Blogging can just be stating the obvious
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.