Blogging can just be stating the obvious
Blogging that “just states the obvious” can still be valuable, because what feels trivial or overexplained to one person is often new, clarifying, or better-articulated for someone else. Commenters argue that clear restatements, personal perspectives, and even repetitive takes help overcome knowledge gaps, link rot, and bad or inaccessible resources, and that impact matters more than strict originality. Some note tensions around academic-style novelty standards, AI-generated content, and the pressure for popularity, but many conclude that writing for oneself and a niche audience—especially about basics—is both legitimate and socially useful.
Value of “stating the obvious”
- Many find the most useful posts are simple, clear explanations of “basic” things.
- What feels obvious to the writer is often new, unclear, or poorly documented for others.
- Repetition has value: people need to hear the same idea, in different ways, before it “sticks.”
- Clarity and organization often matter more than originality or depth.
Audience, tone, and uniqueness
- There’s always a new cohort that doesn’t know what you know.
- Different tones, anecdotes, and styles reach different people; your “version” may finally land for someone.
- Some emphasize that readers follow specific voices they like, even for common topics.
- Blogging has a social/parasocial component: posts help people feel like they know the author.
Psychology of writing and fear of unoriginality
- Several commenters describe a “curse of knowledge” and anxiety about repeating what’s been done “better.”
- Some feel an “attention marketplace” pressure: if it’s not novel, it’s not “worthy.” Others reject this, arguing impact matters more than novelty.
- Fear of public mistakes and being boring or redundant keeps some from writing or publishing.
- Others write mainly for themselves: to think, to learn, for catharsis, or as a personal archive.
AI, search, and the web ecosystem
- Mixed views on AI:
- Some see LLMs as good at summarizing or checking for prior art / under-covered topics.
- Others see little added value over basic search, and are tired of AI being injected into every discussion.
- Some feel LLMs reduce the motivation to blog; others say human perspective and time-stamped posts still matter.
- Complaints about SEO farms, link rot, and enshittified platforms; praise for personal-domain blogs and the idea of downranking user-hostile sites.
Meta-points about “obviousness”
- “Obvious” ≠ “known” or “understood”; there are layers from exposure to deep integration.
- Re-stating simple truths can act like “spaced repetition” for society.
- Even seemingly trivial or obvious posts can later help historians or future readers.
- Multiple commenters end by resolving to write anyway, despite the fear it’s all obvious.