Ask HN: Experience Starting a Blog • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: Experience Starting a Blog

#31

Post by batterylow » Sat, Jan 06, 2024, 4:52 PM UTC

I used to write long and technical blog posts. I think it's unlikely someone will go out there way to give you negative feedback, i.e. not constructive.

My motivation came from my younger days where everyone (including myself) had their own little corner of the Internet, made with things like AngelFire and GeoCities. I missed that.

Nowadays, I prefer to make short posts, e.g. [1, 2, 3]. Of course, before I started, I had to write my own static-site generator... It's been years since I've ran my Patreon and I don't post on YouTube like I used to, so there's little to no engagement - which is OK with me.

[1] https://shahinrostami.com/articles/different-adjustments-for...

[2] https://shahinrostami.com/articles/my-pen-plotter-setup/

[3] https://shahinrostami.com/articles/colours-and-patterns-whil...

Re: Ask HN: Experience Starting a Blog

#32

Post by 1268 » Sat, Jan 06, 2024, 4:55 PM UTC

selfishclouds wrote: post #20

1268 wrote: post #18

I started in May last year and it's been a blast so far. I find that writing about subjects makes me look at them more deeply then "just" working with them. Putting the first few articles online was nerve-wracking though. I would recommend getting them out of the way as quickly as possible. Also, finding the right post length can be challenging. My blog/articles about Go dev: https://www.willem.dev

I love your website design! When I opened it just now I said “oh wow nice” out loud.

Thanks! :D

Re: Ask HN: Experience Starting a Blog

#33

Post by soared » Sat, Jan 06, 2024, 4:56 PM UTC

You can write blogs all day and just never post them to social media/anywhere. Then the only way people find your content is if they’re searching google for the niche keywords. It’s an excellent way to get your feet wet and only have very interested people read your content.

Re: Ask HN: Experience Starting a Blog

#34

Post by jspann » Sat, Jan 06, 2024, 4:57 PM UTC

> What has your experience been in starting a tech blog?

I made one in 2014 (Blogger) then got bored and stopped. I tried again a few years later (Bloger, Medium, Wordpress), then got bored and stopped. I recently got interested in another attempt (BearBlog) which I'm looking into now. The issue for me was not a lack of topics but the opposite - I'd start writing about one thing and get side tracked and start writing about something else. A blog is a great way to explore your interests but it is important to stay focused on what you want to write about. I put too much emphasis on having a consistent output schedule and high standards on what I should write about, which eventually ended up with nothing.

> I am afraid of sharing though and getting negative feedback. Was that something that you pushed through when starting?

I used to be worried about this too and usually consulted my friends or some writing assistants at my undergrad. I think this goes away the more you write.

> Did starting a blog lead to a new job?

No but some people saw my posts and remembered them when they saw me in real life later.

Re: Ask HN: Experience Starting a Blog

#35

Post by throwup238 » Sat, Jan 06, 2024, 4:57 PM UTC

TrueGeek wrote: post #25

reactordev wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Analytics could tell you that without exposing your email address to the world.

But analytics wouldn't allow me to respond to the people asking for help. The site has been up for over 20 years, I think I added the email address about 10 years ago. If it was a mistake and would result in massive amounts of spam surely I would have felt the effects by now.

Did you obfuscate the email in any way or is it a mailto link?

Re: Ask HN: Experience Starting a Blog

#36

Post by netruk44 » Sat, Jan 06, 2024, 4:57 PM UTC

soared wrote: post #33

You can write blogs all day and just never post them to social media/anywhere. Then the only way people find your content is if they’re searching google for the niche keywords. It’s an excellent way to get your feet wet and only have very interested people read your content.

This is what I do. Though I will admit, I don’t receive much traffic to my blog at all (obviously). So it’s discouraging in just a slightly different way haha. I think I (and perhaps OP) might prefer it that way though.

Re: Ask HN: Experience Starting a Blog

#37

Post by TrueGeek » Sat, Jan 06, 2024, 5:02 PM UTC

throwup238 wrote: post #35

TrueGeek wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But analytics wouldn't allow me to respond to the people asking for help. The site has been up for over 20 years, I think I added the email address about 10 years ago. If it was a mistake and would result in massive amounts of spam surely I would have felt the effects by now.

Did you obfuscate the email in any way or is it a mailto link?

Nope, just a mailto:

https://truegeek.com/contact

Re: Ask HN: Experience Starting a Blog

#38

Post by rchaud » Sat, Jan 06, 2024, 5:02 PM UTC

Your worries about negative feedback are premature. It's hard to get anybody to read a blog regularly. At best a post will make the FP of HN and get ~50 comments. Maybe you'll get an email from someone who subscribed by RSS and thus gets your content updates. That's not so bad, is it?

Re: Ask HN: Experience Starting a Blog

#39

Post by sevagh » Sat, Jan 06, 2024, 5:03 PM UTC

Comments are a rare occurence. In fact even getting negative feedback is an indication that you have engaged readers, which is a big deal.

Re: Ask HN: Experience Starting a Blog

#40

Post by superkuh » Sat, Jan 06, 2024, 5:05 PM UTC

If you only care about profit (getting a job) then don't bother starting a blog. It'll just clog up search with more crap. Do it if you want to share something you're excited about with the world. And in that case, no one else's opinion matters at all.