Why Start a Blog?

I have two options here: indulge in a negative rant about the state of modern media (short form brainrot content, thirsty influencers shilling crap you don’t need, addictive algorithms designed to steal hours of your life, etc), or I could focus on the positives that I hope to attain with writing about experiences.

Instagram and YouTube (among many other platforms) are anti-word. Pictures are great, but captions are ignored and it doesn’t feel right to spew words into something that seems like an afterthought. I can’t really complain all too much, after all I barely read books! However, I do enjoy reading blogs and forum posts. Every year on UKB there is a “Best of” thread, which is filled to the brim of interesting anecdotes from mostly ordinary people, finding their own bit of adventure, fulfillment, experience, PBs, et cetera, and then sharing it with everyone. And it’s fucking brilliant - it’s authentic in all the best ways. It’s hugely inspirational to see people overcome the challenges they’ve had over the year and get good shit done. Even people who at first thought they had a bad year soon realise the positives they might have first glossed over.

Pictures and videos are great, don’t get me wrong, but sometimes writing can convey a little bit of something extra that can’t be shown. It is also sometimes impractical to visually record these experiences. Sometimes there’s nowhere good to prop a phone to record, or you’re too busy being a crucial spotter to take a few snaps. I am trying to get better at these as well.

Every year I partake in the UKB thread (and UKC counterpart) and take great joy in writing about my experiences as a way to almost experience them again. Why wouldn’t I start a blog, if not just to do that more often?

This is also a good opportunity to practice some dev skillz. If I get sick/stuck/bored I can always shift my stuff over to something like Blogspot or Substack, but I like the idea of having stuff in my own domain, where I can do whatever I like - or rather, have the ability to pull off.