Forking Mad+

Bear Blog Questions Challenge

Jedda recently tagged me on the fediverse, as part of a writing exercise to answer a few questions about Bear Blog and how I blog.

So here are my responses.

Community Echoes at the bottom of the article, with links to other similar posts.

The Questions

Why did you make the blog in the first place?

I've been blogging, on and off for years. I started seriously in March 2011 with a technology blog. It was great fun and I blogged for several years but it then became harder to compete with the big boys of tech.

I also blogged personally from 2013 -- which is when forkingmad was born. Again it slipped away as life got in the way.

I've always enjoyed writing, so recently I started forkingmad.uk again. This was on another blogging platform, and is still running. I then started Forkingmad+ -- which is this one, as I loved Bear Blog.

I tend to write about random things and thoughts in my life. I avoid too many personal details about me as I want it to be about my thoughts.

Why did you choose Bear Blog

I stumbled across it by accident when reading other blogs. Being a naturally curious person I decided to register and have a look. I loved how simple it was, in terms of preparing the blog and posts, but it had the option of me doing some customisation to make it my own. I ran for a few weeks on the free offer, but soon paid my subscription and bought a new domain name for Bear Blog to host too.

Have you blogged on other platforms before?

My two early blogs, mentioned above, actually ran using software I had written myself. However, I had dabbled in WordPress in the past but felt it was overwhelming complicated and bloated.

Do you write your posts directly in the editor or in another software?

Most of the time, yes I write in Bear Blog directly. Very occasionally, if I am travelling and have some time, I will write in Joplin (my note taking app) and then transfer it into Bear Blog's editor later.

When do you feel most inspired to write?

Oh wow! Always. My mind is always running at full speed. I get lots of ideas -- especially in the morning and/or in the shower. I sometimes jot down the ideas in Joplin and may not visit the idea again for many weeks. Other times I sit down as soon as the idea is in my head and bash out the words.

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

Trust your first instinct is my mantra. I plan a little in my head about the flow and content. I write then I click publish.

I do have one extra step. I ask my browser to read the article back to me before I publish. It lets me listen for typos as my eye usually skims over the typed text and I miss them. So my process is: write --> read aloud --> publish

Your favourite post on your blog?

I enjoyed writing about everyone needing a label in life. It may have provoked a few people, but it was a controversial topic I wanted to get down in words as I feel strongly about it.

Any future plans for your blog? Maybe a redesign, changing the tag system, etc?

I'm always tinkering here and there -- but on the whole I am currently quite settled with the layout.

I narrated one of my posts, and I want to do more of that.


Community Echoes


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