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Personal websites come in very different formats, organizational styles or maybe even genres.

The most popular is certainly the blog: a collection of articles ("posts"), presented in reverse-chronological order. Some personal websites are subdivided into sections that could each be considered by this definition a blog of their own, e.g. linkblogs, short-form writing/notes/thoughts/microblogging and "proper" articles/essays.

Not every site is necessarily created primarily as a platform for content distribution. A sizeable number of personal websites serve as an equivalent to a business card: a hub to a persons profiles on other platforms, if you will a single big Contact page.

Another notable genre are portfolio websites, which showcase the work of a person (projects, artwork, design, photography, music, performances, ...). For even if a website is belonging clearly to a single person (as opposed to the website of a group, a corporation or about a specific subject/topic), the reason its existence might indeed be to conduct business, establishing personal credibility by demonstrating prior work can be a part of that.

Next up are various forms which are closely related to each other, but not equivalent: Digital Gardens, Zettelkästen, Wikis, Personal Knowledge Bases, commonplace books. These styles are distinct from the typical blogging, as they deemphasize the timeline as organizational pattern of the presentation and navigation. A further disambiguation of these would deserve a treatment of its own.

Most of these genres are not mutually exclusive, nor is the list exhaustive. A personal website might evolve from form one into another or might add parts as it grows over time.