On blogging

It's Thursday, one of my busiest days of work since I still work my full shift after recording the AppleInsider Podcast, so if anything gets published on Thursdays, expect it to be short. Today, I wanted to share some of my thoughts on the HilliTech blog and my plans for it.

I've been keeping up with weekly posts for over a year, and I enjoy writing them. They give me a chance to look back on the week and share thoughts about what's going on in the world, inside and outside of tech. They're usually longer form, and I always make sure to include a picture of one of our pets at the end for some fun, because so much news is very dreary.

This past week, I began an attempt at something new for my blog. I want to post at least once a day, whether it's 500 words on a topic or a literal link and a paragraph about it. It feels important to have some kind of consistency in posting if I'm ever to attract regular readers.

So, because of this change, I decided to open up membership so people can leave comments. That also means I can send out the weekly summary as a newsletter. Everything is remaining free to read and access; there are just more ways to interact with what I've written.

I do think it is important to be transparent about this too. I still work for AppleInsider, and that isn't about to change. That means I can't produce content that would otherwise be desired on AppleInsider.

I purposefully attempt to avoid such topics, but even as I navigate what I want to cover, there are times I cut too close and move a post over from the blog. It isn't a big deal, but it does mean I have to think carefully about what is published here.

My intention going forward, beyond the weekly summary, is to cover things I'd otherwise never speak about at AppleInsider. However, because most of what I enjoy is technology, don't expect too big a shift from that. Gadgets, video games, anime, and critical thinking are all things I expect to cover here. I especially want to be able to expand on Apple news with my own thoughts beyond the headline.

Something else I'd love to start doing is link posts similar to Daring Fireball or Kottke. Those would be a simple link out to a story with maybe a paragraph or two from me and a pull quote. Though I do find it hard to only have a paragraph's worth of thoughts about anything.

This place is evolving. I'd love to hear any comments or suggestions about what you like or don't like about what I'm doing here.

An ongoing project

The reason HilliTech exists is so I can own something that I can point people to that isn't social media or my job. AppleInsider is great, but it is also fleeting. Everything I post there comes and goes so quickly I feel its impermanence. I like having this blog so things can breathe. Scroll down just a bit and you're seeing posts from the past few weeks without effort.

This is a passion project and one I hope to continue. That said, it isn't free. I have to pay for Ghost and the URL, so if you were wondering why I have a Buy Me a Coffee link, that's why. I have no intentions for this blog to become profitable. The time I sink into it can't be recovered from a handful of donations, but at least it can make it worth it.

So, if you're reading this, then I'd love it if you could sign up for a membership so I can send you the newsletter each week. Also, please feel free to engage in conversation in the comments. Or, at the very least, go like and repost these on Bluesky or Mastodon so I know they're at least being seen by others. It makes it feel more worthwhile.

Thanks for reading!