post: add 10y of blogging

src/content/blog/2020/2020-09-13-portfolio-junior-dev/index.md

@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ description:
 language: en
 date: 2020-10-14
 cover: ./cover.jpg
-tags: ['career']
+tags: ['Career']
 ---
 
 A few weeks ago 2 people asked me the same question on Twitter: _"how do I make a better

src/content/blog/2024/2024-01-31-notion-as-cms-gatsby/index.mdx

@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ slug: notion-as-cms-gatsby
 date: 2024-01-31
 language: en
 cover: ./cover.jpg
-tags: ['JavaScript']
+tags: ['JavaScript', 'Gatsby']
 ---
 
 import Warning from '../../../../components/MDX/Warning.astro'

src/content/blog/2024/2024-09-03/index.mdx

@@ -0,0 +1,166 @@
+---
+title: 10 Years of Blogging, what I learned
+description:
+  Reflects on my experience and sharing some key lessons learned after 10y of blogging. Including
+  the importance of writing a good title, not worrying about post popularity...
+date: 2024-09-03
+language: en
+cover: ./cover.jpg
+tags: ['Life', 'Career']
+---
+
+import Info from '../../../../components/MDX/Info.astro'
+
+Last June, my blog turned 10 years old. It all started with a cheat sheet for a PHP framework. I
+wanted a place where I could keep track of my experiments. It slowly transitioned into a digital
+garden.
+
+And some unexpected things happened:
+
+- I met a guy in Thailand who thanked me for a post about Docker;
+- Some posts got translated into Chinese/Japanese;
+- I received a lot of “thank you” messages like this
+  one:![a twitter message saying thank you](./message.png)
+
+By the way, thanks for all these lovely messages. It means **a lot** to me 🫶
+
+---
+
+These 10 years are also a good opportunity to look back and see what I learned from this experience.
+
+TL:DR;
+
+1. [A good title is more important than you think](#1---a-good-title-is-more-important-than-you-think)
+2. [_“Write like if no one's reading”_](#2---write-like-if-no-ones-reading)
+3. [Some posts will blow up, others won't…](3---some-posts-will-blow-up-others-wont)
+4. [_“This topic was already covered by XXX”_](4---this-topic-was-already-covered-by-xxx)
+5. [Don't overdo](#5---dont-overdo)
+6. [Take notes often](#6---take-notes-often)
+7. [Own your content](#7---own-your-content)
+8. [Consistency is key](#8---consistency-is-key)
+9. [Use social platforms](#9---use-social-platforms)
+10. [It’s a strategic tool for career growth](#10---its-a-strategic-tool-for-career-growth)
+
+## #1 - A good title is more important than you think
+
+A post title is like a startup name. It needs to “click” and to be unique. It's the first thing the
+users will see. Based on that first impression, they will decide whether they click or not. Catching
+someone's attention is hard. To stand out from the crowd, a good title is a key to success.
+
+Unfortunately, titles like *“You MUST learn these 3 things to be a 10x developer”* works incredibly
+well. I mean it catches the attention, people will click but they won't stay because they're feeling
+scammed.
+
+I've found out that actionable and benefit-driven titles work the best.
+
+## #2 - _“Write like if no one's reading”_
+
+I've often fallen into the trap of trying to make some blog posts “perfect”. I ended up spending
+months before posting or not posting it at all. It's not an academic dissertation, so it doesn't
+have to be perfect!
+
+Write posts that YOU want to read! I don't know how often I reread my article on the
+[Set theory in Javascript](https://www.maxpou.fr/blog/no-more-loop-in-js/#set-theory-union--intersection--and-difference)
+just because I forgot how it works.
+
+When I write without the pressure to please others, I find myself more authentic and it also reduces
+the fear of judgment (our ego is terrified of feedback).
+
+## #3 - Some posts will blow up, others won't…
+
+…and it's fine!
+
+![Analytics chart](./chart.png)
+
+One of my most-read posts is
+[“Typical JavaScript interview exercises (explained)”](https://www.maxpou.fr/blog/js-exercises-explained/).
+A person wrote some questions he likes to ask during a job interview but didn't tell the answer. So,
+I did the exercises and posted the answers with some explanations. I thought it would be good for me
+to reread it on my next job hunt. This post was read 20k times!
+
+Another most-read post is
+[“How to play Age of Empire II DE on MacOS”](https://www.maxpou.fr/blog/aoe2-on-macos/) (which is
+not technical). I published this post in case I had to reinstall the game on a different laptop
+(because it's a bit tedious). This post brings 2k monthly readers to my website!
+
+On the other hand, I spent countless hours writing a post about
+[monorepos](https://www.maxpou.fr/blog/monorepo-pros-and-cons/). Something that I like to talk
+about. This post is one of my least viewed. Maybe I failed at promoting it or the content was too
+dense/disorganised… It happens and that's fine!
+
+## #4 - _“This topic was already covered by XXX”_
+
+![someone looking for excuses (gif)](./excuses.webp)
+
+I didn't post because of this reason. Looking backwards it was a silly excuse.
+
+Probably the easiest excuse not to do something. Publish this post. I'm sure someone on the Internet
+will find it useful. Maybe your post will cover a point that someone else doesn't.
+
+As long as your post is not copied/pasted from someone else's blog, publish it!
+
+## #5 - Don't overdo
+
+It's not necessarily meant to be a long post. Shorter is often better!
+
+## #6 - Take notes often
+
+I created a small Kanban in Notion where I can put ideas for my posts. When I have a new idea, I add
+it to the draft. Once the critical mass of ideas is reached, I organise my thoughts and hit the
+publish button.
+
+Some authors use a paper notebook/notepad. The idea remains the same.
+
+![Board in Notion](./board.png)
+
+## #7 - Own your content
+
+When you post on a 3rd party platform, you won't get the benefit of your audience. Also, the
+platform may evolve in a way that doesn't suit you. Like Medium. The user experience has become very
+bad over the years on this platform between the login wall and all the popups.
+
+Creating your platform is distracting. When you're building, you're not creating content. That's why
+I started with [a Jekyll theme](https://mmistakes.github.io/jekyll-theme-hpstr/). After 4 years, I
+decided to build my platform.
+
+Also, [my blog is open source](https://github.com/maxpou/maxpou.fr). I think it's cool because it
+opens the door for collaboration (correcting typos etc.).
+
+<Info title="💡 Beginner tips!">
+  A WordPress blog with content is worth more than a whatever-fancy-framework blog with no content.
+  Apart from you, not a single person cares about the stack that runs your blog.
+</Info>
+
+## #8 - Consistency is key
+
+Considering that over the last 2y, I only wrote 7 posts, this point might sound like a joke. Looking
+at my analytics, I had better results when I was writing often.
+
+Showing up regularly is the hardest thing. But people and search engines love it!
+
+## #9 - Use social platforms
+
+![Reddit](./reddit.png)
+
+Platforms like Reddit and Twitter are good for attracting new readers to your blog. I remember
+having good feedback on Reddit when I wrote about Vue.js.
+
+Of course, you will find some toxic people on the way. It's a part of the game when you get
+exposure.
+
+## #10 - It's a strategic tool for career growth
+
+My blog is a living portfolio of my work. While my resume is simply listing skills, my blog points
+out concrete examples of my skills and accomplishments. It's also a place to showcase other skills
+that are not necessarily on my resume.
+
+Additionally, a blog is a good tool to attract the attention of recruiters looking for experts. 3
+years ago, I wrote posts about some niche topics like "large Vue.js codebases". Back then, I
+received a few offers from companies willing to fix their scaling issues.
+
+---
+
+This blog helped me to grow both personally and professionally. If you haven't started one yet, try
+it. I don't think you will regret it!
+
+And, thanks again for reading my work over the last decade :)

src/pages/tags/[tag].astro

@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ const { posts, tagId } = Astro.props
     <PageTitle>Posts tagged as {tagId}</PageTitle>
     <h2 class="py-3 text-center">#{tagId}</h2>
     <div class="grid grid-cols-1 gap-6 md:grid-cols-2 lg:grid-cols-3">
-      {posts.map(p => <BlogCard post={p} />)}
+      {posts.map(p => <BlogCard post={p} firstBigger={posts.length > 2} />)}
     </div>
   </div>
 </Layout>