About Me & This Site
Why I Built This
In 2024, I lost access to my Facebook account. Just like that, years of memories, connections, and conversations seemed to vanish. I thought it was gone forever.
Eventually I got it back. But that experience was a wake-up call. I realized how much of my digital life I'd handed over to platforms I don't control. My photos weren't mine; they were hostage to terms of service and algorithmic decisions I had no say in.
So I decided to build something different: my own personal website that serves as my social media platform. A place where I own my content, my photos, my connections, and my conversations. No algorithms deciding what I see. No sudden account lockouts. No dependency on any single company.
nestorwheelock.com is the result. It's not just a portfolio or blog; it's a complete digital home. I wanted to break free from the negativity and noise of traditional social media while staying mindfully connected to the people who matter to me.
What I Built
I wanted complete control, so I built features that let me do everything I was doing on social media, but on my terms:
Social Media Import
I can import all my posts, photos, stories, and reels from Instagram and Facebook. Everything consolidated in one place under my control.
Contact Management
I can import contacts from my phone, Google, Instagram followers, Facebook friends, LinkedIn, or any CSV. It intelligently detects duplicates and normalizes phone numbers from any country.
Smart Privacy
Multi-level privacy: Public, Friends, Close Friends, or Private. I choose who sees what, not an algorithm trying to maximize engagement.
AI-Powered Features
Auto-tagging, content enhancement, a chatbot assistant, and semantic search. AI that helps me organize and find things, not AI that controls what I see.
Personal CRM
Rich profiles for everyone I know: multiple contact methods, mailing addresses, relationship tags, how we met. I'll never lose touch with someone because a platform changed their algorithm.
Communication Hub
Coming soon: I'll be able to import WhatsApp, Signal, and Telegram conversations. See all communication with a person in one timeline.
Behind the Scenes
Behind this clean public-facing site is a powerful admin dashboard where I manage everything: posts, tags, users, contacts, AI settings, and imports. It's my mission control for staying connected.
[Admin Dashboard Screenshot]
Contact management, post editing, AI tagging, import toolsBreaking Free
"The best time to take control of your digital life was yesterday. The second best time is today."
This project is about more than just backing up data. For me, it's about:
- Mindfulness: Curating what I share thoughtfully, not posting reactively for likes or algorithmic approval.
- Ownership: My content lives on my server, my domain, my terms. No company can take it away.
- Connection: Staying in touch with people I care about without the toxicity and outrage of mainstream platforms.
- Privacy: I choose exactly who sees each piece of content. Not surveillance capitalism.
- Permanence: My memories won't disappear if a company decides to ban me or shut down.
Could This Be For You Too?
If you're reading this and thinking "I wish I had something like this," you might! I built this tool for myself, but there's no reason others couldn't benefit from the same approach. It's not a SaaS product with monthly fees; it's software that could be adapted for anyone who wants to take back their digital identity.
If you're interested in having your own digital home, or want to talk about what that might look like for you, I'd love to chat about it.
For the Tech-Curious
This site is built entirely with open-source technologies:
- Django (Python) for the backend framework
- PostgreSQL for the database
- Bootstrap 5 + HTMX for a snappy, modern frontend
- OpenRouter API for AI features (using various models)
- Docker for deployment
No vendor lock-in. No proprietary platforms. Full control over every piece.
Get in Touch
Want to connect? Request access to my friends feed? Talk about building your own personal social platform? I'd be happy to hear from you.