What Do I Write in a Blog?

The Questions

Now that I have a fairly functional blog. I wonder what should i write about. There is tons of information on social media and other news aggregating sites on the internet. The content too will be more polished and well-researched by experts on those sites (Assuming). The question is legitimate. Why on earth should I write a few words every day and what should I write about? What value do I add to this act and who benefits here?

The Contemplation

I have a list of at least 250+ personal blogs of Engineers, Scientists who write awesome, articulate insights that a well-marketed blog won’t be able to do. I consume a few of those. Not sure if they get much traction but I realized that they are blogging for themselves and not majorly for others.

The act of writing is a slow-to-learn skill that gets better with time. It improves the thinking process and revisiting the old posts reveals a lot about how and what has been learned in that invested time. Surely there are benefits to writing a blog, but the second question remains. What do I write about?

Personal blogs that I visit regularly are either writing about a niche, or current thing or posting beautiful, relaxing nature. Some write about the learning they had that day under the title TIL (Today I learned). It is a good way to document learning. It could be helpful for others too. I enjoy maintaining my μ-blog where I post any thoughts which strike me. As of now, I have not managed to find a way to post it using my smartphone.

I recently contacted a freelancer through his blog which I encountered while researching a topic of interest. The deal did not convert but I think he managed to get a good return for his investment of time in his blog with just 5 niche posts.

While looking for leads on how can one improve writing, got recommendations for this book from most of the writers.

On Writing Well - by William Zinsser

I have added this to my long pending reading list and as a quick response, following the summary of this book.

The Conclusion

Possible categories/tags I can write in:

1. TIL(Today I learned)

2. Startups(anything special that is unnoticed in mainstream media.)

3. Year in review(Annual, personal)

4. Status of insert technology here(Annual)

5. PoC-insert technology here(Proof Of Concept), I love doing this and I do it all the time

Some of the benefits of writing blogs can be listed:

1. Helps to improve writing skills.

2. Can be a great outlet for expression and creativity.

3. Can help to build an online presence and promote a personal brand.

4. Can be a great way to connect with like-minded people and build an online community.

5. Can be a great source of income if monetized correctly.

So even if no one visits this page. This will act as a reference or bookmark for me on this topic. A personal blog is for personal consumption. If someone finds anything useful from it, it’s a bonus. There is joy when a stranger gives by interacting with you on the topic. Revisiting this after a few years to find how naive this post appears will provide insight into how much the thinking has improved.

Possible features to be added to this blog:

1. Bookmarks: A page where bookmarks can be shared. (You never know when the free bookmark service will be paywalled or gone). Papers I read: A page where a literature survey can be posted.
2. Wiki/notes page for sharing resources

Note for my future self: Took me 2 hours to write this down The Internet loves pictures of animals.

Thank you Liz, you are G.O.A.T!

The amazing picture of 🐐 captured by Liz Pullan Pattathy on Unsplash