Relive the Internet of the 90s With “Neocities”

Remember the use of dial-up access in the 1990s? When the technology was new, the online world wasn’t flooded with corporations and everyone was basically trying to figure out what is the internet ? If you miss those days and want to go back to the information superhighway where ordinary people created fancy online homes for themselves instead of just filling out text boxes on Twitter, rejoice: the old web lives on in Neocities .

Initially launched in 2013 as an attempt to preserve the content of defunct 1990s hosting company GeoCities , Neocities has grown into a network hosting over 600,000 bespoke websites created by people the old-fashioned way: with HTML and Javascript.

Old web trends never die; they just get ironic

Non-urban surfing (“web surfing” is what people used to call farting on your computer) offers an alternate reality where Web 1.0 never died. There are tons of abandoned, unfinished pages; midivmusic autoplays when you open every other page (I don’t actually miss it); and animated GIFs of construction equipment are everywhere. This is the place for mind-blowing graphic design , web rings , and in-depth discussions on obscure topics .

The main difference between neo-1990s web pages and real ones is tone. None of the Neocities sites I checked were run by old people clinging to the web experience they know best; instead, all young people consciously opt for an outdated style in order to return to a “simpler time” that they did not really experience. The real pages of the 1990s bristled with enthusiasm for the novelty (“I can turn a cursor into a bomb! Look at my hit counter! I’m on the cutting edge!”). Websites from the neo-90s era are more about preserving the vibe of the past with curated collections of flashing tile GIFs , guestbooks you can sign (remember those?), and personal mission statements . Newer sites tend to be better organized and easier to navigate than sites from the 90s. The look and feel is inspired by the best of Web 1.0 design, but with the benefit of hindsight. I think it’s ok.

How to Make Your Own Old School NeoCities Website

Neocities will let anyone sign up and create a page for free, with 1GB of storage and 200GB of bandwidth to work with. If the gig doesn’t have enough storage for all your animated GIFs and midi files, a $5/month subscription gives you 50GB of storage space and much more bandwidth than you’ll ever need.

Once you’ve booked your spot, you can check out the Neocities tutorials to learn the ins and outs of the blink tag in HTML, as well as take lessons in newfangled technologies like CSS and Javascript – all the tools you need to create your own little home on the world wide web.

For inspiration, you can visit the many sites on Neocities that have stylish and cool 1990s designs, but for an uncut, real 90s website, visit GeoCities itself.

GeoCities – Yesterday’s Internet of Tomorrow Today

Launched in 1995, GeoCities has been one of the most well-known hosts of free, user-generated websites on the Internet. More than 38 million pages were still hosted on the service when Yahoo’s parent company took it offline in 2009. Thankfully, all the greatness of the 90210 era has not been lost forever: many GeoCities sites are now available online , or you can check out this GeoCities archive with sites organized by “districts” as they used to be.

Tips for giving your site a 1990s vibe

If you’re going to create an authentic 1990s personal website, keep in mind that most of the design choices at the time were made by people who didn’t seem to know or care that they were making design choices. Here are some once-ubiquitous Web 1.0 markers for inspiration.

• Mosaic background . Because space was limited in the past, the background was often a repeating 64×64 pixel design. You can’t go wrong choosing a star field like the one used on the original Space Jam website .
• Put it all together : A hallmark of websites in the 1990s was the clutter, the “all at once” look.
• Or use “just the facts” : An alternative to the 1990s warehouse style is the “text only” look, or even the more minimalist “literally nothing here but file links”, as you can see on this one . the oddly unnerving archive page of GeoCities e.
• Animate everything you can: You’ll need blinking and scrolling text and as many animated GIFs as possible. For extra eye strain, add an animated GIF as a background image.
• Add frames . Use frames so your visitors can easily navigate to your “cool web links” page. Check out this ancient personal page for a master class on frames, animated gifs, and random design.
• Don’t edit your content: never ask yourself “is this boring?” Or “who even cares?” Just post whatever. This is your page, and it’s more interesting if you’re honest.
• Don’t forget to list any awards you’ve won : People on the internet in the 1990s loved to give away awards that others could display on their page. If no one gives you one, come up with your own.
• Enter your ICQ number : so that your guests can send you messages on ICQ. (You know what that is, right?)