Hey Scratchers!
We've all been feeling it – algorithmic feeds are OUT for 2026. The internet has become overrun by corporations that are farming every last dollar out of our attention spans. It has a profound negative effect on all of us . Scratch is starting to feel like one of the last bastions of creativity on the internet… but, it turns out, there's a whole world out there, that being the indie web!

As the mainstream web has disappointed us, more and more people have decided to make their own websites. The best part about having your own corner of the internet is that, with a bit of HTML and CSS, the only limit is your imagination. Your website can be anything; you write the rules. Mine is going to host a blog and my art, but yours will be just that – yours!

(Description: The initial concept sketch of my website, made lovingly in MS Paint.)

It might seem daunting, but you don't have to host your own server – there are services not only provide search tools so you can find people's indie websites, but also handle hosting… for free!!! Learning HTML and CSS has been a challenge, given that it's totally new territory for me, but the challenge is thrilling! I've been having a lot of fun picking apart websites and learning as I go. If you love coding on Scratch, I really recommend that you experiment with other languages. Trust me, it's easier than it looks!

If, still, you're feeling unconfident about HTML and CSS, there's plenty of amazing resources available for free online. You can find frameworks which handle the technical parts, allowing you to customise with ease. For example, Petrapixel's website has lots of great resources to help you get started. If you want something more one-of-a-kind, learning resources such as W3schools will tell you everything you need to know.


(Description: An early build of my own personal website! Contains placeholder text/images but resembles the initial sketch as seen above.)

It ain't much, but it's my own, and the feeling of accomplishment is really unmatched! I want my website to be unconventional, I want it to be strange, I want it to be ME – and I'm really happy with what I've made so far. You can check it out – though, don't expect it to function soon. I'm still working on it!
I can't wait to see what website YOU will make! If you have any questions or ideas, I'd love to hear them!

love the comic sans so this is a certified classic in my book

cool, do strawpages count, even though there's no coding involved?

CuteHamsterOwO wrote:

cool, do strawpages count, even though there's no coding involved?

because I have one

That totally counts!
Strawpages are a great tool for starting out; the interface is really accessible and there's a really strong community backing. I will say it can be pretty limiting depending on what your idea is, which is why I opted for building my own website, but there are lots of awesome things you can make with it!
Either way, having a space to call ‘yours’ on the internet is really liberating. Keep on challenging yourself and keep on being you