I spend a lot of time reading things online. I was reading one of these things recently, though it was a typical departure from my usual reading in that it was poignant, articulate, and free of emotion. The thing in question was the “about” page of Dan Luu’s blog. He suggests that the reason his blog is so popular is that there is a shortage of easily digestible technical information. He makes the case that there is need for people to fill this gap, and blog themselves.

I wasn’t convinced, but he points at Steve Yegge’s post You Should Write Blogs and now I’m convinced. The big selling point for me:

Reason #3: Nobody will read my blog.

That’s a really good reason to write a blog. Sold. There is actually another good reason however:

Reason #4: Blogging is narcissistic.

Bam, I’m perfect for the job. But actually, I think that the exercises that have been most helpful to me are the ones that make me more humble. I’ve always had a big ego (I literally had a shirt in high school that said “I RULE” in gigantic impact font and nothing else) and it’s always been more obstructing than enabling. Having to write in public forums has gradually taken the edge off my ego over the years. When my writing was criticized or attacked it prompted aggression and defensiveness to varying degrees. Ultimately this was a good thing for me, because I realized that despite my opinions being personal, the responses were not. It was empowering knowing that my opinions, while a reflection of me, aren’t me. I’m just sorry to those I lashed out at anonymously in this process, though I’m sure at least a few of them deserved it.

The other part about writing in public is being accountable to others. I must measure my words, not because of external factors, but because I ultimately want to say what I mean to say. I hate being misunderstood, and it’s on me to find better words to better explain. Having to write in such a way where I provide all the content and context means that I am holding myself to a higher standard than I normally would. I wouldn’t want to say something mean out of hand, purely because I’m being thoughtless.

I hope to focus on some technical writing, especially in the area of building infrastructure. I probably will take a more philosophical approach to these matters, as there are tons of content that provides technical how-to. I think most people find the hardest problems aren’t completing the tasks at hand, but figuring out what to do, especially at large scales on a macro level.

I also hope to express some of my less realized more abstract thoughts that aren’t technical, though I should probably provide evidence that I’m somebody whose opinion is worth considering first.