Back in 2010 I started a blog and my first post was how to use some auth plugin for Ruby on Rails (quite popular at the time). The article ranked number one on "how to use that thing", and I have to say, it was cool seeing my blog at the top of the google news results, and seeing actual traffic from users that I (hope) were getting some benefit from the writing.

That said, it was indeed a PITA to keep up and I eventually just let it die. That one article had taken almost 2 weeks to write and I didn't have that sort of time or interest to devote to other topics, which undoubtably would have been less interesting.

The point is though, for those that find early success, it can be quite pleasurable and addicting. For those that don't, it might be an exercise in pure personal growth.