Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Why and what I blog about here

I've been blogging here since August 2006. That's a long time (well it feels like it sometimes) but also shows I was late to the blogging party.
In that time I've used this blog for various things and covered a variety of subjects.
While there are still some exceptions, I mostly now write about Windows Phone related topics. Hence the current title of this blog. Yes it may sound a bit big-headed (but what is the web if not for self promotion ;) ) but the real aim is to help other people to be awesome with Windows Phone. Yes it's sometimes nice to blog things as a memory aid but I primarily write for others to read. Yes, it's nice when people (especially those I deem cleverer or most expert than me) let me know they found the answer to an question/issue/problem on my blog.

Why don't I blog more frequently?
Time. I just don't have enough of it and writing takes me ages. In fact one of the reasons for initially starting a blog was to encourage me to write more, in the hope of getting faster at it.

How do I pick content?
If we just consider the Windows Phone related content I post you'll notice something about it. That content isn't anywhere else online. I'm deliberately only adding to the cumulative knowledge of the internet. I'm not trying to duplicate it.
There are already lots of tutorials on getting started with Windows Phone development. The MSDN documentation is very comprehensive. I don't have the time to and see no real value in creating yet another set of getting started or beginner instructions. I see no value in reposting what is already on MSDN (Yes, I'm looking at a few certain people here!).
What I want to do is document what isn't documented elsewhere.

Who for?
I see two main audiences for my WP related content.
Primarily I write for the long tail. I hope that at some point when someone hits the same problem or reached the same undocumented issue they'll find my site (thank you Google) and information that can help.
The secondary audience for my content is those few keen Windows Phone developers (like myself) who want to know everything they can. By sharing what I learn and discover I hope I can contribute knowledge that helps them with their apps and let them know new things or edge cases which aren't documented elsewhere.


Personally, I want to be awesome at making awesome apps. But I know I can't change the world, and its apps, by myself. So I'm also trying to help others become better at making better apps. This is why I blog, answer questions on StackOverflow and organise user groups.
I want everyone to be building better software that helps create a better tomorrow. My first responsibility is to myself and the software I create but I also want to reach out to others and help them too.



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