- Site: Ben Tsai - By: - Date published: 2024-05-14 - Date read: [[2024-06-18]] - [Read Original](https://bentsai.org/posts/why-i-write) - [Read on Omnivore](https://omnivore.app/me/why-i-write-ben-tsai-1900babb2a7) - Tags: - Notes: **Note:** Below is the text from the article, with any ==highlights== done by me. None of the writing below is by me. # Article text I grew up in the golden age of blogging, and I started blogging to emulate some of the folks online whom I enjoyed reading. At the time, it was voices like [Joel Spolsky](https://www.joelonsoftware.com/), [Jeff Atwood](https://blog.codinghorror.com/), [Jason Kottke](https://kottke.org/), and [Andy Baio](https://waxy.org/). (The last two on the list are in that rare set of URLs that I still type via muscle memory. And the first two, I haven’t visited in years.) Part of my reason to blog was clout-chasing. I revisited Coding Horror today and found this post: [How To Achieve Ultimate Blog Success In One Easy Step](https://blog.codinghorror.com/how-to-achieve-ultimate-blog-success-in-one-easy-step/). I think I believed that post and tried to put it into practice: > pick a schedule you can live with, and _stick to it_. Until you do that, none of the other advice I could give you will matter Reflecting on this now, this probably contributed to my guilt over the past 15 years for not sticking to a regular schedule of blogging. I did keep writing, though. Regardless, I’ve always appreciated how blogging forces me **to think more deeply**. Sometimes, it’s a deep dive into [a technical problem I’m wrestling with at work](https://bentsai.org/posts/idisposable-ipayattention). Or I’m researching a [process](https://bentsai.org/posts/atlassian-s-20-time-policy) or [activity](https://bentsai.org/posts/our-first-retrospective) that I can then pitch to my leaders. Blogging is also an outlet for self-expression. I get to share with the world [my love of coffee](https://bentsai.org/posts/mmm-coffee), the excitement of listening to [live music](https://bentsai.org/posts/le-jazz), and starting a new hobby like [bike-riding](https://bentsai.org/posts/my-bicycle). What’s fun about personal blogging is that **everyone has their own niche**—the sum of their experiences, contexts, hopes, and dreams. I saw [this video by J4vv4D](https://social.lol/@bentsai/112405882726678854) that talks about finding your niche at the intersection of your passion and expertise. That’s why I frequently think—and occasionally blog—about [being an advocate for human-centered design in the “world” of engineering](https://bentsai.org/posts/developers-in-the-double-diamond). In particular, I’m at a Biggish Tech company. There is a lot of organizational overhead to overcome. I work on a team that came from an acquisition a decade ago. I’ve been working remotely for 8 years. All of those factors give me a unique voice that no one else has. I write about what’s on my mind, and I write things I would want to read from others. --- This piece was prompted by [Robert Birming](https://birming.com/)’s post entitled [Why write?](https://birming.com/posts/why-write) I largely echo the sentiments he shares. --- [Reply on social](https://social.lol/@bentsai/112441312586988681)