On starting a new blog every three years
I was looking for places to publish what I have written this weekend. I looked at Substack. I looked at my old blog.
My old blog runs on Tumblr (!) and the last post from three years ago almost makes me cringe, until I remind myself that there’s bravery in writing and publishing regardless of how you feel about it later, and I feel comfortable again.
I considered creating a new account on Substack but stopped because the publishing agreement is a key part of the sign in and when I looked at it, the length and legalese gave me no certainty about ownership and rights. My writing is dear to me, so if this long legal contract had any chance of reducing my rights over the content, that’s a nonstarter. So I exited, looked at my old blog, and realized I would rather keep building on what I had started on my own domain than go somewhere else, even if they have cool features and even if I can move my own domain over sooner or later.
I don’t know what it is about starting a new blog every few years. I imagine that many of us who write, do so inconsistently, so when we revisit doing so, it’s with fresh eyes as opposed to a habit. And then given how fast technology has evolved for the last twenty years, the state of the art from three years ago now looks outdated and lacks functionality that in that short timespan has become essential, like subscriptions and payments. Or even if the functionality exists, its importance has shifted.
It’s funny though. I have had something like 5-10 blog platforms in as many years. I bet many of us have as well.
Post-Script:
A few days later, I decided to publish on Substack, so here we are :)
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