I was tagged by Kev Quirk to complete a "Blog Questions Challenge", so here we go.

The questions are:

1. Why did you start blogging in the first place?
2. What platform are you using to manage your blog and why did you choose it?
3. Have you blogged on other platforms before?
4. How do you write your posts? For example, in a local editing tool, or in a panel/dashboard that's part of your blog?
5. When do you feel most inspired to write?
6. Do you publish immediately after writing, or do you let it simmer a bit as a draft?
7. What's your favourite post on your blog?
8. Any future plans for your blog? Maybe a redesign, a move to another platform, or adding a new feature?

1. Why did you start blogging in the first place?

I started my first blog in 1999, so I honestly don't remember why I started doing it. It was probably part fascination with the still-new magic of the internet and part having fun playing with software. I lost that first year of posts, but the archives starting in 2000 are filled with links to internet-ey stuff. I liked sharing things I was thinking about or found interesting. This still applies today.

2. What platform are you using to manage your blog, and why did you choose it?

As of today, January 7, 2025, I'm using Kirby CMS. I had been using static blogging engines for years (with occasional forays into the big CMS options like Ghost or WordPress), but with Kirby I was (easily) able to build my blog to work the way I wanted. I love that Kirby lets me easily build the admin panel to work exactly how I like. It's fast, simple, and pleasant to use. Kirby is written in PHP and uses plain text files for content (so no database). This makes it easy to host, move, backup, etc. Not quite as easily as with a fully static site, but close enough.

3. Have you blogged on other platforms before?

Hahahaha...ehem... I mean yes, I have. There are very few viable platforms I havent used. I've written a number of custom versions using ColdFusion, PHP, and Ruby on Rails. I used Blosxom for quite a while. I even wrote a little PHP CMS for generating Blosxom sites. It was called PHPetal because I'm clever that way. After Blosxom I moved to Movable Type. After that it's a blur of TextPattern, WordPress, Jekyll, Blot, Fargo, Tumblr, Tinderbox, Ghost, Eleventy, Hugo, and probably others I don't remember.

Trying new blogging platforms is a hobby for me. Other people golf, I guess.

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

This depends on the platform I'm using, but with Kirby I write 90% of posts in the Kirby panel, on the server. Occasionally I'll mix things up and edit in Emacs or iA Writer or BBEdit.

5. When do you feel most inspired to write?

Usually, right after I learn or do something interesting. I like sharing things as they happen. I don't have a ritual or plan or anything.

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

Immediately, if not sooner. I often hit "Publish" even before I'm finished writing. Having something half-assed out there motivates me to finish it. Nothing ever simmers. This lends itself to incomplete thoughts and weak writing, but it's how I've always done things.

7. What's your favourite post on your blog?

I'm sure I don't have one. There are thousands of posts. Most of them are short and messy and none really stand out enough where one would say, "Now that's a good bit of writing!" I wouldn't, anyway.

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

Yes, all of that, and probably sooner than I should. During 2024, I switched platforms every 30 to 60 days. That's nuts, but I can't seem to stop doing it. I would very much like to keep my writing in one place and to use the same Kirby-based tooling and workflow for at least the rest of 2025.

I can hear you all snickering at that.

Onward!