Joel nominated me, so why not?

Why Did You Start Blogging In The First Place?

It was February 2021 and remote university classes were still in full swing thanks to covid. I had just recently created my first Mastodon account and it was a time of discovering lots of different ways that people were keeping the internet fun.

One of those ways was the gemini protocol, which was seeing a rise in popularity at the time. It introduced me to the idea that having your own space on the internet can be really simple and doesn’t exactly need to be professional. In fact, it seemed you didn’t even need a good reason for it.

I had gotten a small Digital Ocean VPS for a web development course the previous semester. I still had a lot of leftover student credit with them, so I hadn’t shut it down but wasn’t really using it for anything. I ended up turning it into a gemini server where I published posts about nothing much in particular. It was fun and I didn’t have much more of a reason than that. Looking back, I think my own standards for my writing have gotten higher as my writing has slowly improved.

Have You Blogged On Other Platforms Before?

Gemini has always had a small, niche userbase. I think knowing that helped me avoid any anxiety I might have had about publishing posts to the internet, but there came a point when I didn’t want the protocol getting in the way of someone wanting to read something of mine, so I started looking into easy ways to get a website up and running.

I went to Neocities mostly for how easy it was to setup and it being pretty low commitment. I was doing everything on that site by hand. Yes, that even includes the RSS feed. You totally can do everything by hand, but for me it got old right around the time I was ready to commit more fully to the web, leading to the creation of my blog in its current form.

What Platform Are You Using To Manage Your Blog, and Why Did You Choose It?

Nowadays my main platform is a static website built with Hugo, though I do still publish to gemini.

I really can’t remember why I chose Hugo in particular as my static site generator, but my experience with it has been great.

I don’t really regret doing everything by hand before. It was fun in the beginning and gives me a better understanding and appreciation for Hugo.

I host the site on Vercel mostly because it came recommended as having a good free tier. It’s really fast (as it should be for my tiny page sizes) and I don’t have any complaints. Really though, there are so many good options for free/cheap hosting that I don’t feel especially attached to Vercel, and it’s nice knowing something as simple as this site could easily be migrated anywhere else.

How Do You Write Your Posts?

With Neovim, and more specifically LunarVim. I’ve added a few plugins and config options that make writing blog posts easier. The most notable ones are Zen Mode and Leap. I’ve also enabled spell check for certain file types like markdown files.

I can also write and publish from my phone using Markor and Termux, but I’ve only ever done this once because phone keyboards.

When Do You Feel Most Inspired To Write?

Writing inspiration is kind of a slow build up for me lately. I think that’s part of the reason I’ve taken to the week notes format. It gives me a way to organize a bunch of smaller thoughts together which I might not have bothered writing otherwise.

Do You Publish Immediately After Writing, Or Do You Let It Simmer A Bit As A Draft?

It depends. Usually immediately after, but I’ll hold onto finished drafts for a day or two if it’s something I’ve been working harder at.

What’s Your Favorite Post On Your Blog?

Probably my guide for switching to Linux since it’s still the one I’ve put the most time and research into. I’m also a bit proud of the posts I just wrote about Outer Wilds.

Some time ago I added a section for featured posts to my website homepage to highlight posts I’m proud of, so you should go check those out if you’re interested.

Any future plans for your blog?

Not at the moment. I did a big refactor of my theme back in October which I had been planning on and putting off for some time, but I’m glad I did it.

Who Will Participate Next?

Ok honestly at this point I’m having a hard time thinking of people that haven’t been nominated for this challenge already. So… if you haven’t been nominated yet, this is your excuse. I’m officially nominating you.

— JP