cmc/cleberg.net

  1#+date:        [2025-10-24 Fri 19:41:41]
  2#+title:       Digital Garden
  3#+description: What a digital garden is and how I think about mine.
  4#+slug: digital-garden
  5#+filetags:    :web:
  6
  7* What's a Digital Garden?
  8
  9Before I start describing digital gardens, I want to show a couple examples that
 10are distinct enough to show how varied digital gardens are.
 11
 12The first is a website ([[https://avas.space][ava's space]]) and the second is a private collection of
 13notes, using [[https://www.orgroam.com/][org-roam]].
 14
 15#+caption: avas.space
 16#+attr_html: :alt Ava's Space, a digital garden and website by Ava.
 17[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20251024-digital-garden/ava.webp]]
 18
 19#+caption: Org Roam
 20#+attr_html: :alt A screenshot of an org-roam digital garden and collection of note files.
 21[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20251024-digital-garden/orgroam.webp]]
 22
 23A digital garden is a personal space, just for you. It could serve any number of
 24purposes, which I'll get into later, but the key is that it serves a specific
 25purpose for yourself.
 26
 27The primary features of a digital garden, as opposed to a personal website or
 28blog, is that it is not inherently structured in a strict manner, it may follow
 29a free form structure, it may look like a work-in-progress wiki.
 30
 31At the end of the day, it defines a web page where any type of content exists
 32and the author takes time and care to prune it in a specific manner.
 33
 34* Historical Context
 35
 36A lot of people talk about [[https://www.eastgate.com/garden/Enter.html][Hypertext Gardens: Delightful Vistas]] by Mark
 37Bernstein as the first instance of this phrase on the internet. And while this
 38may be true, I want to take a step further back.
 39
 40Have you heard of a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memex][Memex]]? This hypothetical device was described in Vannevar
 41Bush's 1945 article "As We May Think". He envisioned a device that would be able
 42to store all of a person's information for them - books, records, and
 43communications. The person could then reference the Memex for any information
 44and be guided to the correct spot. Essentially, it would the 1940's version of a
 45mind mapping or personal knowledge system.
 46
 47From the Memex to Hypertext Gardens to mind maps to other knowledge management
 48systems, humans seem intent on constantly reinventing the art of information
 49organization.
 50
 51The modern web is the result of 30+ years of redesigning the web to streamline
 52information. However, in this refinement, we've lost the art and beauty of
 53personal websites where people would dump all of the information relevant to
 54themselves.
 55
 56Digital Gardens are a movement to bring these personal websites back and present
 57them in a personalized fashion.
 58
 59* Common Uses
 60
 61Before I get into /how/ to build a digital garden, I want to touch on the
 62potential uses. Everyone has their own reason for building a website and digital
 63gardens are no exception.
 64
 65You may want to build a digital garden for any number of reasons:
 66
 67- Knowledge management
 68- Creative exploration
 69- Collaborative learning
 70- Personal reflection
 71- Artistic expression
 72- Data hoarding
 73- Social interaction
 74
 75* How to Build Your Own Garden
 76
 77If you do want to create your own digital garden, you can get started with a few
 78easy steps:
 79
 801. *Choose a platform*: You can host a website for free on platforms like GitHub
 81   or use a more note-taking platform like Notion or Obsidian.
 822. *Set Up the Structure*: Decide how you want to organize your content. Remember
 83   the purpose of a digital garden! Plant all of the information you care about
 84   and then work to prune and clean them up as they grow.
 853. *Start with Your Interests*: A digital garden should reflect yourself. Find
 86   your passions and start from there.
 874. *Regular Updates*: A garden won't grow if you ignore it. Remember to check in
 88   and think if you want to add more, prune things out, or move things around.
 895. *Interlinking Ideas*: Like plants and ecosystems, a digital garden should link
 90   together. You may use tags or links to connect items on your own site or
 91   perhaps includes links or lists to other gardens you enjoy.
 92
 93By far the most important piece here is regular updates. You can always fix or
 94change things, but the garden won't grow if you don't contribute to it.
 95
 96* Additional Suggestions
 97
 98Digital gardens are such an easy way to manage your knowledge and unleash your
 99creativity. Instead of sticking to the usual blog format, you get a space where
100your ideas can grow and change over time. Whether you want to document what
101you’re learning, share thoughts with others, or just reflect on your journey, a
102digital garden can be the perfect tool.
103
104I strongly encourage you to create your own today, even if it starts as private
105notes instead of a website! Nothing is ever too small and the point of a garden
106isn't to be perfect, but to be a place where you can experiment and have fun.