Blog Questions Challenge

I refreshed Unread a few moments ago only to find three posts with the same title as this. And guess what? They all coincidentally reference each other.

I started with Kev’s post, then Manu’s and finally Dalton’s. Upon reading those, I thought why not give this a go, after all, I’ve never participated in any blogging challenge.

Why did you start blogging in the first place?

This all started around 2014 in high school with my first blog. Back then, I was very confident of my writing and even had the ambitions of publishing. I no longer share that ambition with my younger self but I still enjoy the act of writing.

I found writing to be an outlet to be more open and creative. My blog was something some schoolmates found surprising in contrast to how I was a bit more reserved to some of them.

At some point in my teenage years, my motivation was recognition and perhaps fame while trying to emulate my contemporaries and those I looked up to. Ultimately, I still think the current iteration remains to be an outlet for what comes to mind.

What platform are you using to manage your blog and why did you choose it?

I love the idea of static site generators with how flexible and extremely lightweight they are and as such I’m currently using Hugo hosted on Cloudflare Pages.

Hugo is file based where all my posts and configurations are just Markdown files granting me full control of my site unlike other closed and often bloated offerings. It might not be the easiest option for those who are not tech-savvy but all it takes is a little curiosity and a can-do attitude to get started.

The community behind Hugo is also a big factor behind my decision, I can easily find resources online to help me set up or fix something.

Have you blogged on other platforms before?

Yes! I started with Blogger when Google+ was my jam.

For most of my time writing online, I’ve had two concurrent blogs on different platforms sometimes due to my curiosity while constantly changing them. Inevitably I’ve used Tumblr, WordPress, Medium and everything in between.

How do you write your posts?

I currently start my writing on Apple Notes with all the necessary Markdown syntax be it on my phone or laptop. I try to write one sentence per line. Afterwards, it’s just a matter of quickly proofreading it, improving sentence structure if needed since I typically end up rambling on and finally correct grammar. Of course mistakes end up on the published piece, I correct them sometimes, I never realise sometimes and sometimes I couldn’t care less. It’s a part of blogging.

When do you feel most inspired to write?

Most of my posts tend to be in response to something new I have discovered, read or listened to. This can be from my growing collections of blogs I read, podcasts, books I dive into, news stories and even music sometimes.

Often times, though, inspiration comes when I least expect it to. I might be in the shower, in public transport, running or walking. In such a situation I simply just note something down on Apple Notes or record a voice memo and get to it when I have the time.

Do you publish immediately after writing, or do you let it simmer a bit as a draft?

I would love to say that I publish immediately after my final full stop but I rarely do that. This post is one of those few instances I’ve done that.

In some cases, I let it simmer for quite some time as I collect the necessary resources, information or form a coherent well articulated thought.

On most occasions though, I let it sit for a few hours before hitting the enter button.

What’s your favourite post on your blog?

Hmm, this is a tough question. On some days it’s I don’t like streaks, on another it’s On Single-Use Devices and sometimes The Joy of Libraries.

Either way, I find Manu’s answer of “Always the next one” as the best way to look at this question.

Any future plans for your blog?

I find Hugo ticks all my boxes at the moment. I’m also satisfied with Blowfish by Nuno Coração, it’s clean, well documented, constantly improving and I contribute to it at times.

Basically, I don’t have immediate plans but I know for a fact something will change in the far future.

Those are my answers to the Bear Blog challenge, it felt very therapeutic answering them and I would urge anybody with a website to answer them. Let’s keep this rolling!