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Ask HN: Is having a personal blog/brand worth it for you?

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Re: Ask HN: Is having a personal blog/brand worth it for you?

#41

Post by tpetry »

It‘s definitely worth it!

I share a database tip on https://sqlfordevs.io every two weeks and get a lot of feedback. I started on Twitter almost a year ago sharing weekly tips but I always felt the 280 characters to be limiting. You simply can‘t explain a complex topic by being such constrained. So I share a full article every two weeks and the other one a simple one with Twitter‘s constraint.

And the feedback is really great. People tell me they had been able to solve a performance problem, do something more efficient or simply got a new idea on how to do something relevant. Seeing the content you write influencing someone is totally valueable and a good reason to start blogging.

Re: Ask HN: Is having a personal blog/brand worth it for you?

#42

Post by dmor »

I have been blogging for 15 years, and it has been worth it. Some years I only write a couple posts. Writing helps me clarify my thoughts, and while I publish just a fraction of what I write for myself the act of sharing it gives me a small thrill. A few times a year, someone will read and reach out and it is a much deeper form of connection than social media comments/likes.

Re: Ask HN: Is having a personal blog/brand worth it for you?

#43

Post by quickthrower2 »

drakonka wrote: post #30

It's worth it for me in the sense that I blog to process my thoughts, learnings, projects, and experiences. Blogging helps me do that, and since that's the point, it's worth it. In terms of getting noticed/finding jobs, my blog ( https://liza.io ) is not super high traffic or anything. I don't market it. I don't even usually tweet about my new posts, even though Twitter is my one active social media platform. But I h…

Keep it up, there is a nice quality about this blog. I think it is an example of the older blogging style that many are fond of. Sharing thoughts without being promotional.

Re: Ask HN: Is having a personal blog/brand worth it for you?

#44

Post by dewey »

I mostly blog for myself (https://blog.notmyhostna.me) as a way to summarize something I learned. It's a low effort way of sharing something and link to it on Slack / Twitter.

My thinking is if I spend the time to figure something out I might as well post it public and not in some silo where I won't find it again.

Re: Ask HN: Is having a personal blog/brand worth it for you?

#45

Post by quickthrower2 »

acemarke wrote: post #18

Absolutely, yes. My blog ( https://blog.isquaredsoftware.com ) is primarily a way for me to share teaching material around React, Redux, JS, and TS. Most of my blog posts have been written in response to questions other folks have asked that I've answered repeatedly. It gives me a way to write a longer answer _once_, and share it going forward. A few top examples: - "A (Mostly)" Complete Guide to React Rendering Beha…

I recognise your handle, yes :-)

Re: Ask HN: Is having a personal blog/brand worth it for you?

#46

Post by quickthrower2 »

AyyWS wrote: post #40
wwqrd wrote: post #29

I think these answers are going to suffer a lot from survivorship bias.

I abandoned my blog. I recommend people make Github open source contributions instead.

Blogging can be a contribution. So many projects lack tutorials or intros that could be served in the blogosphere.

Re: Ask HN: Is having a personal blog/brand worth it for you?

#49

Post by drakonka »

dewey wrote: post #44

I mostly blog for myself ( https://blog.notmyhostna.me ) as a way to summarize something I learned. It's a low effort way of sharing something and link to it on Slack / Twitter. My thinking is if I spend the time to figure something out I might as well post it public and not in some silo where I won't find it again.

Your blog's subtitle made me chuckle. Thanks for a bit of added daily humor.

Re: Ask HN: Is having a personal blog/brand worth it for you?

#50

Post by canadianwriter »

While this certainly gets into semantics, I don't think you need a "blog" but a website can help a lot.

I wrote about why most smaller companies don't need a blog here: https://kolemcrae.com/notebook/humblesuggestion.html

You may say: isn't that a blog post? I would disagree. You can read how my website isn't really a blot here: https://kolemcrae.com/notebook/notablog.html

I'd say a website is fantastic for your brand, and combining that with a fantastic LinkedIn profile can take you far. Needing to blog constantly on the other hand isn't as important.

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