It is a good habit to recommend products to others, but if it is not done well, both parties will have a bad experience.
A few days ago, a discussion was initiated in the Telegram channel @FindBlog:
If your friend wants to write a blog, which blogging tool or method would you recommend to them? Premise: Your friend is a beginner, not familiar with technology or coding.
I have encountered this kind of problem many times, but I prefer to be straightforward and tell the other person that if they provide the funds, I will handle the setup and provide them with a ready-to-use blog later. However, in the end, the other person may feel discouraged and lose interest. There is also another situation where the other person wants to write a blog, and sometimes I would make an effort to give advice, talk about the pros and cons of various blogging systems, things to pay attention to, domain names, servers, and other content. But when the other person hears so much, it becomes too complicated and they say they don't have time now, they will contact me later when they have time, and my enthusiasm is extinguished by their cold response.
From Simple to Complex#
When learning to use a certain product or service, my principle is to start from simple to complex. Learning anything is a gradual process, you can't expect to run before you learn to walk, and the same goes for blogging and using note-taking applications.
Regarding the question mentioned above, I have made comparisons and considerations, and finally reached a conclusion.
First, I ruled out static blogging programs such as Hugo, Hexo, Jekyll, etc., because the process of generating blogs, publishing content, and deploying them is relatively complex. Ordinary people may not even come into contact with tools and websites like GitHub and Git, let alone understand them.
Next, I ruled out using Notion as a blogging platform, such as NotionNext, because it requires a detailed understanding of Notion. If you are not a frequent user of Notion, it can be complicated to use.
I did consider dynamic blogging platforms like WordPress and Typecho. Registering a domain name, purchasing a server or virtual hosting, uploading source code and themes, and voila, you can start writing blogs. It seems simple, but it requires users to be very careful, patient, and have a high learning ability. You can find a lot of tutorials on Google on how to set up a WordPress blog, follow the steps slowly, and you will succeed. I started by looking for tutorials on setting up Emlog, then searched for free virtual hosting and free subdomains, and finally gradually learned about and studied WordPress, registered my own domain name, purchased a server, and set up a blog.
Lastly, I highly recommend online hosted blogging platforms like Gridea and xLog. The former is paid, while the latter only requires an email or virtual currency wallet address to register and use, and it is open source. I recommend these two because their developers have a good reputation in the industry, they are well-known and trusted, and they should have taken precautions to prevent data loss. Secondly, considering the cost, Gridea only costs $10 per year, and if you want to use a custom domain name, you need to register it separately. xLog is free unless you want to bind your own domain name. The biggest advantage of these services is that they eliminate the cost of maintenance. If your site encounters any problems, you just need to report it to the developers and wait for them to fix it. All you need to do is write. (Typlog is also a good choice, but it is more expensive, so I didn't include it in the comparison.)
If you read the above content from bottom to top, it is probably a process from simple to complex. Writing a blog is like this, we need to first have an interest in blogging, gradually get the hang of it, experience the joy of writing and tinkering with blogs, and then seek more complex ways to play.
From Spontaneity to Habit#
Fishing for three days and drying the net for two days is not the right attitude.
Next, let's talk about recommendations for note-taking applications.
Because my girlfriend occasionally writes book reviews or movie reviews, I asked her if she has a place to save these contents in one place. She said no, from what I understand, she usually writes them in the memo app on her phone and then posts them on WeChat Moments or Weibo. Storing them in the memo app is sufficient, but if you consider future retrieval, it will be difficult without tags as indexes. So I recommended her to use flomo.
Later, I asked her how she felt about it, and she said it was quite useful, with many features and simplicity.
In recent years, there has been an abundance of note-taking applications. After looking around, flomo has the lowest learning curve. Register an account, start recording, add tags if necessary, categorize, or upload a few images. You don't need to deal with "advanced features" like bidirectional linking. Notion's advantage is also its disadvantage, it is all in one, too complex, and it has been slow to release a Chinese version, which is also one of the reasons for discouragement. Obsidian does not have an official free sync service, and third-party sync services are also complicated for novice users... As for other note-taking applications in China, it's even worse.
On the other hand, flomo is simple and plain, focusing on the function of recording ideas and inspirations anytime, anywhere. Even without a premium membership, its features are sufficient. Its development team is also trustworthy.
Similar to recommending blogging platforms, recommending note-taking applications should be tailored to the individual's habits and knowledge. You should not blindly recommend products that you think are good, but rather products that you think are suitable for them. Consider their work content, professional knowledge, and usage habits. The process may be cumbersome and complex, but when the other person experiences the joy of using a good product, it will all be worth it.
Tools Are Not Important#
This is also a widely supported viewpoint. How you write and what you use to write are not important, the most important thing is to write.
First, let them register a public account. In the absence of many followers, they should continue to update at a steady frequency for a period of time. It's pointless to talk about tools if you can't consistently produce content.
Different people have different opinions. Some people are not limited by tools and can write anywhere. But having a good tool can also improve efficiency and enhance the experience.
Finally, let's make a small summary.
If you want to write a blog, you might as well start with Gridea or xLog, write your first blog post, then browse other people's blogs, learn from the experience of predecessors, and gradually explore more complex programs. If you want to take notes, you might as well start with flomo, record your flashes of inspiration, like a stream slowly converging into the ocean.