Tag, You’re It

I saw these going around, but didn’t think I’d ever see myself get tagged — then Eric assuaged my FOMO.

As I’ve done elsewhere talking about how I blog, I’m gonna try and impose a character limit to my answers (~240). I’m not sure if that makes my job as the writer easier or harder, but it should make your job as the reader easier.

Why did you start blogging in the first place?

I think I started because everything I learned about building on the web came from reading other people’s blogs online, so I wanted to be a “web person” like them.

What platform are you using to manage your blog and why did you choose it?

At the time of this writing (April 2025):

I’ve arrived at this setup less from a combination of choice and evolution. As me and my writing evolve, my process and tools evolve too.

Have you blogged on other platforms before?

Blogspot, way back in the day. It’s no longer up, which is probably for the best. I was posting stuff I made from following “make this in Photoshop” tutorials.

Stylized glowing letters for the word 'Verdana'

Three pencil icons made in photoshop by Jim

Or I’d practice trying to visually express silly puns.

The word 'ACTION' with the lower part of the 'T' sliced off and an arrow pointint to it saying 'I always wanted a piece of that' (a visual pun on the phrase 'piece of the action')

Photoshopped version of Twitter circa 2010 with the ficitional account of Moses (username ManaLover) tweeting '@people_of_israel: just got a preview of the new tablet..i'll show it to ya soon.'

2 color headshot of Joe Biden blended into a coffee cup with the words 'cup of joe'

Or I’d make visual mashups of culture at the time.

Screengrab from the movie 'Clash of the Titans' but Steve Jobs’ head is superimposed on Liam Neeson’s character and he’s saying 'release the iPad'

How do you write your posts? For example, in a local editing tool, or in a panel/dashboard that’s part of your blog?

For a detailed history of changes on how I blog, I blog about blogging under #myBlog and I blog about microblogging under #myNotes. Read any of those posts for insights into my ever-changing process.

When do you feel most inspired to write?

When I read other people’s thoughts.

Do you publish immediately after writing, or do you let it simmer a bit as a draft?

I’m a simmerer. Rarely does a post go from thought to published in one sitting. For example, here’s a screenshot of my current simmering drafts (note my sophisticated editorial process of assigning each draft a letter prefix for sorting based on my appetite for finishing it).

Screenshot of a blog post drafts folder showing multiple draft entries with titles and dates.

What are you generally interested in writing about?

Stuff I make.

Or stuff others make.

Or thoughts I think while reading thoughts others think.

I have a tags page that tries to capture what I write categorically — for example, I blog notes from books I read, and podcasts I listen to — but TBH it’s not the greatest taxonomy of my writing.

Reductively: I blog about web design and development.

Who are you writing for?

Whoa, that question got me more introspective than I expected. Gonna move on before this becomes an existential crisis.

What’s your favorite post on your blog?

I used to highlight some of my favs on my home page, but I stopped. Choosing favorites is hard.

My blog posts are like my kids: I love them all equally, lol.

I suppose my favorite blog post is the one I’ll publish next.

Any future plans for your blog? Maybe a redesign, a move to another platform, or adding a new feature?

Will I redesign? Lol, the question is: when will you redesign?

Tag ‘em

Sorry if I mention someone who’s already been tagged:

Sorry, I’m not gonna ping any of these folks. If they read my blog, they’ll see their names. Otherwise, dear reader, consider it a suggestion to go subscribe to their stuff.