I’m breaking the cardinal rule and blogging about blogging. As you may have noticed (if you are one of the half dozen people to read this blog) I have recently been ramping up my output. I recently read an interview with Cory Doctorow where he reiterated the old advice about ‘writing every day’ and I’m trying to do that – if not quite publishing as frequently.
When I took a break from this blog at the start of the year I was determined to only return to it if I generally felt I was improving as a blogger.
All I ever really wanted to do growing up was write and while I never had the chops to make a living out of it and have no delusions of making a middle aged career change to journalism I do want to be better at this.
I do get a lot of satisfaction out of blogging but as I look around at what other people write I realise even after all this time doing this I still have a lot to learn.
I’ve been wondering whether I’d benefit from some kind of journalism course to add some structure to my writing and I’d like to understand how to interview people for articles as I think that might be interesting. I did a series of email interviews with open ed luminaries for Mozilla a few years ago which I enjoyed but could have done better.
When Ghost launches my plan is to move this blog to that platform, invest in a custom theme (including some kind of Digital by Default logo/brand) and even invite the occasional guest post from people I know who no longer maintain a blog – and see what happens.
Until them you, my lone reader, can expect a pile of unread blogposts in whatever RSS reader you have replaced Google Reader with.
Digital by Default 
5 responses to “Better blogging bureau”
I got to know you via this blog and twitter so def worth keeping it up. I’m enjoying your short posts too. It is impossible to hold down a full-time job (running the streets of Gloucester rd lol) AND write epic pieces unless your paid to do so.
Keep posting these frequent and convenient-length articles then drop a few long-form articles every few months. I think for most of us this writing lark is just as much for ourselves as our tiny but perfectly formed audience of 5-100…
Hi Matt,
Glad to hear you are having a go at regular blogging. I’ve never really managed it myself, but I do rather envy those who can achieve it. My RSS reader (fwiw, I’m using The Old Reader, for the moment at least) is pretty much my breakfast reading now, particularly since I gave up on Twitter. I’ve been following your updates on your new job (and I thought of you wincing when I heard the Radio 4 programme on the ONS Web site the other day!)
Hey Pete – nice to hear from you 🙂 Yea the R4 interview and the following kicking in the FT were a little bit wince inducing it is true. I might try Old Reader next – my problem has been finding a decent Android client as my feeds are my morning commute read (I’m in work before most of my Twitter rises!)
Give me a shout if you are ever out West – a few of us (Sara included) are popping to IWMW to raise a drink to UKOLN soon..
Ha, I’m trying to do the same (the blogging regularly thing) and have piled in my old electronic museum blog and various other ones into http://blog.variousbits.net in an attempt to rationalise and simplify a bit.
Anyway – I’m enjoying your posts too, and am about to subscribe – to date I rely on you posting a link on G+ (!) but I’m getting back into feeds too. My choice is https://feedbin.me/ – reason 1 is much like yours (I like a client, and Reeder works with feedbin) but also 2 – I think it’s time to start paying for stuff if you want it to have longevity. Having said that, The Old Reader looks v good but I think I’ll stick for now.
Ghost? Really? Interesting move..
I figure given your mission to write the Great Devonian Novel you are probably writing your share already but I’d be happy to see you blogging again. I’m hoping for a renaissance 🙂
The feedreader thing is a challenge – I am up for paying for it (have done for Newsblur) and would have gone for Feedbin but it wasn’t well served on Android. I also use Evernote for, well, everything now so need a client that lets me share with that easily.
As for Ghost? To be honest I just thought it was time I learned to use something other than WordPress and as I have started to write in Markdown when I draft posts in iA Writer it seemed like a decent fit. We’ll see.