I've been reading the comments for a few hours, and am actually amazed that this is still at the top of HN, so here goes:
I've kept a blog (https://taoofmac.com) for over 15 years, and I've derived satisfaction from it on three main counts: I like to write in general (and keep notes, and the site actually started out as a Wiki of notes covering my migration to the Mac), I like to tweak the code behind it (although new releases are now years apart), and I like the (little) correspondence that comes from people who tackled the same issues (sometimes with different solutions).
As to exposure, it was great fun in the pre-iOS days and when Mac blogs were all the rage. But professionally (and this is the bit where I think some pushback is needed) I get exactly _zero_ benefits from it, because:
- What I write about technically has (by design) nearly zero import on my work, skills or career aspirations
- LinkedIn has become the de facto "show off" (cess)pool, and although I write a few opinion pieces now and then and post them there (and on Medium), the novelty value has largely worn off
In fact, my online presence has, if anything, been a nuisance in my career moves--my currently being at Microsoft and keeping a Mac-related blog is often commented upon, for instance, and many recruiters who approach me via that route usually think I'm a developer (I also have http://carmo.io, but that has essentially zero visibility).
Just checked out your site and wanted to say I really like the visual design. Not sure if you do all your own CSS but it has a great feel/balance on desktop. Well done
On Tao, I decided to go with a Jekyll theme as a base and then proceeded to rip out most of it, starting with the typography, and added lazy loading to make it a better experience on mobile - and the iPad.
The portfolio site is based on a minimalist skeleton CSS. I tend to rely on proven grid/layout bases and tweak the rest to my satisfaction (sometimes obsessively).
I've kept a blog (https://taoofmac.com) for over 15 years, and I've derived satisfaction from it on three main counts: I like to write in general (and keep notes, and the site actually started out as a Wiki of notes covering my migration to the Mac), I like to tweak the code behind it (although new releases are now years apart), and I like the (little) correspondence that comes from people who tackled the same issues (sometimes with different solutions).
As to exposure, it was great fun in the pre-iOS days and when Mac blogs were all the rage. But professionally (and this is the bit where I think some pushback is needed) I get exactly _zero_ benefits from it, because:
- What I write about technically has (by design) nearly zero import on my work, skills or career aspirations
- LinkedIn has become the de facto "show off" (cess)pool, and although I write a few opinion pieces now and then and post them there (and on Medium), the novelty value has largely worn off
In fact, my online presence has, if anything, been a nuisance in my career moves--my currently being at Microsoft and keeping a Mac-related blog is often commented upon, for instance, and many recruiters who approach me via that route usually think I'm a developer (I also have http://carmo.io, but that has essentially zero visibility).