Organizing My Online Empire
I’ve been building websites since 1999, which means I’ve accumulated a pretty lengthy web presence over the years. From small experiments to full-fledged projects, I have countless websites, blogs, and accounts scattered across the web. Some are thriving, some are dormant, and others have faded into the digital ether. Many are still in-progress, while only a handful of projects are maintained regularly.
As someone who is crazy sentimental, I’ve always struggled to let go of things—even virtual ones. Each project holds memories and represents a part of my creative journey. But I’m learning that holding on to everything isn’t sustainable. My online identities and projects have grown so sprawling that I’m overwhelmed. It’s time to clean things up, let go of some things, and make space for new ideas.
Why I Need to Record the Past Before Letting Go
Here’s the thing: without the “bones” of old projects lying around, I’ll forget they ever existed. And while I want to move on, I also want to preserve the history of my digital adventures. These projects—whether big successes or abandoned experiments—are all part of my story. That’s why, before I retire anything, I’m creating a record.
Enter EmpireOfMist.com
Today, I started fleshing out EmpireOfMist.com, a domain I’ve held onto for years. My vision for it is to serve as a personal link tree—a central hub where I can catalog all my projects, both active and retired. This site will not only help me organize my current work but also make it easier to identify what needs to go, what needs to evolve, and what can simply be remembered.
Building this hub feels like the first step toward reclaiming control over my digital empire. Once I’ve got everything linked and accounted for, I can begin the real work of deciding what to let go of and how to streamline my presence.
Starting with Facebook
I decided to begin this process with Facebook. After digging through my accounts and pages, I just deleted one of my Facebook pages for ‘A Song of Joy.’ It wasn’t an easy decision—each project feels like a piece of me—but I know it’s the right move. As I continue this cleanup, I’ll look for more pages, accounts, or projects that are no longer serving a purpose and gently retire them.
The Next Steps
This is only the beginning. As I work through my digital clutter, I’ll continue to reflect on what I’ve created, what I want to keep, and what I need to let go of. EmpireOfMist.com will not only be my organizational hub but also a living record of my journey—a map of my digital past, present, and future.
