Today, there are networks and sites for every need. Social networks are racing to add countless functions and have almost wiped out blogs and forums as they existed a few years ago. There are also multiple platforms for selling online, receiving gifts, offering premium content... There's everything!

You will say to me: "So why, Maud, reinvent the wheel and add all this to your own site?"
Because yes, it's true, it can seem like I'm trying to reinvent the wheel. This website on which you are reading these lines is a "real" website, it is not hosted on any platform, it does not work with Wordpress, Wix or any other "turnkey" solution. This small website is based on Symfony, a PHP framework, and all the functionalities were developed by using my fingers on the keyboard and my eyes in front of the screen, line of code by line of code, or almost.

" But why ?"
Already I will start by making a revelation to you in order to expose the result in all transparency. Coding is part of my professional skills. So apart of  the "why" is because I know how to do it! But that's not the only reason, because even if I have the skills to do it, it requires a lot of time. Develop a blog, a wishlist, an online store, a photo gallery with a subscription part, user accounts, a forum… Believe me, it takes a little time.

"Okay, that's fine, we get it, you're super clever, but what's the point?"
Sorry, it's true that I insist a little on the design and coding, but we are so used to using websites that we sometimes tend to forget all the work that can be behind them (except when we join the dark side of the force and we start using Wordpress).

So the interest of having your own site, like this one, is multiple:

• Independence from algorithms and platforms.
• Freedom of organization.
• Security of data and content.
• Privacy for visitors and subscribers.
• Development of a real community.

I will elaborate a bit:

Independence from algorithms and platforms
So, I'm not at all against social networks, I'm a big user of them and they are great tools for sharing content and getting in touch with people who share the same interests, (although this point is sometimes debatable). But when you want to share content on the Internet for the long term, I find it dangerous to rely solely on them. Social networks and content sharing sites in general decide:

• What content has the right to be published.
• How your content will be displayed.
• To give more or less visibility to your content.
• To suspend or delete all or part of your content, see your account.

By setting up your own site and making it work in association with your social networks, this allows you to regain control over your digital presence, to create your own community and above all not to lose everything due to the misinterpretation of an algorithm.


freedom of organization.
To be able to organize and present your content as you wish, put a little longer text, work on the layout, decide which content to highlight or not...


The security of your data and content.
We forget it, but social networks and other content sharing platforms all have more or less obscure terms and conditions that we don't always accept without reading... and their final goal, most often, is to sell. advertising or using our content to make money in any way, as the old adage “if it's free, you're the product”. By sharing content on your own site, you remain fully in control of your data and owner of your content, texts, photos or videos.


Privacy for visitors and subscribers.
What applies to the use of our own data also applies to visitors. On a site like mine, there is no global tracking, no advertising cookies, no registration of preferences that will be cross-checked in a database containing your entire life.


The development of a real community...
...really interested in the proposed content (at least I hope) and which cannot disappear according to the goodwill of an algorithm.



In summary

A website allows you to have more control over its content and to offer it in a more personalized way, it also allows you to develop projects and an online presence in a sustainable way without being dependent on changes in general conditions or algorithms of the different platforms. In short, to be at home and do what you want ^^

It's a rather counter-current approach to the evolution of the web and it's not necessarily the easiest solution, but I want to believe that it's still possible to offer things independently.

If you create content on the web, I advise you to go in this direction. Social networks are essential, be careful, but having your own site is a real plus for all the reasons mentioned above and for me an essential complement.

Obviously, there are constraints, in terms of development, management, and bringing in visitors (if you're at the bottom of this article, that's a pretty good sign though) but if you have the possibility, you have to try. experience and don't hesitate to talk to me directly or leave a comment if you have any questions or need advice.

Some nice visuals to complete my point:

---

785