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diff --git a/src/blog/small-big-sites.html b/src/blog/small-big-sites.html new file mode 100644 index 0000000..b24d0a9 --- /dev/null +++ b/src/blog/small-big-sites.html @@ -0,0 +1,55 @@ +title: Small Big Sites +date: December 29, 2019 10:32 +--- +<p> +NPR.org pleasantly surprised me when I randomly entered their site to read an +article recommended to me. Upon clicking the link, a full-page privacy advisory +greeted me. "We use cookies to personalize your content bla bla bla". Two large +buttons awaited below the wall of text, waiting on a choice from me, the user. +</p> + +<p> +What surprised me was the choice I was offered. Normally, it's either accept all +cookies vs. leave the site, or the ability to turn off some unnecessary tracking +cookies. In this case, one option was the classic "Agree and Continue", but the +second was "Decline and visit plain text site". +</p> + +<p> +Not "Decline and go away". Not "Decline and never speak to us ever again". But +"Decline and visit plain text site". +</p> + +<p> +Wait, so I can use a streamlined, easy to read, nondistracting version of your +website <em>and</em> not be tracked by multinational advertising megacorps? +<a href="https://text.npr.org/">Nice</a>. +</p> + +<h3>Other small big sites</h3> +<p> +Turns out this text-only version has been around since 2005. CNN also has a +<a href="https://lite.cnn.io">text-only version</a>, though it's not as easy to +find. It also includes analytics javascript which is not as cool as NPR's pure +HTML. In both cases, these light versions were created to make news accessible +in locations or times with low connectivity — for example during natural +disasters. +</p> + +<p> +As much as I'm not a fan of Facebook, I'm very impressed with +<a href="https://mbasic.facebook.com/">mbasic.facebook.com</a>. This is a +minimal, no-ads, no-javascript version of the service, that offers most of the +functionality of the full website or app. It was created with emerging markets +in mind, but I find it to be a good daily driver that doesn't distract and suck +away attention as much as Facebook's products normally are supposed to. +</p> + +<p> +To mention a few other big sites with very minimalist design, +<a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/">Hacker News</a> is a news aggregator +known by all in the tech community that relies on minimal javascript and is +mostly text-based. Warren Buffett didn't shell out much on the design for +Berkshire Hathaway's <a href="https://www.berkshirehathaway.com/">corporate +website</a>. +</p> |