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Why blog if nobody reads it?

andysblog.uk

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Re: Why blog if nobody reads it?

#11

Post by simonw »

Writing on a blog is a very inexpensive way to establish your credibility about different subjects. This pays off later down the line when you can link people to things you've written in the past.

Credibility is a very valuable commodity. It's worth investing in ways to build more of it.

Don't assume people will stumble across your content (though they will eventually via Google). Actively send links to people who you are already engaged in conversation with.

It's not the number of readers you have that matters: it's their quality. I'll take a dozen people reading my stuff who might engage with me usefully or lead to future opportunities over a thousand readers who don't match that criteria.

Re: Why blog if nobody reads it?

#12

Post by n_ary »

In this age of LLMs and hallucinations/deceptions, a personal blog is a best testament of one’s knowledge and musing on various topics. Once AI gets prominent, there will be a time when you can refer to your nice blog and say that, this is you giving untainted opinion on a topic when people can no longer trust anything anymore being original.

If I see someone’s blog today with posts from last few years of longer, regardless of their current situation, I appreciate that they are fairly intellectual person.

Now I will show myself out and try to start my own blog which I have been procrastinating over for decades.

Re: Why blog if nobody reads it?

#13

Post by jefftk »

Other things I get out of blogging, in addition to Andy's points:

* I can link people to my carefully considered thoughts on a subject instead of needing to write something up each time.

* While most people don't read what I write, some do, and I've had good conversations and friendships come out of it.

* It makes me a better writer. In my professional life I can write things much faster and better than if I wasn't also blogging for fun.

* LLMs learn from it. Our future may be run by machines, and if so I want my perspective to be one they consider.

Re: Why blog if nobody reads it?

#14

Post by n_ary »

simonw wrote: post #11

Writing on a blog is a very inexpensive way to establish your credibility about different subjects. This pays off later down the line when you can link people to things you've written in the past. Credibility is a very valuable commodity. It's worth investing in ways to build more of it. Don't assume people will stumble across your content (though they will eventually via Google). Actively send links to people who yo…

Agreed, after a year or two, blogs become your experience logs to prove experience and credibility once the landscape is killed by GenAI slops and SEO scams.

Anyone can generate a big portfolio of projects these days(be it graphics, video, software, writing etc) but blog posts from 2023 and before are proof and undeniable.

Re: Why blog if nobody reads it?

#15

Post by A_D_E_P_T »

righthand wrote: post #10

Publish a blog so an LLM can use it and make money for someone already wealthy.

You laugh, but Chat-GPT "Deep Research" cites my technical blog very frequently. With attribution, no less. Within the next ~2 years, I expect that most of the people who read my blog will find it via LLM.

Re: Why blog if nobody reads it?

#16

Post by lapcat »

There's a point to writing, but is there a point to publishing your diary on the internet? You could just keep it under your pillow, or on your own computer.

I blog so that other people read my writing, and fortunately they do, at least sometimes. I don't think I'd continue if there was no public interest.

Re: Why blog if nobody reads it?

#18

Post by arjonagelhout »

chistev wrote: post #2

Because writing is fun. Check out my personal blog https://rxjourney.com.ng If you like it and you're feeling extra generous, you can leave a donation.

I just spent an hour reading some of your posts, and wish you good luck in escaping the matrix, by transitioning more into tech :)

Re: Why blog if nobody reads it?

#19

Post by eccentricwind »

ChrisArchitect wrote: post #4

Related: Ask HN: Is maintaining a personal blog still worth it? https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42685534 Why I still blog after 15 years https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41646531 Advice for a friend who wants to start a blog https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42872276

> Remember when maintaining a blog was THE way to build your developer brand?

Jeff Atwood's (co-founder of Stack Exchange) Coding Horror comes to mind, and how the teenage me was amazed at how someone got offered such a good job with such an amazing office [0] because of blogging.

The smaller, more intimate internet was truly something else.

[0]: https://blog.codinghorror.com/five-things-you-didnt-know-abo...

Re: Why blog if nobody reads it?

#20

Post by kittikitti »

I don't have social media so my blogs are often the only ways my family and friends connect with me. I think this original article is misguided and the big tech brainwashing has us forget that we blog all the time on their social media apps. Those blog posts on TikTok, Instagram, or X are always there. It's a little insidious that there's no mention of that.
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