Blog questions challenge

I’ve seen this quiz around the IndieWeb (ethan marcotte, adactio, and gkeenan), so I thought I may as well join the circle, and answer the little questionnaire about Blogging. Here you go!

Questions

Why did you start blogging in the first place?

I don’t know, I think it was just a simple digital journal at the time, where I could dump my thoughts and what I was doing at the moment. I’ve always written in a semi-automatic fashion, never really planned my texts. I just…wrote it down, and published it. Never thought they would be people reading them, but yeah…one day, I realized I was read!

What platform are you using to manage your blog and why did you choose it? Have you blogged on other platforms before?

When I started blogging, it was on LiveJournal, almost 25 years ago. Been a while, phew! But since 2004, I’ve been blogging on WordPress. Its simplicity of use has always made it my favorite platform to publish my website, and I never really wavered. Even if I coded in other CMS and frameworks, I always sticked to WordPress.

How do you write your posts? For example, in a local editing tool, or in a panel/dashboard that’s part of your blog?

It depends. I must say I like writing down my posts in Notepad++, but sometimes, I’ll use the good ol’ pen and paper to write my draft. I’m a minimalist: I need a white page with no formatting button to be able to write down my thoughts as they come. Now, once I’m ready with my draft, I create my draft post in WordPress, and there I add all the formatting and blocks I need to show my ideas and thoughts. I’ll use Antidote to correct my grammar and vocabulary, and sometimes I’ll dialogue with Claude.ai to see how I can improve my text, but that’s it.

When do you feel most inspired to write?

Anytime! But mostly when it’s late at night, and I’m in the process of going to bed: that’s when the inspiration is the best. Or in the shower! LOL

Do you publish immediately after writing, or do you let it simmer a bit as a draft?

For a long time, I was writing and publishing as soon as I was done. But these days, I’ve caught myself letting my posts for days in draft mode. I think as I’m gaining in maturity (LOL), I have more patience to let it simmer in my mind and make it better.

What’s your favourite post on your blog?

My “Links I’d Share in Private” series has become my absolute favorite content to create. It’s hard to believe I’m approaching the one-year milestone of publishing these bi-weekly collections! I’ve truly enjoyed curating and sharing my online discoveries with readers. There’s something special about revealing what catches my attention as I explore the web and passing those gems along to others.

Any future plans for your blog? Maybe a redesign, a move to another platform, or adding a new feature?

As I’m getting deeper into the IndieWeb community, I’ve been enhancing my site with connected functionalities. I’ve added a Like button, simplified commenting, implemented Micro.pub format, integrated IndieAuth, and even joined a webring. I’m constantly working to improve my site for the IndieWeb community, as I want my blog to reach as many people as possible. And let’s be honest, I’ll probably redesign everything as soon as I find a new theme that catches my eye! 😛

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