On January 8th, 2026, I hit 10 years of blogging on this little corner in the vast ocean of internet. I missed the exact date to post, but I do not want to skip the marker.
My first post on this blog was JavaScript Code Conventions on Jan 8, 2016. The archive now shows 223 posts. That line in the sand still feels unreal.
Getting started in 2016
When I published my first post in January 2016, I wasn’t trying to build an audience. I was trying to understand JavaScript. Writing was just note-taking with accountability. Learning in public wasn’t trendy at that time.
That’s the first thing I learned: the best reason to blog is selfish. You write to clarify your own thinking. If other people find it useful, that’s a bonus.
I already had some experience blogging. I previously used to keep a book blog around. When I was starting my journey in the world of technology, a blog felt like a simple way to learn and keep notes.
The earlier posts read like a checklist of basics. I was trying to make explicit. Writing helped me slow down at that time and it still does. It helps me make sense of what I am learning.
Writing also helps me to reflect and learn in the areas more than just technology. At that time I was starting this blog, I didn’t know I will be writing professionally after 10 years at my day job.
What changed in a decade
The topics I write about on this blog have shifted as my day job shifts. The early years were a little of JavaScript and Node.js, Angular and Ionic. In 2018, it became more about React Native and Expo. Today, I also write about documentation and technical writing.
The platform I used to build this blog has changed as well. I wrote for multiple publications and external blogs as a guest author on Medium and their own platforms. Owning the content now on this blog, makes the effor feel more durable.
My process has changed. I used to aim for big, lengthy tutorials. Now I mix shorter posts, notes, and experiments like yearly post counts and RSS improvements.
What stayed the same
Curiosity is constant. I still write about stuff I am curious about. Helps me clarify and explain.
Another constant is the desire to keep the blog light and useful, even when a topic is narrow or a post is short.
The last constant is the blog itself.
Lessons from 10 years of blogging
The following are some of the reflections and lessons I have from last 10 years:
- Clarity beats cleverness. The posts that age well are the ones that explain a single thing clearly.
- Titles are important. They do the work for your readers. Aiming for a clear title is hard.
- Writing on this blog is personal and it should feel like that. Pressure should be lowered by that.
- Be honest. Even if you can’t reach a charming, exciting conclusion, being honest about your work and in your words is all that you have.
- Consistency is key. Showing up regularly is hard, but it keeps the habit alive.
- Small posts matter. I have learned this quite late in my journey, otherwise this blog would have more published content.
- Some posts are received well, many are not. Trying to chase the numbers depends on your motive. However, blogging for a decade is marathon, not a sprint.
- Taking notes for yourself is more important than numbers. I often go back to my posts to see what approach I took to solve the problem at that time.
- Your archive compounds. You build trust and you might get opportunities.
Compounding effect
The outcome is not always direct, but it is real. Writing made me a better developer, and a better editor. It has helped in my day job, connect with people, and get opportunities to make a living.
One thing I didn’t expect that the blog can become a kind of an extended resume. Not in promotional way. Just in the sense that it shows I think and what things I work on. When you have written for years, people can what you care about and how you approach something.
But here’s the thing: I don’t think you can optimize for this. If you write to get opportunities, you write differently. You write to impress rather than to understand. And that makes the writing worse.
Gratitude
I am grateful for the readers who take the time to send a note. I am grateful for the bloggers who keep the open web alive.
I am grateful for the tools that make this work possible and for the people who build them.
What I would do differently if I started today
I would focus earlier on owning the content. I would focus on writing more than tooling needed to run a blog. I would keep things simple.
I would publish smaller posts more consistently instead of waiting for big ideas to feel perfect.
I would publish more small things. Notes, links, half-formed ideas. The pressure to write something important is the enemy of writing anything at all. Some examples, tag gardening and blogging tips after 3 years.
What is next
Ten years is a long time. I’m not the same person who wrote that first JavaScript post.
I want to keep the blog practical. I also want to lean into community links, like Static Quest webring and Tech writing webring, and keep this space personal.
If you’re thinking about starting a blog, start. If you started one and stopped, start again. Don’t wait until you have something important to say.
The next decade starts today. If you want more writing about writing on this blog, here is the blogging tag.