Personal websites and blogs have a tendency to drift towards LinkedIn-ism, where professional polish smothers authenticity. When you write to an audience, your natural voice inevitably shifts. What you write becomes engineered for presentation rather than remaining human and raw.
Digital gardens, though, are created organically and exploratory when consumed. Rather than following a chronological feed, or content algorithmically optimized for engagement, pages are linked based on context and association.
It is a “pick-your-path experience” in the words of Maggie Appleton. Straying from the rigid sorting by dates means there is a near-infinite number of ways to ‘walk’ through the garden.
Philosophically, this structure treats curiosity as the highest virtue. It is optimized for the reader to follows their own interests, at their own pace, rather than being funnelled towards a sales pipeline or ‘impressive’ works.
Connections
Digital Gardening & Bottom Up Profiles
Link Explanation:
Digital gardening is a more authentic way to blog and communicate for both the reader and the writer. From the writer’s side, you are building a representation of your work and thoughts from the bottom up. From the reader’s perspective, the capability to define your own experiences, led by curiosity is prioritized over engagement and mindless consumption.
Reference
� A Brief History & Ethos of the Digital Garden