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Digital Garden

Created: April 17, 2024
Last edit: August 14, 2024

I've been contemplating the idea of approaching writing on the web as a commonplace book↗, as I've seen other folks do, but then found the concept of a digital garden. Maggie Appleton's essay on digital gardens↗ is where I started, though I think I need another read-through to properly grasp it. Other articles (that I have admittedly skimmed) suggest various tools↗ to build digital gardens. I am too lazy to mess with another program, so I'm doing this the slow way with HTML and CSS. This will work for me because I do not write a lot.

Unlike a blog, the digital garden is not organized by post date and each entry is meant to grow and change over time. I've seen folks use the phrase "public learning" to describe a digital garden. You are meant to edit, refine, even delete unneeded sections. Many gardens have two dates on each page for creation and last edit. Another particularity for a garden is the use of links to navigate between posts rather than sequentially one after the other. Though gardens do usually have a master list, you're meant to wander.

I think a digital garden is especially good for those of us revelling in the "always under construction" of personal sites. Doodle up a page in a few minutes and come back to it later. Link to outside pages, link to other pages on your site, let people get lost in the internet in the best way.