Why I write blog posts
2025-05-11
In this post I reflect on why I bother to write blog posts. In no particular order, the reasons are sharing, reflection, marketing and a sense of progress.
Sharing
Sharing is the most obvious reason for me to write blog posts. When I have learned something or done something I want to talk to other people about then this blog is a nice way to do that. It's always a shot in the dark because I don't know who will read it and find it interesting. I don't get immediate feedback the way you do when you talk to someone face to face. I often don't get any feedback at all.
But still it's better than first finding someone to talk to and then sharing things with them. If that was how I did things I would share a lot less. I also don't know who might be interested in what I have to share. By sharing up-front I reach more people.
Reflection
I like learning things. When I reflect on what I've learned after a learning experience I get more out of it. There is a difference between knowing how to do something and being able to talk about it. By trying to explain it in writing I become aware of gaps in my knowledge. Seeing those gaps "on paper" (on the screen) motivates me to fill them in. I work harder and I do a better job if I have to report in writing on what I did.
Nowadays when I do a project, it doesn't feel "done" until I've blogged about it. I write my posts fairly quickly without worrying too much about the quality of the writing because I want to wrap up the project and move on.
Marketing
It feels odd to use this word "marketing" because I'm not literally selling something. I could also say "self-promotion". I want people who come across my online presence to be able to form an opinion about whether they would like to work with me. What kind of person am I? What are my interests and skills? I don't have a short answer to these questions but I hope that what I write and how I write will give an impression.
A sense of progress
When I get excited about a project I spend a lot of time on it. But then when the work is done I quickly forget about it again. Work can feel so important when I'm in the middle of it but afterwards it isn't as rewarding as I thought it would be.
It feels nice to sometimes look back and remember all the stuff I did. Looking at the index of my blog helps me do this. It can also be a source of moral support when I have a moment where I don't feel so good about myself or my work.
Conclusion
As I write this post I see two broader categories of motivation: reaching out to the world (sharing, marketing) and inner rewards (reflection, sense of progress). I could write a log that I keep to myself and get the inner rewards but then I would miss out on the benefits of reaching out to the world.
Reaching out feels scary and vulnerable but I have learned it pays off in connections with new people (or renewed connections with people I already knew).