I've had a blog for almost 20 years now, and what it did for me really shifted over the years. Early on, it helped me join the conversation around the topics I cared about (I still fondly remember remember backpings and comments on blogs, when it was still safe to publish those automatically and not fear link spam or porn showing up randomly), and become a member of a community. It helped me attract a small group of people who followed my work and would later buy my books.

As internet became more hostile and social networks started hiding posts to external sites, I ended up posting a lot less frequently, so the blog mainly became a place where I could put a longer explanation or a reference, effectively to stuff up to point people from workshops and short conversations more easily. From that perspective, a blog really helps me clarify my thoughts about something so I can force myself to research it in detail. The way I write also shifted because of this. Early blog posts were more like a presentation or a story, now I mostly write stuff that's like a reference.

I made defmetrix for myself. I started making tools that I used in my daily job and just put them online for others to use for free. Its also more convenient for me to access my tools/data anywhere via the web and its been a fun learning experience to run a site.

I like to write because it helps me think through something that I’m curious about. And when I post it on HN I get a bunch of people who will help discuss and research it more which is super fun.

Given me a place to put down my thoughts.