Digital Footprint: Ideas for the Internet

Hi Epsomians!

Mr Barker recently featured my blog in an assembly, so here’s an article to expand on that.

Enhance your digital footprint with starting a blog! I think it would be one of my most important achievements in Sixth Form. Read on…

It provides a curated space for all your works and further supercurricular reading.
A blog serves as written proof that is easily accessible online.
When you write your Personal Statement, you’ll have a great starting point to mention your blog and all your interests. I even linked my blog in my personal statement!
Helps you find ideas – my blog is like a motivational catalyst, pushing me to stay well-read and be proud of showcasing my work.
Cool conversation starter
Good interview material for universities, it’s something to talk about

Google’s Blogger is still around after all these years, and is a nifty option with the least set-up effort.
A little more recent and polished option is Google Sites, which was used to create Epsom’s IGLE website.
If you like unlimited customisations and extra features, try Wordpress. You can either use Wordpress’ hosting plan, or host it yourself using a separate server, which requires a bit more technical knowledge. I used the latter option to create a website for the ECiM Science Research Club.
Some premium options include Wix and Squarespace.

I coded this website using a static site generator (SSG), Hugo, connected it to a Content Management System (CMS). I used Forestry as my CMS, and hosted it on Netlify.
This blog was a modification of an existing theme, where I tinkered with the CSS and HTML to allow for displaying maths equations and menus.
SSGs need to be deployed by a hosting service. To ease management of your blog, use a CMS.
It definitely sounds like a lot, but it is a great skill to learn! Simply put, static sight generators are a more efficient way to produce simple sites on the internet. They have a reduced set of features and no support for server-end backing, limiting features such as user accounts.
There are many tutorials on YouTube documenting how to create a blog with a static site generators such as Eleventy, Gatsby, and more.