As with others, I've been invited to answer a series of questions related to blogging (and finally publish a blog wherein the post can be found).

I'm certainly not alone in watching social media platforms eshittify and carving out a place of your own from which to publish once and syndicate everywhere seems to be making a comeback.

In support of that effort, I bring you the first post of my first-ever blog.

Thanks to Greg Storey, Luke Dorny, Steve Makofsky, Naz Hamid, and others for their inspiration, encouragement, and kind harassment.


Why did you start blogging in the first place?

I've always been empowering others behind the scenes through my professional work, or participating directly via discussion groups or social media. With the breakdown of social media platforms (especially Twitter, which I generally loved), I decided to set up a place of my own. From here I could also practice and develop longer-form writing, as well.

What platform are you using to manage your blog and why did you choose it? Have you blogged on other platforms before?

I use Ghost via Magic Pages, fronted by Cloudflare. I've built blogs and websites for others over the years using various blogging and content management tools, so I have a solid understanding of the landscape. I almost went with Kirby for this one, but chose to start more simply so I don't end up rabbit-holing on custom coding/theming/etc. Besides this, I love the ethos behind Ghost. They're a class act.

How do you write your posts? For example, in a local editing tool, or in a panel/dashboard that’s part of your blog?

Ghost's WSYWIG Markdown editor is brilliant. I suppose I'll use it for shorter or more straightforward posts. I imagine I'll use a separate app for longer pieces, likely the wonderful Bear Notes or iA Writer, which I've heard is great for long-form posts and has a direct integration.

When do you feel most inspired to write?

This post was written under pressure, with me trying to keep my word to launch my blog today.

I regularly write in various forms, such as taking notes, brainstorming, and jotting down thoughts during dog walks. I aim to turn these notes into meaningful blog posts, and I already have several ideas in development.

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

I will publish this sucker right after writing. For others, I imagine it will vary. Stuff that's intended to be more of an essay will require some space before publishing (and maybe input from close friends/confidants). Shorter bits will be ready, fire, aim.

What’s your favorite post on your blog?

You can't not have a special place in your heart for your firstborn. So this one.

Any future plans for your blog? Maybe a redesign, a move to another platform, or adding a new feature?

Figure out how I'll handle book and podcast reviews and notes, photo posts, and quote posts. I'd also like to do interviews and pieces about others that I admire. Figure out how best to manage/tag for topics and key subject areas I'm interested in.

As much of my note-taking and idea generation has been on paper or digital tools (but not published), I have a pretty good idea of what I tend to like writing about and/or capturing and will align this space to some of that.

But, as I'm learning more and more — there's value in also keeping it as simple as possible.

Next?

I'd love to read entries from Steve Makofsky, Marcel Wichmann, JA Westenberg, Ben Werdmuller, Anil Dash, Dave Winer, Jeffrey Zeldman, and Andy Piper.