Blog = Weblog
The word ‘blog’ is a truncation of the expression ‘weblog’. Google defines the word as follows:
a regularly updated website or web page, typically one run by an individual or small group, that is written in an informal or conversational style.
The key expression here is regularly updated. The key facilitator is written in an informal or conversational style.
At some point, I believe myself and at least a few other blog authors forgot this. Instead of blogging, i.e. regularly logging our activities, observations, general thoughts, etc. on the web in an informal style, we started producing polished articles, written with a beginning, a middle and an end. We started to plan blog posts way in advance, to craft them over days, weeks or more, to keep a backlog of blog post ideas “for the future”. Whilst these approaches may work for some, evidence has shown that has not worked for me. Whatever the reasons are, be they a lack of ability, time or motivation, the end result is that my blog is not regularly updated.
More than once, I’ve found myself asking:
When did my blog stop being a weblog?
Indeed, was it ever a weblog? Why can it not just be a weblog? There’s no good answer. I’ve made it as easy as possible to write posts. My blog uses GitHub pages and Jekyll and I can write posts directly in the GitHub UI using Markdown. It is my personal blog. I am not using it to sell services or convey a corporate message. It should be personal, even if it does have a general theme, such as software development. There’s no reason I can’t write posts in an informal or conversational style. There is no reason a post can’t be short. A few mistakes here and there? Who cares? Let the spelling and grammar police do they’re worst! (See what I did there?) 
So this evening, as I stepped past my office door, I decided to pop in and try and reclaim my weblog. I went to GitHub, clicked on the create file icon and started writing some Markdown. This post is the result.
Perhaps this is just the stepping stone to the next era of tumbleweeds in my blog, but at least I’ll sleep with a sense of satisfaction tonight.
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