Won't you be my neighbour?
We need to be good neighours to each other. But what does that mean on the IndieWeb? A look at mycorrhizal networks, Indra's Net, and the importance of building intentional connections between independent websites.
his post is, naturally, dedicated to Mister Rogers.
## The Blank Pages
One of the most heartbreaking I see on other people's sites are the empty or sparse pages that declare "work in progress," filled with bright orange pylons of "under construction" or "to be written." Don't get me wrong, you aren't obligated to finishing any particular thing, but if not now, when?
When I started brennan.day, I wanted it to be mostly complete to make sure that I wouldn't start writing posts with a [bunch of pages](https://brennan.day/slash-pages) that I'd never end up getting around to.
And I was smart to trust my intuition, because the few pages I didn't complete before launching are *still* works-in-progress.
One of these is personally important, my [/canon](https://brennan.day/canon) page explaining the works of art and media that have shaped me and how I live and understand the world. It is a little overwhelming, and I don't feel satisfied listing off a couple things and then adding more to it later. Each item would require an essay of its own. For example, my blog post on [the Mountain Goats](https://brennan.day/be-prolific-accept-every-thought-mythologize-yourself-show-up/) or on [Bon Iver](https://brennan.day/i-started-listening-to-justin-vernon-in-grade-school-now-he-s-retiring-as-i-turn-30/). Just two examples and already over 5,000 words. I think the best plan moving forward would simply to keep writing essays on important pieces of media and then start the page once I have a respectable amount. (I, somehow, miraculously, can always find more to write about. It is like an infestation at this point.)
The other is communally important, and what I want to talk about in this post today. My [/blogroll](https://brennan.day)! I have a few placeholders there, and a couple more on my sidebar, but it's rather daunting to work on this proper, to be honest. There are *so* many good blogs out there, so many that I want to immerse myself into and read no different than a paperback novel. As [Matt put it](https://mtwb.blog/posts/2026/blogging/the-indieweb-has-a-discovery-problem/), "the IndieWeb dies without people spreading the word."
But recommending blogs I enjoy reading is not the actual important thing. The important thing is linking to other sites in order to have Internet neighbours, you see. To be an active, deliberate, intentional node in the, well, web!
By the way, what's up with the "web" anyways?
## The Web is Not Mechanical
As you might have noticed, I love metaphors. So does the Internet! While there is a lot of discourse on whether to use the term IndieWeb or Human web or small web, I want to focus on that second word there: web, or net.
Long before computers, a network was a woven thing in our human world. Threads knotted into strength, r
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