Where do I publish: HTTP, Gopher or Gemini?

I agree with McLuhan: the medium, in this case the protocol, is part of the message. Switching protocols is not just a technical decision, it also changes the way people read. The audience is not the same. Neither is the time they spend reading you or exploring your site.

An HTML site carries a mental load: standards, a good DOM design, optimizations (like images), CSS styles, responsive design for different devices, etc. On Gemini or Gopher, on the other hand, you can afford to relax. You follow a syntax that is easy to remember or look up, and you focus on what you want to write. The reader relaxes too, because they know what they will find before they get there.

Answering the question is like choosing between a car and a bike. The bike is worse at almost everything: it is slower, carries less and you get wet. But the experience is personal: you maintain it yourself, you ride along small paths and you notice more of what is around you.

So, to answer the question:

• HTTP: a large audience. Millions of sites, with very powerful browsers and lots of options.
• Gemini: an indie audience, with friendly browsers like Lagrange.
• Gopher: a technical audience, who almost always read from the terminal.

For me, the most amazing thing is the gift we receive from those who write in a Gemini capsule or a Gopher hole (gopherhole). They publish for a few dozen users in a niche. Their texts tend to have a very high quality or a freedom that is hard to find. They are not looking for visits, only to share, selflessly and with deep care for their work. They probably enjoy the journey more than their readers enjoy the result. It is so much like writing free software! You give without knowing who will receive it.