Blogging: Weekly Summary (October 20-26, 2025)

I would describe this week in the blogging world as quiet but oddly loud. Lots of small ripples. A few loud splashes. To me, it feels like watching a street market on a Tuesday — not the Saturday big crowds, but enough to notice what's fresh and who's trying a new recipe.

Hands, devices, and the strange comfort of small screens

There were a couple of pieces that kept bringing me back to one simple idea: choice of tool changes how we write. Lee Peterson wrote about blogging from an iPhone and how that tiny screen helps lockdown distractions. I’d say that resonated with a bunch of other posts this week where the medium framed the message. The iPhone piece feels like using a pocketknife instead of a full toolbox — you don’t take the hammer to every nail. You just write, and that narrow focus does something useful.

That same impulse — pick the simplest thing that gets the job done — shows up again when people debate WordPress themes or switching to SSGs. Jack Baty talks about wanting the look of Hugo but staying with WordPress for convenience. It’s like wanting to hand-cut bread but keeping the breadmaker because, well, life. He mentions simple comforts: built-in comments, analytics, the Twenty Twenty Five theme. The tension there is familiar. Folks like the idea of fully owning their setup, but they also like buttons that already work.

So, choice of device and choice of software — both act like tasting spoons. You try something small and you notice flavor. You tweak. You keep what keeps you writing. That’s not a revolutionary message, except it keeps coming back in different outfits this week.

Attention, distraction, and the social itch

There is a theme of social friction. riki's house had a good, slightly wry take after ending up on Hacker News. The post reads like someone who laughed, then winced, then wondered why strangers’ opinions hit harder than they should. To me, it feels like being at a party where the host is anonymous and loud. You want a good chat, not to be judged for how you like your coffee.

That longing for real conversation shows up elsewhere. Matthias Ott uses the Voyager Golden Records as an analogy for sending signals that hope to connect. It’s cute and a little melancholy. Webmentions are framed not as vanity counters but as real small handshakes across the void. I’d describe those signals as the difference between waving from across the street and knocking on the door. Both get attention, but one invites you in.

Then Jeremy Keith writes about responses being worth more than likes. He calls social metrics "zombie numbers". That phrase is stubborn; it keeps nagging at you. A like is quick. A proper response is a letter left on the kitchen table. You can smell the handwriting.

Those three pieces together — Riki, Matthias, Jeremy — form a mini-arc. First: the awkward spotlight (Hacker News). Then: the cosmic hope (Voyager). Finally: the practical preference (responses over likes). It’s as if bloggers this week are saying: we want noise with a return address.

Tiny human things and the charm of list-y posts

I’ll admit, the little, personal posts were a delight. There were several “ten facts” posts — by Amit Gawande, Adam Douglas, and another by James' Coffee Blog. They’re playful and plain. Stuff like dental routines and favorite desserts. These posts are the blogging equivalent of swapping recipes at a neighbor’s gate. They’re short, a bit silly, and oddly intimate.

They also tell you something about the rhythm of the indie web. When you can toss out a list and people nod and comment, you’re keeping a thread alive without a lot of effort. That’s valuable. It’s like watering a plant with a cup, every few days. Not flashy, but the plant keeps growing.

Art, process notes, and the small workshop of the self

Véronique took a different route. Her post is part review, part art note, and part gentle personal diary. She writes about Alice’s blog, a park walk with a dog, and sketchbook experiments with pens and watercolor. I’d say this is blogging as a private studio visit. You peek at someone’s sketchbook and you leave a little richer.

There’s a recurring idea across posts about permission to enjoy what you do. Véronique mentions the 9 of pentacles tarot card and connects creative play to personal happiness. That rings alongside John Scalzi, who wrote about his year as a full-time writer. Scalzi is grateful but also candid about burnout and the squeaky business of staying motivated. That honesty, when paired with Véronique’s peaceful sketches, makes a gentle contrast: creation is both messy business and homey solace.

Tools, scripts, and the DIY tinkerer energy

There were also practical DIY posts that felt like someone handing you a tool and saying, "Try this." ReedyBear published two useful how-tos for BearBlog users: one to generate a table of contents with a custom JavaScript button, and another script that prevents accidentally leaving the new-post page. These are the kind of posts you bookmark and forget about until the day you need to not lose a draft. They’re small, but they remove tiny pains.

If the iPhone post is a pocketknife, ReedyBear’s posts are the screwdriver set tucked in a drawer. You don’t brag about them, but they save time and grief. And they remind you why blogging still attracts folks who like to open the hood.

Platform moods: Tumblr, BearBlog, WordPress, and the status quo

There’s a persistent fuss about platforms. The Font of Dubious Wisdom excitedly notes a new Tumblr feature that users can turn off. The post reads like someone celebrating a small freedom, and it shows how tiny toggles can mean a lot. Turning things off feels almost rebellious now. It’s as if folks are glad to yank the radio out of the wall for a minute.

Meanwhile, conversations about WordPress vs. SSGs keep popping up, mostly in the form of preference plays. Jack Baty is debating themes and the feel of his homepage. He mentions pinned daily posts and featured images — small design choices that change how readers move through your site. They’re not sexy, but they matter. It’s like choosing whether to hang curtains or just leave the windows bare.

BearBlog shows up twice in the DIY posts, which says something. People are building small fixes around it. That grassroots engineering feels healthier than waiting on big platforms to give you what you want.

Money, experiments, the indie grind

Not everything was cozy. Jacob Bartlett made a bold announcement: 100 days to grow Jacob’s Tech Tavern into a sustainable indie business with a £50k ARR target. He’s trying new content formats, doing interviews, and testing paid acquisition. To me, it feels like watching someone try to turn a beloved café into a restaurant that can pay rent. There’s urgency, strategy, and a bit of stage fright all mixed together.

This is where blogging meets business. It’s not glamorous. Jacob talks about subscribers, conversion rates, and product suites for iOS developers. The piece reminds you that many bloggers are juggling craft and commerce — trying to make something meaningful while also keeping the lights on. It’s a common duality. Some people like it. Some people bristle at it. You can almost hear the pennies clinking in the background while the author sketches interviews and newsletter ideas.

Strange stories, taboo talk, and the edges of blogging

Katherine Dee wrote about taboos and a bizarre true story of someone faking a pregnancy. Her post feels like late-night radio — odd, a little gossipy, and philosophical about what counts as taboo now that so much seems… un-taboo. She pairs the announcement of a coupon and a haunted-objects call-in show with the true-crime-ish tale. The tone shifts, and that’s the point. Bloggers can be eccentric radio hosts sometimes. That’s part of the charm.

Similarly, John Lampard pens a piece that sounds hopeful about blogs as agents for change. He channels that old blogosphere spirit — longform thoughtfulness, careful argument — and wonders if independent publishers could push back against the more toxic parts of social media. It’s aspirational. Maybe a touch idealistic. But there’s value in being idealistic in a week like this.

Replies, echoes, and why the indie web keeps humming

A few posts return to the question of connection. Jeremy Keith and Matthias Ott both nod to responses and Webmentions as ways to make blogging feel less solitary. Responses, they argue, are proof of life. They’re the digital equivalent of someone taking the trouble to write in the margins of your copy of a book.

This comes up in personal updates too. Joelchrono posted short updates — about FLAC downloads, dog care, and word puzzles — and it reads like a bulletin board note. You don’t need a manifesto to be noticed. Small notes build relationships. It’s slow work, and sometimes it's the most honest work.

Repetition, ritual, and why the same topics keep returning

There’s a rhythm to what people write about week after week. Tool choices. Attention management. Community replies. Monetization strategies. Personal lists. Art and process. Those repeats are not boredom; they’re ritual. Rituals make things usable. They make the web a place you can return to and feel continuity.

To me, it feels like making a pot of stew on Sunday. You add ingredients over days. Each time you stir, you taste and adjust. The stew might be different each week, but the act of stirring is the same. Readers, and writers, keep repeating those subjects because they work. They help keep the stew together.

Little disagreements and gentle tensions

There were small disagreements this week, mostly around how public a blogger should be and how much of the craft should be monetized. riki's house is uncomfortable with the public pile-on that Hacker News sometimes brings. John Lampard wants blogs to be agents of change, not just niches of boutique feeling. Jacob Bartlett needs to make money and is plotting experiments.

They’re not shouting at each other. They’re bumping into the same furniture in the dark and trying to find the light switch. Those small collisions are healthy. They make clear the tradeoffs: being open vs. being guarded, writing for oneself vs. writing for subscribers, tinkering for love vs. chasing ARR.

How the week feels if you squint at it

If you squint, this week looks like a neighborhood where some folks are tending gardens, some are fixing roofs, some are trialing new recipes, and one person is trying to open a proper shop. Every now and then someone will shout across the street because they posted something that landed on a big forum and got a crowd.

There’s warmth. There’s worry. There’s engineering and a whisper of nostalgia. There are tiny technical posts that save a minute here and a draft there. There are personal posts that make you smile, roll your eyes, or nod along because you too hate morning TV shows. It’s not dramatic. It’s domestic and earnest.

A small invitation

If this lit any curiosity, the posts reward clicking. The how-to scripts help if you use BearBlog. The iPhone piece is worth a read if your devices get in the way of your writing. Jacob’s announcement will entertain anyone who likes watching a small entrepreneur try bold timelines. And the sketches and tarot notes from Véronique will sit with you softly if you like observing process.

I’d say the real thread tying these posts together is trying to make something work in a crowded internet. Whether that looks like turning off a setting, choosing a simple device, gently experimenting with a theme, or asking friends to respond — the moves are small and human. They’re not revolutionary, and they don’t need to be. Sometimes a good blog post is like a neighbour bringing you soup when you’re sick. It’s useful, makes you feel seen, and it sticks with you.

Read a bit, click around, and if you like what someone writes — write back. Leave a Webmention, drop a note, poke the conversation. That’s the thing many of these bloggers are quietly asking for: not a mob, not a metric, but a real hello.