The home page of a web site is used in different ways for different things, depending on what the web site is. Magazine or blog sites will have featured articles or recent posts, while social networking sites will only have marketing flavor to entice customers; but what should a personal web site have?

Some personal web sites are loaded with pictures on the home page. Others have 'about me' copy. Still others contain excerpts from their blogs or even Twitter posts now. Photographers and writers might have samples of their work, while musicians might have some huge splash flash animation. What should I have?

Being involved in technology for my career, yet with writing and philosophy as my primary hobbies, it's a little harder to find a singular directions for the home page to go. I have a blog. I have a Twitter account. I'm even on LinkedIn. I love technology, yet I write about a wide variety of things. I've written articles for magazine and essays for books, but I've also been an artist for most of my life.

What gets showcased on the home page? What's most important? Is it my projects? Is it my biographical information? Is it my blog? These are all questions to ask when redesigning a personal web site, and in many ways they're harder than designing for a web application. A web application has a core focus and goal. A person has life experiences in a wide range of areas. Where to go from here? Clearly there's a need for some in-depth brainstorming.