Ask HN: Do I have too many interests to fit in a single blog? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Do I have too many interests to fit in a single blog?

9 pointsmcantor9 comments

Hi HN. I have a dilemma!

I would really like to write a blog. Especially after a recent article that made it to the frontpage, which advocated writing a blog even if no one is reading. I love writing, I do it all the time, but in terms of blogging I have one big problem: Too many interests!

If I had one blog, its subject matter would span video games, fencing, martial arts, armchair philosophy, ruby, python, Android & iPhone development, vim tips, some of my own illustration, general software development, personal finance, microfiction, graphic design and Photoshop tips. Now, I know we're supposed to write a blog even if no one is going to read it, because it is its own reward; but I feel like there really isn't a point to publishing a blog unless you think someone out there is going to visit regularly. Otherwise, there just isn't a reason to make it public--right?

My question to you fine ladies and gentlemen is: What should I do? "Wing it" and put up an interdisciplinary blog, trusting that it'll get an appropriate audience (whether an audience of ten or ten thousand)? Create a whole bunch of blogs and update each of them less frequently? I haven't spent too much time fretting over this, because it's probably more important to actually get things done, but that frontpage article last week inspired me to really find a solution, because it really bugs me when I write something and have no place to put it.

What do you think?

> there really isn't a point to publishing a blog unless you think someone out there is going to visit regularly

Why does it have to be "regularly"? What would be wrong, in your eyes, to trust in Google and word of mouth to steer readers to your blog by issue instead. If there is a noticeable line through all your articles ("the voice") and people like it, they may even read on topics they were not originally interested in, and eventually subscribe to it, but why do you feel this is necessary to begin with?

Also, don't underestimate the degree to which interests are correlated. Off your supposedly varied list of interests, for example, there are only three that don't match mine.

What would be wrong, in your eyes, to trust in Google and word of mouth to steer readers to your blog by issue instead.

Aside from the odd blog linked to from HN, the vast majority of blogs I most engage in are the ones to whose RSS feeds I subscribe and that regularly tick over. I can't remember ever getting to a blog as a result of a google search.

I much prefer single-topic blogs - unless you are Roger Ebert and can turn anything into a great essay, the reality is that most people only shine in their area of expertise, and when they stray it usually falls flat. Not saying that it applies to the OP, but it is my general experience.

Aside from the odd blog linked to from HN, the vast majority of blogs I most engage in are the ones to whose RSS feeds I subscribe and that regularly tick over. I can't remember ever getting to a blog as a result of a google search.

For me, it's the opposite, though probably the most common way for me to find a post is through HN. I wonder how popular RSS feeds are for blogs, compared to sites like HN/Reddit, or search results.

I don't know about the OP, but organising your posts is a task for when you have reams and reams of content that is too diverse for one website. If it's a personal blog and no one is reading it and you have multiple interests, blog about them all.

If a particular post or line of posts in a given category pick up a readerbase, then you can very easily create a view on just that tag or category for them to follow, be that the rss feed or the frontend site itself.

In my experience at least, keeping the enthusiasm for writing going long term is the hardest part of the blog, not how you organize your posts. I'd worry about that later.

Personal Blog, then a blog that's for "professional" stuff. Martial arts, video games, fencing, etc. goes in the first. Finance, development, and design work goes in the second. Actively plug the second.

Yes it's too many interests to fit into a single blog - UNLESS you have some common theme. For example, minimalism or if you're a very humorous writer or something that ties it all together. My blog is very focused on hiring and managing programmers and I was actually surprised when I did a blog post that was tangential but very related (agile process) what lukewarm response I got to the subject matter. I won't be trying that again.

I use blogger and have different blogs for different topics:

1. general (general tech, Java, Lisp, and a little on economy and politics)

2. artificial intelligence

3. Ruby

4. Clojure

I like keeping things separate, and my thinking is that if a reader is only interested in, for example Ruby, then they don't have to skip over everything else.

Make a blog, make sections, make RSS for each section and a ALL RSS.

Jack of all trades, master of none.

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