5,113 days ago I decided that I should register a domain name and select a hosting provider for a website to host what was, at the time, nothing more than a collection of music game related files and some discussion forums. That site was the very one you’re on, www.xadara.com, and in that time things have changed quite a bit, yet oddly stayed the same.
For all of those 14 years I’ve had one goal with this site — to share what I create with the world, for those who may enjoy it. Over the nearly decade and a half my life has, as one would expect, taken some incredible twists and turns. Good days, bad days, people coming and going, life, death… let’s just say it’s been a pretty eventful time in my life, as one would expect.
While the roots of this site are somewhat absurd, in some ways — very “weeby” as the term would be these days — it, like me, has managed to mature and adapt to the world it’s been thrust into. People grow, and change. Sometimes people figure out who they are and what they like very early on. Others may take some time to figure that out. Me, I’m in the middle. I’ve always known what I like, but it seems I had to go out of my comfort zone to really discover that all along I knew myself and, by extension, this website has always been what it needed to be and nothing more.
I’ve not written much in the past few months.. hell, really the past year, as I’ve been working on other projects. I’ve been focusing my energies away from many of the things which have caused me stress in the past, but were things I felt I needed to focus on for one reason or another. It’s a mistake I think many make while trying to find themselves. In a bit of irony, however, me stepping back from writing here has certainly benefited the site more than hindered it. I’ve far from abandoned it, oh no — I’m simply working on things that will eventually be covered in depth on this very site; niche things that, I hope, an audience different from what I’ve traditionally tried to appeal to will appreciate.
My biggest mistake has been trying to play the game that the modern web has set up for us all — the social media rat race. I hate it, and where once this site simply served as a place to hose some files and share the occasional thought, now it stands in defiance against what I feel has taken over and outright ruined the internet — social media and the trends that come from it — influencers, meme culture, and everything else that one simply cannot escape.
While yes, I get the irony of me using social platforms, especially to share these articles I write here, it’s all a means to an end — get people here, if they enjoy it great and if not, then they can do something else. I’ll expand more on that in the future.
Now, as for this site, what’s to come? I plan on making a few minor changes that have been long overdue — a bit more of a focus on “here’s some standard content to read, and if you want it all here’s the actual blog feed” to keep new hit attention on certain entries vs others. Basically a well curated front page, for those who remember those on personal sites. It will make things a little easier, and less chaotic, I think.
Time will tell. I planned on rolling that out today but got busy with work and other things. Again, more to come on that, as always.
365 days from now is the big 15 for this site. Let’s see what the next year brings!
