal web design vs platform peer pressure). I invite you to subscribe now for weekly updates via email or RSS. https://cybercultural.com/p/history-of-web-design/ #WebDesignHistory
Richard MacManusHere's a summary of my web values:
1. Support open source software like Mastodon over βwalled gardensβ like X & Threads.
2. Support open web platform technology; ideally blessed by the Webβs governing body, the W3C.
3. Distribution on the web should never be throttled. (think Net Neutrality, but for social media platforms!)
4. External links should be encouraged, not de-emphasized. Speaking of which π
https://cybercultural.com/p/web-values/
Richard MacManus#introduction Hi I'm ricmac and I'm looking for a new type of social media. Something akin to the blogosphere in 2004. I'm an old-school tech blogger; started a site called ReadWriteWeb in 2003 and then chronicled the Web 2.0 era on it.
These days: before breakfast I tend to my #InternetHistory website, Cybercultural β writing & developing. #IndieWeb
I'm a #Type1Diabetic #T1D
My interests:
#InternetHistory
#WebDev
#Fediverse
#11ty
#ElectronicMusic
#Books
#Birds
(Updated: 14 July 2025)
Richard MacManusContinuing Cybercultural's history of web design, we're still in 1993 but now we come to perhaps the world's first web designer: Jennifer Niederst Robbins. She designed O'Reilly's Global Network Navigator (GNN), which aimed to be an "online magazine". Not easy when you can't even control the colors on a web page! https://cybercultural.com/p/1993-global-network-navigator/ #WebDesignHistory
Richard MacManusRE: https://mastodon.social/@blu256/115887329279999236
If you're also a journalist on Mastodon, please help @blu256@mastodon.social out and fill in this questionaire. I just did it and only took 5 or so minutes. I'm looking forward to seeing the results. #journalism
Philippe Mavridisπ€
JOURNALISTS ON MASTODON
As part of my master thesis I am researching how journalists have embraced Mastodon and the Fediverse.
If you identify as a journalist, please take some minutes to fill out this questionnaire:
https://cloud.disroot.org/apps/forms/s/P6TZc9kiikRzGDSNAWg9fjme
The questionnaire is designed to respect your anonymity & privacy.
You can also help by boosting or sending this post to other people. Thank you!
#journalism #journalist #journalists #jouralistsonmastodon #media #reporter #mastodon #fediverse #fedi
Richard MacManusToday I'm launching season 5 of Cybercultural: the history of web design from 1993 till 2012. It will be a celebration of the peak years of personal websites and blogs! My intro post explains the structure and a few of the main themes I'll be exploring (e.g. personal web design vs platform peer pressure). I invite you to subscribe now for weekly updates via email or RSS. https://cybercultural.com/p/history-of-web-design/ #WebDesignHistory
Richard MacManusThis guy arrived at Cybercultural HQ this morning. His home will soon be on my Zoom background bookshelf :) #Plushtodon
Richard MacManusIn the latest post in my history of blogging and RSS series, I look at the emergence of the blogosphere in 2002 β a thriving ecosystem of colourful personal sites that interconnected to each other via RSS, trackback and blogrolls. 2002 also saw the debut of RSS 2.0, Technorati and Google News. https://cybercultural.com/p/blogs-rss-2002/ #InternetHistory #Blogging
Richard MacManusAnyone have the answer to Rob's question for his project, https://arewedecentralizedyet.online/ ?
https://discuss.systems/@ricci/115165575167627371
Richard MacManusI think this is a fair statement, right? #Threads #FakeFediverse
Richard MacManusThe latest issue of Web Technology News is out: https://webtechnology.news/wtn-5-how-cloudflare-is-both-ai-police-and-ai-booster/
As usual, there are 3 sections:
- web platform
- open social web
- Web + AI
Fedi folks mentioned: @marypcbuk@hachyderm.io, @slightlyoff@toot.cafe, @jensimmons@front-end.social, @tomayac@toot.cafe, @boris@cosocial.ca, @conno_r@threads.net, @box464@mastodon.social, @pfefferle@mastodon.social, @Sarahp@mastodon.social, @scottros@xoxo.zone, @sia@front-end.social (who gets the coveted 'one more thing' spot).
It's a weekly newsletter, all about web tech, and subscribe options are: email, RSS, Mastodon @feed@webtechnology.news, Bluesky. Email subscribers can leave comments, blog-style.
Richard MacManusIf you search for βfediverseβ on Threads, itβs mostly confused users wondering why they are sharing to the fediverse (pressed a strange button?). But there are also people blaming Mastodon for Metaβs failure to implement full fediverse.
Richard MacManusBy 1999, Microsoft had vanquished Netscape in the browser war, Google was starting to show up competing search engines, and Napster and Blogger had arrived to shake up our culture. https://cybercultural.com/p/internet-1999/ #InternetHistory
Author's note: if you read and enjoy my article, don't just 'like' it β please boost or share it on the web another way. Indie bloggers can no longer rely on Google or other big tech companies for attention, so human curation is what it's all about (again). π