Notes on different blogging platforms

10 Dec 2022. By me.

---

I delayed blogging because I couldn’t decide on the correct platform. Eventually I decided that I might as well start somewhere because I wanted to achieve consistency in writing more than popularity, reach, aesthetics, etc., and staying on the platform question would waste time addressing the latter at the cost of the former.

Pros/cons are subject to my goals. I wanted to get started writing with as little friction as possible and with some attention to maneuverability in case I switch platforms, so GitHub pages wins.

I also wanted freedom to write some absolutely unpolished garbage, so sites with a polished vibe were also a no-go.

• GitHub pages
  • Pros
    • Free
    • Integrates well with Obsidian (which means I just copy it and don’t edit after posting)
    • Pretty straightforward
    • Default URL, but I can change my URL later if I need to
    • Even if GitHub boots me I still have all my local files
  • Cons
    • Default theme options are meh
      • To be fair, I haven’t looked very hard
    • No existing community
    • Limited blogging functionality
      • I still don’t know how to tag things
    • Static pages
      • No forms, comments, etc.
    • Currently tied to my GitHub URL/username, which is not the username that I most commonly go by now (al_xin or aL or alxin)
      • The username is also unintelligible, requiring memorizing four unrelated letters
      • As we know, those kinds of names never get popular
    • No newsletter options
      • Non-issue at beginning stage
• Substack
  • This was my second choice after GitHub, mostly beaten by me liking markdown and Obsidian more than I care about non-static site features and nice looking templates
  • Pros
    • Looks alright
    • Probably has better organizing tools
    • Newsletter options, commenting
      • Not useful for me right now, but it could be useful for more established writers or people who write on-theme to build a consistent audience
  • Cons
    • Format and tone not the right fit for me
    • Some dumb features, like the “Subscribe!” popup
  • I might consider Substack if I keep up blogging and think it’s useful as a more professional endeavour
    • This doesn’t seem especially likely, to be fair
• Ghost
  • Pros
    • Recommended by Ben Kuhn
    • Simple to setup
    • Newsletter, commenting
  • Cons
    • $10/month
• Medium
  • Pros
    • Free for authors
    • Stable platform
  • Cons
    • Norm is to paywall materials
    • $5/month subscription
    • Vibe not what I’m looking for
• Squarespace and other website builders (like Wix, etc.)
  • Pros
    • Looks better
    • More functionality
  • Cons
    • Expensive (huge con for me because I have doubts about consistency)
    • Squarespace is $16/month for personal use
    • Wix is $16/month for a “combo” plan (most basic)
• Tumblr
  • Pros
    • Existing community
    • Free
  • Cons
    • Does not fit well with productivity goals
    • Cringe
• Neocities
  • I don’t know much about these, but my sense is Neocities is like Tumblr
  • Somewhat janky, though that might be an effect of the preferences of people making the sites