Why I Made a Website

Note: This was written prior to publication of my website.

The idea of making a website is one that has been on my mind for quite some time now, ever since some recruiter insisted that a portfolio website would be a great way to raise my internship chances. It makes sense I guess, but to be honest, I was never fully convinced by that notion. Why go to the effort of making and maintaining a whole website when I already have a resume and a linkedin to worry about?

The Benefits

It wasn’t until June 29, 2024, when I stumbled across this video by Ali Abdaal, that I had a change of heart. You see, what I realized then was that the main purpose of a website should not be just to get a job. It should not be just a fancy version of your resume.

Instead, it should be an authentic, holistic representation of you as a person. It should be a way to show the world who you are, what you’re passionate about, what you believe in, and all those things. Sure, it can include your professional experience. But it’s so much more than just a portfolio.

With a website, you have incredible freedom to express yourself without the rules and expectations that come with standard mediums such as resumes, linkedin, or instagram accounts. With a website, you have the opportunity to create something that is entirely, uniquely you.

The Expression of Ideas

I don’t know about you, but I personally have a lot of ideas in my head that are just bursting to get out there into the world.

After all, that’s where ideas belong. As Steven Johnson puts it in Where Good Ideas Come From: “You could develop small ideas in a locked room, cutoff from the hunches and insights of your competition. But if you wanted to make a major new incursion into the adjacent possible, you needed company. ”

Contrary to popular belief, most innovations and breakthroughs were not achieved by lone geniuses toiling away in their basements and suddenly shouting “eureka!” No, they were achieved by distributed networks of people, who communicated and collaborated and gradually refined their ideas into something extraordinary.

If you think about it, there is no greater such network than the Internet. And so, the purpose of this website is to act as the ultimate springboard for my thoughts and ideas to disperse far and wide through the tendrils of the interweb. Out there, they can grow and evolve, connect and inspire, get demolished and reborn again. And maybe, just maybe, something extraordinary can come out of it.

Thoughts in Hiding

Let’s talk about me for a second. Most people who know me, know me as a chill, sometimes silly, sometimes quiet guy. Many of them, I imagine, have seldom witnessed the other, often hidden half of me — a realm filled with the abstract, the contemplative, and the philosophical. Who am I? What is human nature? What is this thing we call life?

Sometimes I wish that people would talk more about this kind of stuff. I mean, it is there if you look for it in books, articles, etc. But, in everyday life, it seems to be exceedingly rare. People are happy to ramble about football games and TV shows and the latest gossip, yet somehow there is no room for the most fundamental questions of them all. I think that’s a big problem. I suspect that, if this humanity thing is to be sustainable long-term, we’re going to need a lot more of this kind of discussion — and not just in "intellectual" circles, but amongst everyone.

Of course, that's easier said than done. Even I — someone who loves to think about this stuff — often struggle to put it into words. It’s just, I don’t know, kind of uncomfortable. What if I say something stupid? What if I fail to do the topic justice? Maybe if I just think about it some more, then I’ll be ready to speak about it. On and on and on, but somehow I never feel ready.

Perhaps most people are like me, just thinking and never talking. Perhaps most people never even give it so much as a thought. Or perhaps, most people do talk about it and I'm just out of the loop. Do I just need to try harder, or is society itself to blame? Or both? I don't know, but I sure would like to find out — and that, I think, starts with doing a better job myself.

So here I am, talking about these hidden thoughts of mine — or more accurately, writing about them on my website. And here you are, reading about them. Maybe you think they're boring, maybe you love them, maybe you hate them — regardless, I would love to hear your thoughts!

Finding Connection

Alright, so if you’re still not convinced, let me put it this way. You can think of your website as sort of the ultimate conversation starter. Anyone who comes across it will be able to see everything that you want people to know about you, all in one place.

If they’re intrigued by what they see, then they’ll reach out, and chances are, those are exactly the type of people whom you want to connect with anyways — future friends, future employers, maybe even future spouses. No random people spamming for linkedin connections, no sketchy bots and sneaky scammers (or at least, a lot less).

The key, I think, is simply to be true to yourself — no need to distort or hide anything. I am not recommending you reveal your social security number or anything. Obviously, there are some personal things that you should not just put on the Internet (for instance, you do not need to know that I ****** my **** ******* ***** last year). But there is a lot that you can put online to show people who you are.

If you’re afraid that friends or acquaintances will judge you for what you put out there, remember that people typically don’t judge you as harshly as you think. And if they do, then heck, maybe they aren’t the kind of people you want to associate with anyways.

Worst case scenario, if no one is paying attention to your website, remember that simply the act of writing about yourself, your thoughts, and your life, can be more than worth it. Self-reflection is an incredible way to sharpen your thinking, get to know yourself, and become a better person. And eventually, when the right people come across your website, then of course, that's when the magic happens.

Some Tips

As for how to create the website, Ali Abdaal’s video is a good place to start. I will say, I did consider coding a website from scratch, just because it's the cheapest option and I’ve done it before. But what I ultimately realized was that the amount of time it would take was probably not worth it, considering my main priority was not to get web development experience but to make a good website. Unless you’re a CS major/software developer, you’ll likely be in the same boat.

So I just went with a slightly more expensive option, Hostinger, and swallowed my inner computer geek’s ego by going with their beginner-friendly website builder. But hey, I have no complaints — so far, it has worked wonderfully. And relatively speaking, it was still a pretty low price (I got the 48-month Premium Plan for $2.99/mo, which despite the name, is their cheapest option).

If you're interested in using Hostinger as well, feel free to use my referral link (or don't). It should give you a 20% discount, and me a 20% commission. If you're still a bit uncertain, I would recommend watching this review — it does a great job explaining the pros and cons of Hostinger. I, for one, found it to be very helpful.

Recap

Ultimately, I would say that this website was borne largely out of a need to:

1. Provide an outlet for expressing my deeper, more abstract thoughts

2. Develop my ideas and share them with the world

3. More effectively connect with people whom I resonate with

To that end, I have strived to make this website an authentic portrayal of me. It is and will always be a work in progress, as I myself am a work in progress. But I will try my best to ensure that it stays an accurate reflection of me, as I continue to grow and learn and figure things out.

And that’s about it! For those of you who knew me — hopefully this has settled your burning question of why the heck did Adam make a website? Perhaps, you may even have been convinced to make your own! And to all of you readers — if this has been in any way interesting, just know that there will (hopefully) be more coming out on Medium and on my blog!