Yesterday, I finished reading a book about blogging: The Blank Screen: Blogging, by William Gallagher. I learned about this book when the author appeared as a guest on a recent episode of the Mac Power Users podcast.
This book prompted a lot of thought about how and why I blog and gave me some good ideas for my blog. It’s a valuable book for bloggers and those who read blogs.
This is an excellent introduction to blogging for someone thinking about starting a blog. Since it’s almost ten years old, it’s a little outdated on the technical side, but most of its recommendations are still relevant and applicable.
Interesting Thoughts About Blogging
• ”I write for myself but I write to you so I’m focused on you and can’t slack off.” I feel a responsibility and kinship with my readers; I’ve set a routine for when I post a new blog and don’t feel right when I skip it.
• Because of blogging, I’ve created connections and friendships with people I likely never would have connected with. For instance, I have one friend, Joe Moyer, whom I would have never met without my blogging (and his blogging). For almost two years, we’ve met on FaceTime a couple of times a month to talk about our work and encourage each other.
• My blog is a reflection of myself. As I change interests, my blog reflects those interests. When I first started blogging, it was primarily about Apple tech stuff; now, it’s still about that, but it’s more about intentional living and using technology to become more productive.
Pointers For Bloggers
• Your blog needs to be on your own site, not somebody else’s (like Facebook, X, etc.).
• It’s OK to revisit material you’ve written about before to update it or include new thoughts.
• “Make your blog be the one that helps people find what they’re looking for—even on other people’s sites.” It’s all about helping others while we help ourselves to improve as writers.