# AboutIdeasNow

[Canonical article](https://www.ashryan.io/writing/aboutideasnow/)

Published: 2025-07-30

Get past context, future explorations, and what I'm focused on today on 3 simple pages.

**TL;DR:** I’m trying a tiny structure on my site:

- **[/about](https://www.ashryan.io/about/)** = past & context
- **`/ideas`** = future directions (not commitments)
- **`/now`** = what I’m focused on this month

I’m doing it because I think it might be **fun**, it gives a clear **snapshot** of what’s up, and it’s a simple way to participate in a **broader IndieWeb‑ish movement** of people tending their own corners of the internet. Also, it finally got me to publish an about page on this site.

## Where this started

Back in February 2024 I bookmarked [a “Show HN” post](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39511714\&ref=ashryan.io) about *[AboutIdeasNow](https://aboutideasnow.com/about?ref=ashryan.io)*, a project inspired by the `/now` movement and IndieWeb directories.

I really dig this idea: use three plain pages to show **past / present / future** so a reader can drop in and get the gist without reading a bunch of posts. I finally made the time to try it here.

## Why I’m doing this

A few reasons:

- **A snapshot, not a stream.** Social is a firehose; **/now** is a single frame you can check any time.
- **Joining a shared language.** It seems like a lot of personal sites have converged on **About / Ideas / Now**. Using the same landmarks makes it easier to find and understand one another.
- **It’s playful.** A small garden on the web is worth tending. I just believe this even though it’s been forever hard for me to do so.
- **Not optimization.** I’m not chasing a hard cadence. If this ever feels heavy, I’ll simplify or drop pieces.

Really, this is just something I’ve wanted to do for a while and I have a moment so I’m pulling the trigger.

## What changed on the site

Three new pages!

- **[/about](https://www.ashryan.io/about/)** — evergreen bio and context, plus two simple maps: where I’ve lived and where I’ve done events.
- **`/ideas`** — a short, category‑first list of directions I might explore next (not promises): **Collxn**, **HanaYou**, **Community**.
- **`/now`** — a one‑screen snapshot I update **monthly**, also organized by **Collxn / HanaYou / Community** with three tiny sub‑sections: **Focus this month**, **Ship this month**, and **Help wanted**. I’ll start putting the archive at `/tag/now/`.

Each page shows a **“Last updated”** line. I’ll keep **/about** mostly static, **/ideas** changes as I start/ship/shelve things, and **/now** rolls over monthly.

## If you’re curious or want to help

Right now my open “Help wanted” items are fairly simple:

- **Collxn** — waitlist growth strategy; monetization strategy
- **HanaYou** — Substack growth strategy

If you have ideas or intros, I’m all ears; reply to a newsletter email or ping me.

***

Let’s see if this little experiment lasts.

Either way, if you want occasional notes from me about building products, dev tools, or music apps, **subscribe** and I’ll send updates worth reading.

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