One Year In
Continued Thoughts from One Year of Blogging
What I Learned and What I’ll Do Next
I started this blog for me. It gives me a reason to chase ideas, put thoughts in order, and—on good days—make sense of the world out loud. I figured that if I published steadily and let posts ripple to Facebook, LinkedIn, Nextdoor, and X, a small circle of steady readers would form on its own.
It didn’t—at least not yet.
I’ve done the social-media hustle before
Years ago, when I ran an online retail store, I did build an audience the hard way. It took 10–15 hours a week, every week—posting, replying, and feeding each channel with content tailored to its community (and sometimes to small groups or even one person). That effort wasn’t a side dish; it was part of the job. At the peak I had roughly 30k on Twitter, 15k on Facebook, and 10k on Pinterest. Most of that evaporated after years of inactivity, which is one more reminder: if you want the audience, you have to keep showing up.
I didn’t sign up to turn this blog into another full-time SM job. It’s supposed to be more like a hobby that takes up a few hours each week. But I do want modest growth and a bit more conversation—without pretending I’m 25 or even 45 and wired to every platform.
What I published (and what surprised me)
As of September 1, I’ve posted 160 pieces across a wide river of topics: recipes, technology, AI, robotics, health, finance, sports, books, commentary, opinion, and personal notes. Technology was supposed to lead; curiosity brought up other ideas. Recipes are a fallback (I have a deep archive). AI and robotics became repeat guests. Health related material seems to continue to creep into the forefront also.
A few observations:
- Consistency helps, but finding topics can still be work—especially for forecast-style posts that require research. Sometimes there is too much and often too little.
- Opens ≠ conversation. People seem to be reading silently. What’s wrong with sending an acknowledgement?
- Social sharing isn’t the same as community. Hitting “share” is not an invitation; it’s an echo.
What’s right, what’s wrong (with the blog—not the world)
What’s right:
I look for quirky angles and sometimes take a cockeyed point of view—on purpose. I’m trying to nudge readers to see a familiar topic differently, not to repeat the popular take. I keep the language plain and try to make complex topics understandable without drowning anyone in jargon.
What’s wrong (or at least not helping):
I have rarely invited conversation at the end of a post. My social shares are mostly just that—shares, not prompts. On technical topics, I do build the foundation and avoid going too deep, but I sometimes forget that new readers don’t know my “house style.” I can make the entry ramps clearer.
The Way Forward (sustainable and simple)
Cadence
I’ll publish two posts per week -sometimes more. Length will depend on the topic—generally 900–1,750 words. That gives me space to say something useful without turning each week into a research marathon. And, it should only take minutes to read.
Series (signposts, not fences)
- AI for Us —useful, safe things you can try today but also looking toward the future and reducing the hype that shows up in popular content.
- Robots, Sans Hype — one real development or deployment; whats changing and why it matters. Again looking forward to show where things are going without the over exuberance in the headlines.
- Smart Kitchen, Real Life —seasonal recipes plus one practical kitchen tip or tool when it fits.
- Curious Interludes — essays that don’t fit the above (sports, reading, personal tech, finance, travel, music… the “wide river” stays).
Third-Party Articles (staying in the mix)
Sometimes someone else writes the perfect deep dive. Instead of rewriting 1,500 words, I’ll post a short summary with a link and what I’d add (agreement, disagreement, or why it matters to us). This keeps variety high, workload sane, and—frankly—adds humor and oddities I enjoy. But it also provides that opportunity for those interested to take that deep dive into a topic from people a lot more committed that me and probably a lot smarter too.
Lightweight promotion
- Facebook & Nextdoor are primary. Each new post gets a native summary (3 lines), one specific question, and an image. If comments appear, I’ll reply once the same day—briefly and kindly.
- LinkedIn gets a shorter highlight only when the topic is tech/AI/robots.
- X auto-posts; I’ll only engage if a real question shows up.
No manual newsletters
If you want new posts directly by email, use the site’s standard Follow/Subscribe option. It’s automatic; I won’t write extra summaries and you will get an early version of everything.
Gentle, optional support
I’ll add a Tip Jar (Buy Me a Coffee) link on the About page and in the site footer. No tiers, perks, or promises—just a way to say “thanks” if something helped.
How I’ll measure sanity
For the next 90 days I’ll watch three dials:
- Returning readers/month (grow by ~30).
- Comments/week across site/FB/ND (average 1–2).
- Time spent (don’t let it creep)
If those nudge up, I’ll keep going. If not, I’ll scale back rather than grind.
What to expect from the writing
- Plain English, with quick explanations where needed.
- Personal scenes and examples so you can picture the point.
- Fewer bullets, more story.
- One clear question at the end so it’s easy to comment.
- Quarterly “state of the robots and AI” updates written for most of us.
If that sounds right, come along. Or just answer the question at the bottom of the this post. One sentence is perfect.
How to comment (even if you don’t usually):
What one topic would you like explained without the hype—AI, robots, cooking, health, finance, sports, or something else?
