Who is the blog written for?#
Common sense suggests that it is definitely written for others; if it were for oneself, why not write it in a note-taking app? However, after being recommended by Sung Yinieh to check out Bai Xiong A Wan's Cabin, I started to have some thoughts, so I decided to write an article.
Blogs can certainly be written for oneself, such as my Depression Diary, which is mainly written for myself. Of course, it’s good if others see it and understand what depression is like, and for those suffering from depression, knowing that there is someone else in the world struggling in the same way might evoke some empathy, right?
If a blog is only written for readers, then what is the difference from the capital market? Naturally, it would inevitably lead to the fate of short videos. But if it is only written for oneself, it might only conform to one’s own habits and logic, leaving readers completely baffled. My own choice is to select a point between the two; how to choose this point? Write the topic for myself, and write the presentation style (article structure) for the readers. I judge what topics are worth writing about, which is usually related to my own interests and focus, and that is how I can write what I consider to be good articles. The presentation style is written for readers to make it easy and straightforward for them to understand. Moreover, xlog has no censorship, so there’s no need to beat around the bush. When there is no censorship and one is still speaking in circles, that truly shows that the habit has become ingrained.
Should the blog be beautified?#
Just like thinking about decoration right after buying a house, depending on personal preferences, it can be aesthetic, practical, minimalist, or luxurious. I initially fell into the trap of aesthetics, thinking about how to set up CSS and whether to add JavaScript scripts. I was quite frustrated after discovering that xlog does not allow JS.
In fact, it doesn’t need to be that way; even some technically skilled bloggers believe that content is more important than aesthetics. For example, the two most famous blogs in the Chinese community, Ruan Yifeng's Blog and Programming Thoughts. These can even be described as rudimentary, but the content is innovative and unique, and the knowledge is rich.
So beautification for the sake of convenience in viewing can be acceptable. However, those that beautify for the sake of beautification, even to the point of affecting readability, are absolutely to be avoided.