A Brief History & Ethos of the Digital Garden

The digital garden is a personal, wiki-like space collecting ever growing, in-process notes. It’s like a far less polished blog - more wild, densely tangled and interlinked.

In this episode, Maggie and Ida get into the weeds of digital gardening. They talk about the history of the concept, what it means, the challenges of building digital gardens, the Cozy Web, the limitations we face with blogs and the web infrastructure that propels them, and whether digital gardening is complementary or one-against-the-other with Tw... See more

At the same time, as I wander the internet, I wonder where the digital gardens are that will connect me to fellow gardeners more deeply. More often than not, the digital gardens of today are botanic—privately owned online spaces made for visitors to fawn over while a “do not touch” sign looms in view. These private gardens are generative for our p

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A garden is usually a place where things grow.

Gardens can be very personal and full of whimsy or a garden can be a source of food and substance.

We gather and work together in community gardens to share the labor as well as the rewards of a collective effort.

It's a comparison that you can take very far. From "planting seeds" and "pulling weeds" to t... See more

I understand digital gardens as online spaces where many people are coming together to tend to seeds, which can be understood as content. The container that digital gardens are held in is a commitment to sustainability, pluralism, and cyclical growth. It entails adaptation and a culture of learning.

ore often than not, the digital gardens of today are botanic—privately owned online spaces made for visitors to fawn over while a “do not touch” sign looms in view. These private gardens are generative for our personal learning, but they are far from the communal gardens I grew up in that valued collective work and knowledge. Where are the digital

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