Dead Blogs, Blogging and Getting Better
Most techies have blogged much longer than I have. I didn’t start until early 2009, on a blog called Trust the Process Now, and I killed that blog a long time ago. Being a former journalist, I had the wrong view of blogging. I thought it would take away from my writing juice on my day job as a reporter, and I couldn’t imagine having enough to say.
I was wrong. I wish I would have started blogging earlier in my career. But since that first blog, I’ve experimented to find the right mix between blogging, social media and providing value to readers and the web. I think I found it. Here’s what I’ve been doing:
The Current Blogging Lineup
- davidakennedy.com and (e)INTERtain: Since January 2010, this has served as my main online home and blog. I also post about projects I’ve worked on.
- davidakennedy.net: I started the current iteration of this blog in September 2011, turning it into a life and hobbies blog.
Many of the posts that populate (e)INTERtain come from a blog I started in grad school at Elon located at davidakennedy.wordpress.com. DavidAKennedy.net has gone through a few versions. It started as a learning journal, powered by Posterous, then a hobby blog powered by Tumblr before its current form – a combination of the two on WordPress.com.
Retired Blogs and Domains
- journalismlives.com (still active): Steve Earley (my co-blogger) and I haven’t blogged here in awhile, but we’re not ready to abandon this project yet.
- trusttheprocessnow.com (no longer own domain): My first blog, I wrote a lot about my philosophies in life, a la zen habits.
- davidakennedy.wordpress.com (deleted): A WordPress.com powered blog that I used as a learning tool in grad school. I imported many of the best posts to my current blog.
- gutcheckrunning.com (no longer own domain): I created this blog as a running journal, but when I didn’t keep a consistent running schedule, I killed it.
- trusttheprocess.net (no longer own domain): This was a short-lived photo blog on Posterous. When I learned more about custom post types, I created my own section for photos on my self-hosted WordPress install.
- davidakennedy.net (on Tumblr): The site WRPG started on Tumblr and I had fun with it, but ultimately I liked how WordPress.com gave me better flexibility over exporting content and more features. I do miss Tumblr’s better mobile blogging features. I also went with WordPress.com so I would fiddle less with the inner-workings of the site and theme, something I do too much, taking time away from blogging.
Five Things I’ve Learned While Killing Five Blogs
I hate leaving blogs and domains behind, but I also believe in trying new things, experimenting and working hard to create value for readers and the web in general.
- Try platforms, but build on your writing. A platform, no matter how new and advanced its features are, or how vibrant its community is or becomes, you writing must be the focus.
- Start with your passions. They fuel your blogging better than anything.
- Don’t worry, just blog.
- Say something worth saying.
- Create value in some way, shape or form.
This post was inspired by Om Malik’s My 10 years of blogging: Reflections, Lessons & Some Stats Too.
I haven’t blogged as long as some of the pros, but I learning, moving forward… What about you? How have your blogs evolved over time, and what have you learned?