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Luca Leone
Luca Leone

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The simplest blog

To build a personal blog there's no need to make it complicated. At the core it's just an HTML page.

I would like to create an online course on User Interface (UI) design. How can I find students?

I could blog about UI design topics, and hopefully get some people interested.

All right then, which blogging platform should I use?

I don't want to use platforms, I'd like to have control over my content and the publishing process. Also, it can't be that complicated to build a blog. Let's make a very simple one.
A blog post is just an HTML page, so, I create the file. I also create a new repository on Github, which allows me to publish a static site with a couple of clicks.
I buy a domain name, and point it to Github servers. The page is on the web in a few minutes: I've created the blog!

a diagram of the three steps: write the post in html, host it on github, point the domain name to github servers

That's great, but what about allowing people to comment my posts? It seems inevitable that I have to add a form, write some JavaScript, and add a database, right?

Wrong! I'll add two paragraphs:

  • "Do you want to comment? Send me an email"
  • "Do you want to receive an email when I publish the next post? Send me an email"

OK, I admit it, it was quick, but... it's not professional. First of all everything is manual: writing the HTML for the post, publishing the comments. Second, a lot of features - the ones all blogging platform offers - are missing.

The post is published. I own the process and people can comment. I don't need anything else for now.
It took me a long time to understand that there is almost always a simple-and-quick solution.

sketch of a boy day dreaming under a tree with a flower in his lips saying 'wonderful'

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