4 ms·

Ask HN: How to make your personal blog stand out?

6 points by brunooliv 5y ago

I created a blog with Github pages and I'd like to know what's the best way to make it stand out more? https://bruno-oliveira.github.io/techblog/

slater 5y ago
Write good content. Don't spam it. Edit: Just to be clear: not saying you're spamming here with this post. it just often happens that ppl will start a blog and spew links everywhere all the time ;)
- brunooliv 5y ago
  Thanks! I do have been posting some content frequently here ahah, but thanks! I'll try to setup a Google analytics stream perhaps to see if I can get more insights! Thx!
AndrewStephens 5y ago
What are your goals? Do you feel the need for lots of regular readers and viral reach? You can have that but you need to hustle constantly using social media or by making contacts that will promote your work. Even if a single article manages breakout success, this will not translate into a regular following. If you just want to put out some articles then what you are doing is fine.
- brunooliv 5y ago
  Thx! yeah I think mostly I want to see what kind of engagement I can get with my content mostly to have an idea of the cumulative reach of sharing on linkedin and here every once in a while, I mean 10 or 20 weekly views or wtv and I'd deem it a pretty good success, especially because I write mostly for myself, just curious to see the engagement.
smoldesu 5y ago
Honestly? Don't. Your goal for writing should be personal satisfaction, in my opinion. In the age of Twitter and microblogging, we've seen firsthand the effects of writing for other people, and it really gets on my nerves. When you bend over backwards to pander for others, it dilutes your personal message and encourages "novelty" visitors who are just there to gawk at your site or your writing style. It's no coincidence that some of the best blogs are just blank pages with normal text and fonts: the only way to build a decent following on a blog is offering a consistent, readable and interesting experience.
- brunooliv 5y ago
  You're absolutely right, thx! Consistency is def there in my case, just gotta try and make it interesting :D thanks a lot!
muzani 5y ago
The only blog I really love and follow is Paul Graham's. So I'd suggest you do what he does: http://paulgraham.com/simply.html http://paulgraham.com/simply.html There's some good advice on writing on his blog. Namely write a draft quickly, meander towards interesting part of a topic, and edit slowly. Keep editing until there is nothing left to remove. Write about things that interest you. Pick a topic that you suddenly find interesting and dive into it. It might take you a few days of reading to come up with one article worth of content.
legrande 5y ago
You can add some flair by using CSS, but don't go overboard. Keep the blog simple and plain and don't add too many bells and whistles. And be consistent in churning out well written and insightful posts for your readers. So many bloggers fail to do that, which is why they fade into the background. If you have the time, write small tools to help you flesh out a post (templates, title generators, blogpost structure etc).
- brunooliv 5y ago
  Yes, been trying to do just that, thx!

6 points by brunooliv 5y ago

I created a blog with Github pages and I'd like to know what's the best way to make it stand out more? https://bruno-oliveira.github.io/techblog/

slater 5y ago

Write good content. Don't spam it. Edit: Just to be clear: not saying you're spamming here with this post. it just often happens that ppl will start a blog and spew links everywhere all the time ;)

brunooliv 5y ago
Thanks! I do have been posting some content frequently here ahah, but thanks! I'll try to setup a Google analytics stream perhaps to see if I can get more insights! Thx!

AndrewStephens 5y ago

What are your goals? Do you feel the need for lots of regular readers and viral reach? You can have that but you need to hustle constantly using social media or by making contacts that will promote your work. Even if a single article manages breakout success, this will not translate into a regular following. If you just want to put out some articles then what you are doing is fine.

brunooliv 5y ago
Thx! yeah I think mostly I want to see what kind of engagement I can get with my content mostly to have an idea of the cumulative reach of sharing on linkedin and here every once in a while, I mean 10 or 20 weekly views or wtv and I'd deem it a pretty good success, especially because I write mostly for myself, just curious to see the engagement.

smoldesu 5y ago

Honestly? Don't. Your goal for writing should be personal satisfaction, in my opinion. In the age of Twitter and microblogging, we've seen firsthand the effects of writing for other people, and it really gets on my nerves. When you bend over backwards to pander for others, it dilutes your personal message and encourages "novelty" visitors who are just there to gawk at your site or your writing style. It's no coincidence that some of the best blogs are just blank pages with normal text and fonts: the only way to build a decent following on a blog is offering a consistent, readable and interesting experience.

brunooliv 5y ago
You're absolutely right, thx! Consistency is def there in my case, just gotta try and make it interesting :D thanks a lot!

muzani 5y ago

The only blog I really love and follow is Paul Graham's. So I'd suggest you do what he does: http://paulgraham.com/simply.html http://paulgraham.com/simply.html There's some good advice on writing on his blog. Namely write a draft quickly, meander towards interesting part of a topic, and edit slowly. Keep editing until there is nothing left to remove. Write about things that interest you. Pick a topic that you suddenly find interesting and dive into it. It might take you a few days of reading to come up with one article worth of content.

legrande 5y ago

You can add some flair by using CSS, but don't go overboard. Keep the blog simple and plain and don't add too many bells and whistles. And be consistent in churning out well written and insightful posts for your readers. So many bloggers fail to do that, which is why they fade into the background. If you have the time, write small tools to help you flesh out a post (templates, title generators, blogpost structure etc).

brunooliv 5y ago
Yes, been trying to do just that, thx!