Published on September 26, 2025 under the Web category.
One of the things I love most about blogging is that you can write about an explore an idea as it forms, without necessarily having a specific resolution or end state in mind. With that in mind, I wanted to document a line of thinking that has been on my mind for the last week: saying thank you as a primitive of the web.
Last week, a friend who contributes to Wikipedia noted that they received a “thank you” from someone for their edit on a Wikipedia page. We learned that since 2013 the English Wikipedia has had a “thanks” button that lets you express gratitude to someone for making a contribution. The relevant Wikipedia page documenting the “[Thanks notification](htt…
Published on September 26, 2025 under the Web category.
One of the things I love most about blogging is that you can write about an explore an idea as it forms, without necessarily having a specific resolution or end state in mind. With that in mind, I wanted to document a line of thinking that has been on my mind for the last week: saying thank you as a primitive of the web.
Last week, a friend who contributes to Wikipedia noted that they received a “thank you” from someone for their edit on a Wikipedia page. We learned that since 2013 the English Wikipedia has had a “thanks” button that lets you express gratitude to someone for making a contribution. The relevant Wikipedia page documenting the “Thanks notification” describes it as:
The Thanks notification offers a way to give positive feedback on Wikipedia. This feature allows editors to send a “thank you” notification to users who make useful edits – by using a small “thank” link on the history page or diff page.
This got me thinking about how many times I say thank you when it comes to the web, both directly and to myself. When a friend shares a cool link with me, I’ll regularly say thank you. A new link precedes that the feeling I’m going to see or learn something new! When I see a page with lots of links, I feel grateful that someone has taken the time to prepare the list. When I read a useful blog post that helps me complete a task or a story that opens my mind, I similarly feel grateful. Thank you!
Perhaps I am thinking about this more because I have just finished reading Tim-Berners’ Lee’s new book This is for Everyone, from which I am reminded of how lucky we are to have an open space where we can express ideas. I am so grateful the web exists. In the book, he speaks of the potential of the web; the web now does not have to be its end state. We can make the web better.
Maybe the purpose of this post – and all my thinking – was to both acknowledge how cool Wikipedia’s “thanks” feature is because it encourages kindness. Or maybe it was because I really needed to say somewhere on the web that I’m glad the web exists. Or maybe there is more to this line of thinking. How can we make the web kinder?
I brought up the topic of saying thanks on the web Homebrew Website Club this week. It got me thinking about the idea of a “/thank-you” page. What would that look like? A list of acknowledgements for software you use and people who made your website possible? A list of foundational resources that helped inspire different parts of your website? I’m not sure, but I love that I can ask these questions and put them on the web for consideration. What if tutorials, like Wikipedia, had a “thanks” button to express gratitude? I would love to hear more ideas!
I spend an increasing amount of my web time reading personal websites. This month I have read stories about cardinals in North America, goings-on in my local area, mixtapes, laptop bags, data residency, and more. If you have a personal website, whether it is a single page, a blog, or whatever form it takes – thank you for making it!