I've written a blog on/off over 10 years. It hasn't paid off in any form to my awareness. I rarely put ideas past draft anymore, but sometimes you have things worth saying even when you don't know anybody who cares to hear.
Ask HN: What has your personal website/blog done for you?
31–40 of 459 posts
Re: Ask HN: What has your personal website/blog done for you?
#32I've been running a blog at https://xeiaso.net for almost a decade now. It has been the single best decision I have ever made in my career. It allows me to skip technical screening interviews. It has made interviewing at companies _easy_ because I have _already proven_ that I understand what I'm talking about. Learning how to write well also makes it so much easier to explain things succinctly, especially when workin…
[flagged]
Re: Ask HN: What has your personal website/blog done for you?
#33Just as a counter point, I've started a small blog, posting infrequently about all sorts of things, technical and not. This has not had any affect on my life whatsoever, it's been a fun timesink but I've not seen any returns.
Re: Ask HN: What has your personal website/blog done for you?
#34It has been a place where I can document my thoughts and feelings over time. It is where I share what I learn.
And I'm over 40 years old and never once been to an interview. I attribute at least some of it to having a website and a blog.
Re: Ask HN: What has your personal website/blog done for you?
#35I started all this because I like Slashdot and wanted to do a site just like that for librarians. Worked out pretty well for me. Thanks again* CmdrTaco!
My website has given me my entire career. I started a blog in 1999, not knowing a damn thing about servers or programming. Running a blog, or any website, was a challenge back in the 90s. I kept at it, learned how to program, got a job as a programmer during the first dot com boom. Kept at it and learned how to do sysadmin stuff. Started my own little web hosting company. Along the way had several decent professional jobs and always kept the blog and hosting going. I'm now a sysadmin at a small non profit. I shut down my own hosting thing in 2020. The site has become a bit quiet, but I still keep it running, it's just a part of my life I guess.
* I got to thank Rob here on HN one time a while back which was pretty cool.
Re: Ask HN: What has your personal website/blog done for you?
#36- I enjoy tinkering with static site generators and no-JS web design.
- Paired with an RSS reader, it's a nice way to DIY a retro kind of social media, without scummy dark patterns and ad-laden middlemen.
- It's a nice way to hone my writing skills.
- It's a nice way to record my adventures outside of the tech space.
I've only been writing for a couple of years, but I've already had some really enjoyable email exchanges with strangers who also write blogs (that I subscribe to via RSS). Especially since I left NYC, deleted Facebook and Instagram, and started to deeply invest in hobbies, this replacement for social media has been invaluable. It really gives me a sense of online community that American cities sadly lack.
Re: Ask HN: What has your personal website/blog done for you?
#37Organisation of photos and thoughts in one place which isn't controlled by a corporation or algorithm.
Re: Ask HN: What has your personal website/blog done for you?
#38I've been running a blog at https://xeiaso.net for almost a decade now. It has been the single best decision I have ever made in my career. It allows me to skip technical screening interviews. It has made interviewing at companies _easy_ because I have _already proven_ that I understand what I'm talking about. Learning how to write well also makes it so much easier to explain things succinctly, especially when workin…
Any tips for avoiding the urge to spend time setting up a fancy SSG and playing with that and never actually writing? I've done that a few times over the years...
I imagine the advice would often be "just write", which I do agree is fair advice, but wondering if you had any takes.
Re: Ask HN: What has your personal website/blog done for you?
#39I started my blog on August 24, 2004, posting multiple times daily, and I continue to do so because I enjoy it. It's a way of seeing what I think. I get about 500 page views/day (down from around 10,000 visitors/25,000 page views/day around 2010-2012). My Comments section since the beginning has always been completely open: no login required; no delay; no editing; no moderation. I'm one of VERY few bloggers today wit…
Hey, I'm one of the 500, not to mention an early Youtube subscriber. Your blog is charming and you post good links, everybody should check it out.
Re: Ask HN: What has your personal website/blog done for you?
#40I have been developing https://beta.delaford.com. It's a 2D Online JavaScript RPG using TypeScript and HTML along with Node.js on the backend. It's allowed to me to skip tech screenings, use it as an ice-breaker and people always seem to love seeing it. Definitely has gotten me a leg up when I use to interview.