Saw this on Solaria's Blog and it looked fun, so I'm giving it a shot! Here's the template if you'd like to do it too.
1. Please introduce yourself.
Hello! Online, I go by either scifipony or Pebble. I have a lot of hobbies (mostly fandom related) but the main ones are writing, collecting, and making fannish graphics (icons, gifsets, moodboards, etc.).
2. How long have you been making websites?
Not counting the web-builder type of sites like GoogleSites and Weebly, I first started on June 18th 2023 when I launched this website on Neocities.
3. And what got you into the hobby?
There had been a lot of controversy around the AO3 during that time, and I'd honestly grown to dislike that site already by that time, so I was more than ready to bail on it. The problem was that a lot of independent fanfic archives kept dying out and then the stories would either be lost or just taken by AO3 anyways. Then I saw a post on Dreamwidth about building your own fanfic archive, and the rest is history.
4. What kind of website are you most interested in?
As far as making my own websites, I mostly work on fansites of various types. Giving overviews of the franchise in question, archiving fandom lore/history, making helpful "Welcome to the fandom" guides for others, etc. For visiting sites, I still pretty much stick to fansites. Also some forums, archival sites, and personal sites.
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 usually come up with stuff as I go along. Usually I have an idea for what pages I want to start with, and then the rest just gets added as I think of it.
6. Please link to your biggest inspirations.
I don't have any really. When I want inspo for web building, I'll usually just browse random Neocities sites, or look at the page layouts on Toyhouse for inspiration. Sometimes I'll even browse pinterest if I have a vague aesthetic I want to follow.
7. What's your favourite part about making websites?
I don't know, there's something weirdly satisfying in watching it all come together. All the strings of code making your page line up how you'd envisioned it... it's like putting together a jigsaw puzzle. Love the feeling of being able to complete a new page.
8. And the thing you struggle with the most?
I tend to procrastinate like crazy. Or I'll start one page and then get distracted to working on another one, leaving the first one half finished.
9. Do you keep the same layout on all of your pages? Or do you use different ones?
No. I like for each section of my website to have its own identity so I can experiment all I want with different layouts and styles. However, within a section, I'll usually keep a unifying theme so I can use the same style sheet for its subpages. For instance, all the fanfic pages use the same style sheet, but the pixel collection pages use a different one, and the shrines all have completely different layouts.
10. How confident are you with CSS?
Confident in the sense that I can usually make it do what I want it to. No idea how "correct" my usage of it is, as I'm all self-taught, but I can make my pages look how I want them to, so that's good enough for me lol.
11. Do you know how to correctly use <dl>?
Actually, seeing them used here in this list made me go google what they were. And now that I know, I'm definitely going to be using it on my own site; there are so many pages where that would have been handy to have.
12. What is your favourite HTML element?
I know this is a bit controversial, but honestly "div" has saved my life on so many occasions.
13. If you're making a new web page from scratch, what is the first thing you do?
Open up Microsoft Paint and start sketching out how I want everything laid out. Usually, I'll end up deviating quite a bit from that initial sketch, but I need something to work off of when starting out.
14. Do you know JavaScript?
Not really. I can use it somewhat, but I always have to start by copy/pasting some free code and then tinker with it to get what I need. I'm not familiar enough with how JavaScript works to actually write it myself from scratch. I've tried, but it doesn't seem to compute in my brain lol.
15. How about PHP?
I'm currently learning PHP! It's very much a work in progress, but I'm trying.
16. Does your website have a theme that you stick to?
Not really. I do tend to stick to blue and purple colors, and I do use a lot of space and nighttime images as backgrounds. But it's mostly because I personally find those things are soothing to look at, not really because I'm trying to stick to a theme.
17. Are you more focused on content or design?
Probably a mix of both. Some pages are more about the design and trying to build something cool; others are more about the content I'm trying to put out there and the design doesn't matter as much.
18. Do you own a domain name? If not, would you ever want to?
I own a few domain names. One for my main site and a couple for some of my fansites and secondary sites.
19. What do you think of nostalgia-focused or "retro" websites?
They're very cool to look at! I especially love ones that work to document and/or preserve parts of the old web, like ones that collect old web graphics or ones that explain culture and community histories.
20. Is your HTML valid? Do you even check?
Tbh I don't bother even checking. If it works, I don't care if it's "correct" or not.
21. What are your opinion on buttons and banners?
Love them! I enjoy collecting fun looking ones, and I always like to see them on other sites I visit.
22. What do you think of button walls in particular?
In theory, I like the idea. It's a handy way of showing off my bookmarked sites for others to visit (or on other people's sites, they're a great way for me to discover some new sites to follow) but they also take a great deal of regular maintenance to ensure there are no dead links in them.
23. If you started over again, would you make something similar or completely different?
I'm not sure. The current look and layout is working for me just fine, but if given the chance to do it over I would probably be tempted to do some parts very different.
24. Are you envious of other people's websites?
Nope. I do think there are a lot of awesome websites I've seen around the web, but mine works just fine for what I need it to be.
25. What text editor do you use?
I just use the Neocities text editor.
26. Why do you use that one?
I downloaded VS Code, but the built in editor on Neocities really works better for what I need.
27. Do you host your image files on your web server, or on another host?
I try to always host my images directly on the website they're for.
28. This might not be relevant to you, but what's your opinion on the Neocities vs. Nekoweb debate?
As someone who uses both sites regularly, I personally prefer Neocities. But I also think the debate itself is a bit stupid. It seems like most of the vitriol seems to come from the Nekoweb users, and I can't figure out why they hate Neocities so much. Just use whichever site works best for you, and leave everyone else alone.
29. How much server space would you estimate your main website takes up?
My main site uses 108MB. I have no idea how much space my other sites take up.
30. Do you keep local backups of your files?
Yes.
31. Do you prefer simple or highly visual websites?
Visual!
32. Do you stick to certain colours? Do you do that on purpose, or is it your subconscious?
Shades of blue and purple. I have pretty bad sensory processing disorder, so I stick to the colors that are least likely to set my brain off.
33. Have you ever thought about quitting? Why?
No. I enjoy it too much to ever quit.
34. Do you have many webmaster friends, or is it a solitary hobby?
It's a solitary hobby.
35. Do people in your real life know about your website?
They know that I have websites, but not any of the URLs. I'd never trust to show anyone from my real life my websites. They're too personal to me.
36. Do you update your website very often? How often is "very often"?
I used to, but it kind of got away from me this year. I kept going through periods of not updating any of my sites for months at a time.
37. And the overall design, do you change that much? Why or why not?
My main site has gone through three design changes so far. But this latest one has been around for a while now and I think it's staying. I found a design that feels comfortable to me so there isn't much point in changing it.
38. Is your website more you-focused, hobby-focused, or outside world-focused?
My main site is mostly me-focused. Most of the content here is for my own sake -- archiving my stuff, blogging about things I want to remember, exploring my fannish interests, etc. My other sites are fansites, so more hobby-focused.
39. Do you do web design professionally?
Nope.
40. If not, would you like to? And if you're comfortable answering, what do you do for work?
I'd love to, but sadly lack the talent and knowledge to do so. My current job is still computer related but a lot less fun; I work in QA testing software and websites.
41. Do you communicate with people by email very much?
Not really.
42. Some people reject social media and use websites as a replacement. Do you keep social media outside of your website?
I've never really used social media that much. Tumblr and LiveJournal/Dreamwidth is kind of the extent of it. I've never bothered to make accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. because those type of sites just don't interest me personally.
43. How about instant messengers? Do you use a mainstream one like Discord or Telegram? Or something like Matrix? Do you avoid them?
I use Discord.
44. Do you listen to music while you work on websites? If so, what kinds of artists?
I usually like to listen to long-form video essays on YouTube while I work on my site. It keeps my brain entertained enough while doing the tedious coding, but not distracting enough to keep me from concentrating on what I'm doing.
45. Do you keep everything you make on one website, or do you have more than one?
They've been multiplying like rabbits lol. I keep most of my stuff here on the main site, then I have a few for my original fiction writing, and several separate fansites that simply grew too big to keep over here.
46. On a similar note, do you keep to one topic on your site, or many?
Many. My brain is too scattered to keep to one topic.
47. Do you present your real self, or at least try? Or do you construct a persona on purpose?
I don't put much thought into it tbh. I just post about the stuff I like.
48. Have you ever made a good friend thanks to your website?
No.
49. Are you happy with the way HTML and CSS currently work?
Mostly.
50. What are practices that you think people should avoid?
I stand firmly against the whole idea of policing how other people code their sites. I know there are certain rules of etiquette (like accessibility) that are good to stick to when you can, but mostly I think everyone should be allowed to explore and expiriment to their hearts content.
51. What about under-utilised practices, or things you think people should do more?
I think new webmasters are sometimes bullied or shamed into not using templates and I think that's a mistake. Templates are a great way to learn when you're first starting out. Then as you grow to understand the inner workings of html/css better, you can replace the template with your own work. Getting inside an already working structure to study the bones of it is a great way to learn and can help prevent feeling overwhelmed when you're first getting started.
52. Do you use a lot of semantic HTML? Or are you guilty of generic structure?
I use it where it makes sense to me, but I'm admittedly guilty of ignoring it a lot of the time. You can pry "div"s from my cold dead hands; those things are so much more useful than semantic html.
53. Do you consider different browsers?
I try to double check my site on alternate browsers occasionally to make sure everything works okay, but I don't do it often.
54. Speaking of, what's your preferred browser? Convince your readers why they should use it.
Firefox. Although I've been informed that they're implementing AI into their browser now, so I may be switching to Waterfox soon.
55. And what OS are you on?
The computer I use most often is on Windows 10 because I refuse to let it upgrade lol. My newer computer sadly came with Windows 11 and I hate it.
56. Do you have a strong opinion on that, or do you just happen to use it?
It's just whatever OS comes with the computer when I buy it. If I had a choice, I'd much rather still be using Windows Vista (hear me out, it got so much better after the initial awful release! plus, that shit was gorgeous to look at)
57. Are your websites mobile-friendly?
Somewhat. I try to make sure all the pages will work on mobile, but that usually means hiding a lot of decorative stuff and making simplified menus for mobile users. It will work, but it won't look the way the site is intended. Definitely recommend visiting my sites on desktop for the full experience.
58. What are your thoughts on autoplay?
Despise it with every fiber of my being. Should be eradicated.
59. What are your thoughts on webrings? Are you in any?
I'm in a few. They're fun ways to find other sites.
60. Do you have any web shrines? What do you like to see in that sort of page?
Several! I have a bunch more that are online but not publicly viewable yet, as I'm never quite satisfied with how they look, so I think I've got about two dozen total at this point.
61. Are your websites "cliche", in your opinion?
I have no idea what others would consider cliche as far as websites are concerned.
62. What is your ideal website? Are you striving for that, or for something else?
No, I'm just having fun. That's literally the only goal here. This is my hobby and I'm having fun with it.
63. Are you an artist? Do you draw or design your own assets?
Yes! I do make some of my own assets, and others are from free resource packs on deviantart and tumblr. Someday, when I have time, I'd like to go through and swap out more stuff for my own graphics.
64. What are your favourite resource sites?
Deviantart and Tumblr are honestly great places to find resource packs for websites. There's also PixelSafari for lots of cool graphics; their site also has a directory for finding other resource sites.
65. Is there a habit you just can't get away from no matter how hard you try?
I get distracted easily. I'll launch a new page with so many awesome ideas for what to do on it, then quickly get distracted to something else and that page never gets finished. About 70% of my main site is currently unviewable on the public side of things because those pages sit half-finished forever.
66. What's your biggest advice for a new webmaster?
Start simple! I tried to take on too ambitious of ideas too quickly and got burnt out. Definitely start easy and work your way up as you feel comfortable doing so.
67. Do you keep all your styling in CSS? Or do you hard-code some?
Because most of my pages employ different styling from each other, I tend to use a mix of internal and inline css. I do use style sheets when there's a section where all the pages can look the same, like my blog pages or the fanfic archive.
68. What do you think of frameset layouts?
If it's the same thing as those iframe sites, I hate it. You can't bookmark pages, can't hit the back button, and finding anything is so hard. I don't even usually bother sticking around a website if I see it's built with iframes.
69. How about table-based layouts?
Depends on how it's used.
70. Do you subscribe to the ideas of "one-column", "two-column" and "three-column" layouts? Do you use any of these?
Yes! I love having things more squished together, it gives me a cozy feeling while browsing and helps my sensory issues to settle down. I like to use two columns mostly, but three columns when there's a lot of content or I want to decorate more.
71. Do you spend longer on the HTML or the CSS?
Both? Because most of my css is inline, they're both getting done at the same time.
72. Have you ever made a page with no CSS? It's useful for your thoughts.
I don't understand how you'd even do that. Wouldn't a page with zero styling just be a blank page with plain text?
73. Do you ever find yourself making layouts with nothing to put on them? Or do you only make layouts when the need arises?
Too often. I have a whole hidden section of the site that is devoted to layouts I made for fun. Someday I might come up with content to put on them.
74. Would you consider yourself a beginner? Or advanced? Somewhere in the middle?
Definitely a beginner. I know my way around html and css well enough to get things done, but I've been told I do not do things the "right way" at all lol. Also still slowly working on learning PHP and JavaScript.
75. Do you have a habit of looking at the source code of websites you visit?
Sometimes, but only if I see something that catches my attention in a "Wow, how'd they do that?" kind of way. I'm curious and when I see something I don't know how to do, I want to learn.
76. How did YOU learn how to make websites?
I started by following a beginner's guide on Dreamwidth to launch my first Neocities site. Then I installed a template to learn how html and css actually work. Then I redid my site after learning enough to work without a template. Most of my knowledge came from W3Schools which I highly recommend.
77. Do you ever force elements to do things they're not supposed to?
All the time XD
78. Thoughts on floating elements?
Still working on mastering them.
79. When you're sizing stuff, what do you use first? Do you use px, em, %, or something else?
I use % for objects and em for text and line heights.
80. Do you have a favourite font?
Another controversial opinion, but I genuinely love Comic Sans. It's the easiest font for me to read with my sensory issues. Beyond that, I usually use either universal fonts or intsall custom fonts so I don't have to worry about cross browser compatibility. (I'm also fond of Papyrus purely because I don't understand the hate it gets and feel the need to defend it lol.)
81. Would you run a website with another person? How would that work?
Probably not. I like having control of how everything looks.
82. Do you surf the Web to find new personal websites very often?
Sometimes. I've found other people's button walls or webrings can be very helpful in finding other sites.
83. Do you bookmark other people's websites? How would you feel knowing someone else bookmarked yours?
Yes! I have a ridiculous number of bookmarked sites at this point. Honestly, it'd be a huge honor to know someone liked my site enough to bookmark it.
84. What do you want people to be most impressed with when they see your website?
Nothing that I can think of. I'm just having fun making what I want to.
85. Are you interested in technology outside of websites? Do you collect?
Not really. I do have a few too many devices at this point, but I don't collect because tech itself interest me, it's more of a thing where I buy stuff that seems like they'd be useful.
86. How often and for how long are you online?
Probably too much. My main hobbies are writing, photo editing, and video editing, and currently all the programs I use for those are online. I also like working on my websites to relax, so that definitely adds a lot to my online time.
87. When it comes to your website, who is your target audience?
I don't have a target audience. It really is just a fun hobby.
88. Have you ever been interested in XHTML?
No.
89. Do you program in general? Have you ever written a program for use with or on your website, not counting simple JavaScript?
No, but it's something I would love to get into.
90. Speaking of programs that help you make websites, what do you think of static site generators (SSGs)? Have you ever used one?
I personally don't have any interest in using them.
91. Do you keep a hitcounter? Why or why not?
No. I didn't build my site for social media engagement and frankly don't care about how many hits it gets.
92. Do you frequent forums? Which ones?
Yes! I love forums. I visit ones like MelonLand and 32bitcafe for web coding resources. And I really love going through fandom forums like GateWorld, MLP Trading Post, and the Lois & Clark boards. Also general social and hobby forums like the Chickensmoothie one. Basically, a lot of forums. XD
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?
I write it directly into the Neocities editor. It's honestly easier for me that way.
94. Do you think you appear cool to others? A more accurate answer now: do other people ever say you're cool?
Oh, definitely not. I'm a very uncool person lol.
95. Are you embarrassed of your old work? Have you ever deleted everything out of shame?
I did that once when I was a teen and I have regretted it every day since, so I now don't delete any of my work (writing, art, whatever) no matter how much I cringe at some of my older stuff.
96. Would you close down your website if you couldn't update it, or would you leave an archive?
Never. I always feel sad when I find a dead link or run across a site that now only exists on the Wayback Machine. I'd never let my websites end up that way. Even if I hit a point where I just have no interest in updating them, I'd still keep them up as an archive.
97. Do you reveal a lot about yourself on your website? Or are you more secretive?
I'm not intentionally secretive (outside of basic internet safety like not revealing locations and names) but I also only post about my hobbies and fannish activities so I don't feel like anyone visiting the site would learn all that much about me as a person.
98. Are you willing to reveal who your best online friend is, and/or if they have a website?
My best online friend is one of my tumblr mutuals. She doesn't have a website yet unfortunately, but I'm working on convincing her to build one.
99. And do you optimise the images on your website?
Another example of how much I still have to learn: I only recently learned about image optimization, so that's now on my to-do list for this site.
100. We're out of time! How do you feel after answering 100 questions? ....other than exhausted.