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, I was introduced by Sung Yinieh to the blog of Bai Xiong A Wan, which sparked some thoughts, leading me to decide 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 read 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, how is that different from the capital market? Naturally, it would lead to the downfall of short videos. But if it is only written for oneself, it might only align with one's own habits and logic, leaving readers confused. My own choice is to find a point between the two; how to choose this point? Write for myself in terms of topic selection, and write for readers in terms of presentation (article structure). I judge what topics are worth writing about, which is usually related to my interests and focus, and that’s how I can write what I consider to be good articles. Presenting in a way that is for readers is to make it simple and direct for them to understand. Moreover, xlog has no censorship, so there’s no need to beat around the bush. When there’s no censorship and one still speaks indirectly, that really shows how deep the habit runs.
Should the blog be beautified?#
Just like when you buy a house and think about decorating it, based on personal preference, 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 I could add JavaScript scripts. I was quite frustrated when I found out 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, could even be described as rudimentary, but the content is fresh, unique, and rich in knowledge.
So, beautification for the sake of convenience in viewing is acceptable. However, beautification for its own sake, especially if it affects readability, is absolutely to be avoided.