100 Questions for Webmasters

by MOUSEcky of mouseling.net [original]

1. Please introduce yourself.: i already did on the previous page.
2. How long have you been making websites?: may 2024.
3. And what got you into the hobby?: i guess it was random chance i just wanted to do it. the only "coding" i did before was BBCode on forums but i was good at it. but i think around 2023 i wanted my own site.
4. What kind of website are you most interested in?: websites with a strong sense of identity.
5. What's your workflow? Do you plan your websites out thoroughly or do you come up with the design as you go along?: i get a vague idea and code from that until it looks good. the idea changes as it goes.
6. Please link to your biggest inspirations.: my main inspiration for a simpler design is an artist i like's website. i also like mouseling.net, serecky and tubecell.net. honorable mentions to 14-4ml and msx.horse for inspiring design choices i made in the past.
7. What's your favourite part about making websites?: probably my fanpages or /other/ pages.
8. And the thing you struggle with the most?: following "proper" HTML/CSS rules. i also waste time re-editing elements.
9. Do you keep the same layout on all of your pages? Or do you use different ones?: yes for the main part of the website. my /other/ pages and fanpages can be different.
10. How confident are you with CSS?: confident enough to be able to use it for everything i need.
11. Do you know how to correctly use <dl>?: well i used it a few times now.... i think so?
12. What is your favourite HTML element?: <div> or <img>
13. If you're making a new web page from scratch, what is the first thing you do?: copy one of my other page's code, clear the body, open new css, start making stuff.
14. Do you know JavaScript?: ha.. no...
15. How about PHP?: no.
16. Does your website have a theme that you stick to?: i try to keep things consistent.
17. Are you more focused on content or design?: mostly content but i don't post it often since i make stuff for myself first.
18. Do you own a domain name? If not, would you ever want to?: yes. ".net" is the best of course.
19. What do you think of nostalgia-focused or "retro" websites?: some of them look nice but they have nothing to say. some of them are really busy and messy. i dunno my opinion depends on the website.
20. Is your HTML valid? Do you even check?: i don't see errors or warnings in my editor so yes? i never put it in a validator.
21. What are your opinion on buttons and banners?: i like the 200x40 a lot. 88x31 is classic. i don't know if the 80x15 antipixels count, but really like them too.
22. What do you think of button walls in particular?: they're fine. i like seeing people's button designs.
23. If you started over again, would you make something similar or completely different?: skip the bullshit and get to this layout.
24. Are you envious of other people's websites?: i guess i'm envious of simple but expressive websites.
25. What text editor do you use?: VSCodium
26. Why do you use that one?: live preview add-on and lack of MS telemetry. still has the "AI" bullshit though.
27. Do you host your image files on your web server, or on another host?: Neocities dashboard.
28. This might not be relevant to you, but what's your opinion on the Neocities vs. Nekoweb debate?: i don't care. pick a host and use it.
29. How much server space would you estimate your main website takes up?: Neocities tells me its ~100mb.
30. Do you keep local backups of your files?: yeah, multiple.
31. Do you prefer simple or highly visual websites?: i like both for others websites but i want my website to be simple with visually interesting elements. i keep the over the top visuals to my fanpages or /other/ pages.
32. Do you stick to certain colours? Do you do that on purpose, or is it your subconscious?: teal. that's "my" color. i use black/white because it fits with the backgrounds. i've thought about using the Solarized Dark palette before but i couldn't make it work.
33. Have you ever thought about quitting? Why?: yeah. i'm a private person and that conflicts with having a public website.
34. Do you have many webmaster friends, or is it a solitary hobby?: i've been trying get my friends to work on their own websites.
35. Do people in your real life know about your website?: technically yes.
36. Do you update your website very often? How often is "very often"?: i think my normal updates are 3-5 days apart but i update it at least every 7 days for the weekly AKIRA image.
37. And the overall design, do you change that much? Why or why not?: structure stays the same but i do change up elements. it could be something is irritating me or i think a way to simplify it.
38. Is your website more you-focused, hobby-focused, or outside world-focused?: AKIRA-focused. serious answer is that it's about me and my hobbies.
39. Do you do web design professionally?: no.
40. If not, would you like to? And if you're comfortable answering, what do you do for work?: no, i would hate doing it. my dream job is motorcycle mechanic.
41. Do you communicate with people by email very much?: no.
42. Some people reject social media and use websites as a replacement. Do you keep social media outside of your website?: yeah but i don't post much. my website has become my main "replacement" for SNS.
43. How about instant messengers? Do you use a mainstream one like Discord or Telegram? Or something like Matrix? Do you avoid them?: [groans]
44. Do you listen to music while you work on websites? If so, what kinds of artists?: yeah. 2000s breakcore, video game ost, vaporwave, metal, industrial, etc.
45. Do you keep everything you make on one website, or do you have more than one?: just this one. BUT i have thought about creating a website archiving everything AKIRA related? something i'd like to do with a friend.
46. On a similar note, do you keep to one topic on your site, or many?: my website is heavy on AKIRA since it's important to me. but i talk about other things too, i don't want my website to be seen as "an AKIRA fansite." if it was i would say that. i obviously like AKIRA but this is MY website.
47. Do you present your real self, or at least try? Or do you construct a persona on purpose?: yeah. what i choose to show i try to be authentic about. i just don't like sharing much in the first place for privacy sake.
48. Have you ever made a good friend thanks to your website?: no. i'm not sure i'm interested in that right now.
49. Are you happy with the way HTML and CSS currently work?: guess i'm not advanced enough. i don't know what to be disappointed with.
50. What are practices that you think people should avoid?: LOUD sound effects when you do anything. i never turn my autoplay on even when a page says to because i know it'll be too fucking loud.
51. What about under-utilised practices, or things you think people should do more?: play with the space you're given on the screen more. even though i like left-aligning everything all the time lol.
52. Do you use a lot of semantic HTML? Or are you guilty of generic structure?: i barely use it.
53. Do you consider different browsers?: no but my website does work on them.
54. Speaking of, what's your preferred browser? Convince your readers why they should use it.: Firefox since XP. uBlock Origin. i rather use it than anything else. if you're paranoid then go with a fork like LibreWolf or something.
55. And what OS are you on?: Linux Mint (Cinnamon)
56. Do you have a strong opinion on that, or do you just happen to use it?: my opinion is that my computer is mine, not Microsoft's. but i don't care what OS someone uses and it's not my job to convert anybody. people just want to use their computer.
57. Are your websites mobile-friendly?: it works fine enough but i'm never optimizing for mobile. i'm not interested.
58. What are your thoughts on autoplay?: see #50
59. What are your thoughts on webrings? Are you in any?: they're cool. i manage one for AKIRA. i'm in baccyflap's No AI, howsoonisnow's Gamer Ring, cerealandchoccymilk's Neo-Nihongo and GFDKWTFAW.
60. Do you have any web shrines? What do you like to see in that sort of page?: yeah. i like when someone gives a bunch of info and personal thoughts on the topic. it's how i do mine, i treat the page like visual art to go around boxes of text.
61. Are your websites "cliche", in your opinion?: i don't know. i hope not?
62. What is your ideal website? Are you striving for that, or for something else?: my ideal website is something simplistic that still represents me.
63. Are you an artist? Do you draw or design your own assets?: i am. i want to but my art style isn't really made for it. i tried before and the resolution is bad because i don't know how to simplify my art.
64. What are your favourite resource sites?: graphics: pixelsea.neocities.org, gifcities.org
coding: Mozilla MDN web docs
65. Is there a habit you just can't get away from no matter how hard you try?: divs.
66. What's your biggest advice for a new webmaster?: don't post anything important when it's a WIP, just finish it.
67. Do you keep all your styling in CSS? Or do you hard-code some?: i just kind of do whatever but usually i make a separate sheet if the whole page is looking different.
68. What do you think of frameset layouts?: like a website based around iframes? i don't know what the hell this is.
69. How about table-based layouts?: have to commend the dedication because tables piss me the hell off.
70. Do you subscribe to the ideas of "one-column", "two-column" and "three-column" layouts? Do you use any of these?: i think when you break down most websites they're all 1, 2, 3 or more columns right? it's up to the individual how they change it. i don't say my website is one of those things but i guess it is.
71. Do you spend longer on the HTML or the CSS?: depends.
72. Have you ever made a page with no CSS? It's useful for your thoughts.: no but i thought about it. at least a page using very limited CSS.
73. Do you ever find yourself making layouts with nothing to put on them? Or do you only make layouts when the need arises?: i only make something because i'm going to use it.
74. Would you consider yourself a beginner? Or advanced? Somewhere in the middle?: "intermediate" hobbyist at pure HTML/CSS.
75. Do you have a habit of looking at the source code of websites you visit?: sometimes if i like something and wonder how it was made or what it is.
76. How did YOU learn how to make websites?: brute force, inspect element, MDN web docs and W3schools.
77. Do you ever force elements to do things they're not supposed to?: ...yes.
78. Thoughts on floating elements?: a trick is to set the 'position' of 'body' to 'relative,' at least in my experience floating/'absolute' elements stay where they are no matter the size of screen using this.
79. When you're sizing stuff, what do you use first? Do you use px, em, %, or something else?: px then something else if it works better.
80. Do you have a favourite font?: monospaced in general. top favorites is Consolas or Menlo (alternative Meslo). but i hate dotted zeroes, i dont know why they exist.
81. Would you run a website with another person? How would that work?: no... unless it was me and a friend running that AKIRA archive/database.
82. Do you surf the Web to find new personal websites very often?: lately i'm trying to find new websites but i don't like following websites at random. i want to be fully interested in the website. so i'm having a hard time.
83. Do you bookmark other people's websites? How would you feel knowing someone else bookmarked yours?: i have a few bookmarked. if i knew someone bookmarked my site i would be surprised. i'd wonder what made them do that.
84. What do you want people to be most impressed with when they see your website?: my AKIRA pages.
85. Are you interested in technology outside of websites? Do you collect?: motorcycles? i'm nowhere rich enough to be a motorcycle collector.
86. How often and for how long are you online?: honestly, i dunno. when its about being "online" specifically. i think most of the time i'm on my PC i'm working on something.
87. When it comes to your website, who is your target audience?: at the end of the day myself lol.
88. Have you ever been interested in XHTML?: no, this is my first time hearing about it.
89. Do you program in general? Have you ever written a program for use with or on your website, not counting simple JavaScript?: no.
90. Speaking of programs that help you make websites, what do you think of static site generators (SSGs)? Have you ever used one?: if it works for that person, OK. but i also think people may feel more fulfilled from learning HTML/CSS themselves.
91. Do you keep a hitcounter? Why or why not?: no, unless you count the Neocities views and stats page. i don't care about views enough to have something like that on my website.
92. Do you frequent forums? Which ones?: i check a few. i think the internet should move back towards these.
93. Do you write your page content directly into the editor, or do you prepare it elsewhere, like a text document or a Word document?: sometimes in the editor. if it's long-form writing or a lot of text for a fan page then i write in Obsidian/Xed and format it into the editor paragraph by paragraph. it sucks.
94. Do you think you appear cool to others? A more accurate answer now: do other people ever say you're cool?: i want to. yes i've had people say i'm cool.
95. Are you embarrassed of your old work? Have you ever deleted everything out of shame?: depends. i delete old stuff for all reasons. if i don't delete it then i edit it if i think it's outdated. i'm not attached to my old art or writing that much.
96. Would you close down your website if you couldn't update it, or would you leave an archive?: i'm not sure.
97. Do you reveal a lot about yourself on your website? Or are you more secretive?: no. i don't want to. i think i already share more than i want.
98. Are you willing to reveal who your best online friend is, and/or if they have a website?: my friends haven't updated their websites or their websites don't exist yet... [glare]
99. And do you optimise the images on your website?: i use lazy loading, pixelated image-rendering or dithering. i compress the shit out of my art. my video edits are compressed to a few MB each.
100. We're out of time! How do you feel after answering 100 questions? ....other than exhausted.: i'm fine. thanks for the questionnaire.