Discussion
I keep watching people who used to write 10,000-word explorations of complex topics now produce dozens of disconnected fragments per day, each optimized for immediate engagement.
It's like watching someone who composed symphonies decide to only make ringtones.
https://www.joanwestenberg.com/the-case-for-blogging-in-the-ruins/
Sigh. I used to blog. Back in the Oil Drum days. We had a vibrant community. We did research and looked at studies and articles from all over the world and wrote commentaries on them.
I think now I just don't feel like what I have to say is particularly unique, or anything people would be interested in reading a long article about. And, worse, I don't think climate collapse can be stopped anymore. And I think the techbros know that and are setting up the gestapo for that reason.
@Daojoan Wagner did both ... a little bit before he had a phone to experience a leitmotiv on, granted...
@Daojoan wrote a great article upthread on why blogging is still important and relevant. I took it to heart, and jumped right in.
Here's my first installment, on what it feels like to be working at a BigTech here at the start of 2026.
@Daojoan yep I had to take a screenshot because - ouch.
You have described people like, for too long, me.
@Daojoan Love this post, but not entirely. And I disagree that "yourname.com"s are permanent, and I think that matters a lot. My thoughts here: https://hildabastian.wordpress.com/2026/01/04/blogging-in-the-ruins-some-counterpoints/
@hildabast @Daojoan A domain for everyone doesn’t readily accommodate everyone either – unique names can be hard to devise and, crucially, disambiguate.
Org domains have glaring flaws as well, to be sure, but I think we need to evolve more flexible, usable, and sustainable content addressing schemes.
@donaldball @Daojoan Yes, there are so many domain extensions, there can be imposters, too.
First hit me when I was writing about grief. A key writer in the field died young and wasn't in the Internet archive either. Then a really unique post by a rabbi that I so wanted to read...same problem: Died young.
Tough for doing history and biographical work, too. So much lost!
Hi @Daojoan,
indeed just yesterday I said around here, maintaining a blog on one's own domain is so 2030. Thanks!
@Daojoan Brilliant analogy: ringtones.
@Daojoan This inspired me a lot to start writing. Now I just need to find out what to write about, and what’s going to be my perspective. Should be straightforward. /s
@Daojoan And not made clear until much later is the value having a searchabke timelined self for reference.
And yes to the durability of links. A 2017 post I wrote investigating the numbers and stamp of an antique rocking chair is a continual magnet for people looking up Temple-Stuart furniture (including the grandson of the founder).
For the Virginia Woolf reference, look up the idea of Domains of Ones Own that had a peak time of uptake in higher education.
@Daojoan seems sensible. I've got a self hosted static blog, though I may switch to one of the options you suggest as they look easier to maintain.
I took a conscious decision not to chase readers. I don't have a comment section. I don't blog unless I feel like it. I write to publicly clarify my thinking.
When, about twice a year, someone emails me to comment on my blog, it's a nice surprise.
My current blog (and the world wild web site it lives on) goes back to September 2021; I have blogged previously as well, but this is the first time I've managed to maintain any sort of reasonably consistent output, and there appear to be people out there who actually read it, or even stumble on posts on it (which are relevant to what they're trying to do) via web search! Imagine that!
@Daojoan I used to have my very own website, blog, and RSS feed and everything. I had set it up as a teenager, it really was "a room of my own". I've set them up for others. Not that I had anything of value to say back then maybe (I just posted my art and later commented on my overly philosophical takes on the college experience and so on), but your post crystallized what has been lost.
@Daojoan I have a blog where I write about hacking projects. I don't write to go viral or try to make money (any more) . I do it because I hope the writing might help someone some day, even if it's just me a few years later. But a side benefit is that it acts as a portfolio of work. When I apply for a new job they can easily find my website and see that that I can walk the walk and that I know how to document and communicate effectively (I hope). I have no doubt it's helped me land a job or two.
@Daojoan I got choked up at the line, “acknowledging uncertainty as a fundamental feature rather than a bug to be eliminated” because I have avoided writing due to my uncertainty about the topic or idea at hand. I will (finally!) start my blog (and send to you) due to this inspiring encouragement you’ve given us. Thank you!!!
@Daojoan I love that you mentioned Montaigne.
When I discovered blogs 20+ years ago, "Les Essais" was indeed what blogs made me think about, and I almost called my first blog the same name, but I didn't, finding it a bit pretentious.
@Daojoan I have been thinking about writing a post on how propaganda can work even if it is driven by an incorrect theory. I find that fascinating
@Daojoan Kathy Sierra warned us about that in the early days of Twitter. I couldn't find the article with a web search but it was on my birthday - December 7, 2006, a little over 19 years ago!
#quote | «It’s a form that allows for intellectual exploration without demanding premature certainty. […] The format accommodates the actual texture of thinking, which is messy and recursive and full of wrong turns».
https://www.joanwestenberg.com/the-case-for-blogging-in-the-ruins/
@Daojoan I agree 100%. I have worked as an SEO blogger, freelance writer, and editor. But, many folks have quit their blog. (Not only because of AI. But because of the brutal Google Helpful Content Update a few years back, which crushed many professional bloggers.)
@Daojoan that's when they shift from evangelism, due to trauma, to self therapy
@Daojoan
Great post, nailed it. I find I spend weeks writing and re-writing a single blog post, to get very little engagement (shouting into the void), yet a simple photo of my dog can go viral. Still, I believe in the process of writing a blog, taking the time to put ideas down coherently is good for the brain, and can contribute to knowledge and health of the Internet, whether it is widely read or not
@Daojoan Love this. And is so anti-[substance|medium] 👏
My most important writing is on my blog. It's what I hope to be a permanent record of my thoughts. Here I post fleeting comments or links to my more important posts on my blog. I guess I should plug it now.
@Daojoan this has convinced me to sit down and finally write the blog post I've been meaning to write. Given that I've already got a domain and need to do SOMETHING with it
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