Curation

Some of my favorite Internet finds are websites dedicated to telling their readers about a single subject. Curated and maintained by a single person or a community of folks in their spare time, they are rarely fancy. There aren’t any complicated algorithmic suggestions, and there is no pressure to pay with your money or data. They might have a blog, update feed, or tools of some kind. All told, these websites are intentionally designed to stand as independent, growing, evergreen repositories of information about a single subject.

I loved websites like these, back when I was learning how to code, like Shay Howe’s Learn to Code HTML & CSS, and Jon Chan’s Bento. Industry-specific websites that I’ve kept coming across over the years include Dee Bradley Baker’s “I Want To Be A Voice Actor!” and Jason Thor Hall’s develop.games. I even developed one called Miami Data when I was learning about civic tech.

Of course, there are more websites out there on all kinds of subjects. These were just the first I thought of when I saw Chad Stewart’s recently launched Job Search Resources site on TechIsHiring. Visitors to the site can check out resources across a few categories and submit their own. Chad’s goal is to grow it over time and, hopefully, the community will help it grow into a central repository geared towards helping those on the job hunt.

I think the coolest thing about Chad’s Job Search Resources site is that it’s not trying to be anything more than a resource to those who will benefit from it, contribute to it, and have conversations around it. It is an addition to another website, but it could stand on its own as a resource just as well. With algorithms driving what parts of the Internet I discover, and AI now generating what content it thinks will get the best spot in that algorithm, these kinds of websites are more dear to me than ever before.

It’s a sentiment I hold for more than just websites, and one I’m not alone in holding. Jeremy has talked about this before. Cassidy has discussed it as well. The Internet can, will, and probably should evolve, but it was supposed to be a resource for humans to connect through. The directions companies have taken the Internet through their practices and legislation have leveled up its capabilities but seemingly at the cost of curiosity and genuine organic interest. The Internet we know today doesn’t offer the same sense of wonderment when surfing through new and unfamiliar parts as it once had.

It still can, though. We may just need to build it ourselves.