This post has two main purposes in my mind: write an idea down, in case I find myself able to return to it; put the idea “out there,” in case anyone else wants to pick it up and run with it.
About a year ago I had the nebulous idea for a simple #Indieweb directory built around webmention:
- sites would add themselves by creating a post which sends a webmention to the directory.
- The directory would retrieve and parse the post to retrieve site name, base url, feed links, etc.
- Any tags and categories marked with
p-categorywould be used for directory classification and organisation. - There would be a simple administrative queue for approvals and data cleanup (parsing errors and the like). Sites wouldn’t appear until they were approved.
- Site owners could preview what an unapproved directory listing would look like by signing in with IndieAuth. They’d also be able to delist themselves/make changes (also possible through webmention).
I never had a chance to get further than very initial experiments with this, so I’m wondering if I should just let the domain (indieweb.directory) expire in a couple of days, or renew it “just in case.” I can’t see me having any extra free time this year to actually do something with the idea.
@MrKapowski It sounds like a good idea and worth giving a try. It would be useful if you could capture any feeds from the sites listed.
Asa for domains, I’ve got a couple of domains intended for directories I’ve been sitting on for years. You never know when the itch will hit you.
@MrKapowski I think you will get a good number of submissions with such a directory. Most bloggers who have taken the time to add Indieweb capabilities to their blogs are keen to show others that they have them, which is good. An example is the Indieweb Webring which has gained a lot of members.
Hard to say on if it’s worthwhile on feeds. I included them on my directory but the content of the feed only shows on the “detail” page for the listing and I’ve detected little if any interest from users. I quit including the feed URL for listings I add but I leave the option there for people adding their own blog. I was worried about eventual bandwidth usage. Your mileage may vary. 🙂