Ask YC: Why don't you write a blog?

#1

Post by adityakothadiya » Mon, May 05, 2008, 6:11 AM UTC

I have many friends, who read blogs actively, but don't write their own. I tried convincing them how blogging is a great process to define and refine your thoughts, how it is a great platform to meet new people and build a community, how it is your a new type of resume, and lot more...

But still, they don't write a blog. They agree there are lots of advantages, but they still just don't act on it.

Are you also who read lots of blogs, read all YC News, but don't write your own thoughts? If so, why is that? What's stopping you from writing a blog?

Why do you just consume the information and don't produce some?

Please discuss your thoughts.

Re: Ask YC: Why don't you write a blog?

#2

Post by lyime » Mon, May 05, 2008, 6:20 AM UTC

I do have a blog, although I am not very consistent with posts. Mainly I dont really have the time to maintain a blog.

On a side not I am very active on twitter http://twitter.com/dodeja (micro-blogging seems to work for many non-bloggers)

Re: Ask YC: Why don't you write a blog?

#3

Post by [deleted] » Mon, May 05, 2008, 6:40 AM UTC

[deleted]

Re: Ask YC: Why don't you write a blog?

#4

Post by cousin_it » Mon, May 05, 2008, 6:54 AM UTC

I write a blog, it's in Russian and not very programming-related. No blog in English, because I haven't found my own voice in English. Everything I write seems obvious and silly.

Re: Ask YC: Why don't you write a blog?

#5

Post by nanexcool » Mon, May 05, 2008, 6:57 AM UTC

Writing a blog takes dedication and time. It is not for everyone. I've started three, and couldn't keep up with any of them.

Re: Ask YC: Why don't you write a blog?

#6

Post by gaika » Mon, May 05, 2008, 7:02 AM UTC

It has to be gradual, there has to be some easy way to get pulled into it. Right now there's too much upfront investment of your time with almost no feedback for too long. And it will get only worse, as more blogs will compete for your attention.

I hope that twitter like services will break this trend.

Re: Ask YC: Why don't you write a blog?

#7

Post by crazyirish » Mon, May 05, 2008, 7:03 AM UTC

Why do you assume that people who don't write blogs just "consumer the information"? I know plenty of people who produce information far more useful than the majority of silly blog posts (like code).

For some people, written communication can be quite challenging, but that doesn't mean that they aren't producing information, it just might not inside your view of the world.

Re: Ask YC: Why don't you write a blog?

#8

Post by tx » Mon, May 05, 2008, 7:03 AM UTC

99.9% of blogs are crap, including mine. I write it mostly for myself and to polish my English (not my native tongue). I don't believe one should be looking for "advantages" when deciding to start a blog. I hate to see what blogs are turning into: they aren't personal anymore and look more like expanded resumes. Blogs used to be just that: a personal diary of what's going on. And silly things like "Rails Blog" or "Java Blog" just don't make sense: why would someone keep a blog like that - nothing is happening in their life besides Rails or Java?

In fact, let's be honest: a blog is just a buzzword. "Homepages" have been around forever, why rename them into something which isn't even a real English word. Before '03 corporate websites had a page called "News", now they call it a "blog" and make it look a little bit more personal.

After about 3 years of this "citizen journalism" I went back to slashdot, they provide more than enough of daily time wasting material. Real news are in books, never mind that they happened in the past, at least they're true and delivered to you professionally.

And finally, I don't trust "blogs". Even my modest page with 40 daily accidental readers attracts an email from a PR firm every once in a while, asking me to promote some BS they're getting paid for. I can only imagine how it's like for someone with 10K+ monthly uniques.. Most of these "bloggers" are cheap part-time journalists armed with inflated egos but lacking skills/time to check their facts and, sometimes, their spelling.

Re: Ask YC: Why don't you write a blog?

#9

Post by randomhack » Mon, May 05, 2008, 7:10 AM UTC

"Why do you just consume the information and dont produce some?"

Blogs are not an appropriate medium for publishing every kind of information. What about people who write books, essays, reports or even user manuals? Are they just "consuming information"?

Re: Ask YC: Why don't you write a blog?

#10

Post by xirium » Mon, May 05, 2008, 7:12 AM UTC

nanexcool wrote: post #5

Writing a blog takes dedication and time. It is not for everyone. I've started three, and couldn't keep up with any of them.

> Writing a blog takes dedication and time.

Yes. I've also discovered that blogging has to be done very frequently to obtain a significant audience. For example, Paul Kedrosky ( http://paul.kedrosky.com/ ) sometimes posts three times per day, seven days per week. I'd rather spend my time doing extended programming sessions. I'm also inclined to write 4000 word epics rather than 100 word stream-of-consciousness posts, so the medium isn't optimal for my style. Finally, I'm not keen on blogging's inherent chronological structure. However, the advent tagging has offset this issue.