Why I still blog after 15 years

Why I still blog after 15 years
jonashietala.se

A couple of observations from the text that resonate with me:

* "Blogging helps me become a better writer, which in turns helps me become a better developer." Yes. Writing is super-important as a developer, particularly in a corporate setting, because communicating ideas clearly is critical in convincing others and in showing your contributions. And to be a better writer, well, one has to write more and blogging helps with that!

* "The posts have grown larger and more ambitious." I've noticed a similar change in my own blog, where posts have grown from frequent 300-word long posts to infrequent 3000-word long posts. Other platforms like Twitter have captured the space of short form writing and, more "importantly", consuming such content.

In any case, my own recap at the 20-year mark from 3 months ago is here: https://jmmv.dev/2024/06/20-years-of-blogging.html ;-)

I think author missed #8: I've personally benefited so much from the writings shared by others that it feels amiss to not share back things I've learned and little tips and tricks. One of my most viewed blog posts is a really short and simple one on simulating drag-and-drop of files with Playwright automation. I found no such information when I ran into this problem so the only logical thing to do was to share it for the next person that ran into this issue.

I always encourage devs I mentor to write more and to share what they learn. For all of the reasons that the author listed, but also because it's a mechanism to give back to the community that all of us rely on whether we're writing code, making a recipe, doing a craft, learning a new hobby, etc.

A lot of younger devs tell me "why would anyone want to read my writing" and I show them YouTube and how many different videos there are on how to make a pancake (and more are added every day!). There's a different audience for every voice and someone out there is looking for your voice. Everyone should make a habit to write in long form.

I've written on various blogs, including my own, since the late 90s, but I have been blogging consistently on a single instance for a little over 17 years. I've seen my writing shift from long form to rapid fire and back again.

I've also noticed that it's become mostly formulaic, as a way of dispersing information to folks. But it's those rare occasions where I'm actually struck with the inspiration to write a longer form thought piece that really brings me back to the whole reason I started my current blog.

Again, super happy to read this piece and the comments here. I'll remain hopeful that it inspires others to start — or to return to — blogging. It's really an incredible means of communicating with one another.