The Internet You Don't Know
Some places still on the surface of the internet, can feel like they're deeper sometimes. I like coming up on these sites that are out there, they're not hidden but they're still proof that the internet has real people on it. It's not the Reddits, it's not the top rated google results pages even 1-100, or even 100-1000. Here's a bunch of places on the internet that you'd probably never find.
Save Point
A forum that feels like the communities I used to be part of in the early 2000s, back before the internet became a landfill of engagement bait. Save Point is a game dev forum with a focus on RPG Maker and Game Maker, and they’ve somehow held onto that "homebrew internet" energy. It's mostly run by passionate volunteers and donations, and you can actually talk to people—not just usernames.
As they describe it:
"Established and re-Branded in November, 2010, Save-Point is a game creational forum that aids users in creating games using software like RPG Maker or Game Maker... Support is also available today for members and members can also upload and download resources and scripts to use in their games. If you are new or experienced we welcome you to register."
The "Ohh" Directory
A human-curated directory of websites that still feel like someone made them by hand. No algorithms, no SEO-choked content farms—just honest-to-god links to cool, weird, useful, or forgotten parts of the web. I found a bunch of the sites below through here. It’s a gem.
Honest Food by Hank Shaw
Found this one through Ohh Directory. It’s a site dedicated to wild food-hunting, foraging, fishing, and how to cook it all. No lifestyle influencer nonsense, just an archive of years worth of recipes, field guides, and real experience. Hank's voice is calm, lived-in, and deeply knowledgeable. Feels like finding an old outdoorsman's journal with good SEO.
Magma (formerly Aggie.io)
This one’s a collaborative drawing app that lets you sketch with other people in real time. It used to be known as Aggie.io, and a lot of artists still call it that. Whether you’re messing around with friends or seriously working on a group project, it’s smooth, simple, and kind of addicting.
Marginalia Search Engine
A search engine that actively deprioritizes commercial noise and SEO trash. You get results that feel like the old web-tiny blogs, abandoned sites, weird tech pages from 2004, and strange personal projects. If you’re tired of searching for one thing and only getting review-bait or affiliate garbage, try this instead.
🔍 Explore mode is especially good: https://marginalia-search.com/explore
Main site: https://marginalia-search.com/
Neocities
I almost didn’t include this one, because it floats close to the surface now, and not everything on here is gold (some of it is borderline unhinged). But when it hits, it really hits. Neocities is like a love letter to Geocities, offering free static hosting and giving people a space to build weird, personal sites again. One of my favorites on there is Nightmare Fantasmic—no idea what’s going on, but I’m into it.
From their own mission statement:
"Neocities will never sell your data for AI training or put advertising on your site."
The whole platform is funded by users and donations. No VC money, no ad tracking. Just vibes.
Let me know if you’ve got any weird internet corners of your own. I’m always collecting.