Hello Bear Blog ππΌ
Today, I finally made the switch to Bear Blog and left Micro.blog. When I started using Micro.blog earlier this year, I was incredibly bullish about it. I even merged my Mastodon account into the platform, convinced I would never need anything else. The concept that everything I post ends up in my blog is truly amazing.
Over the course of the year, I learned the good and the not so good things about this decision.
On the positive side, I very often had a thought in my head which ended up to become a blog post as I just continued typing. I never had to switch to another app or website, just because I hit some character limit. I strongly believe this very convenient publishing workflow led to way more and longer posts.
On the other hand, using Micro.blog often felt like trying to go to the supermarket with an Airbus. There is literally a setting for everything. The product is built for technical-minded people like me, but as someone who also cares deeply about user experience, I found it hard to truly grasp the product. Sure, after a while, you get used to it, but I firmly believe the core use cases need to be delightful to use from day one.
Despite the UX flaws and some stability issues, I really enjoyed using Micro.blog and even contributed a few plugins to customize the platform. It is a great community, and I met a few cool people there whom I will take with me to my new, independent Mastodon profile.
I am now simply trading the Airbus for a bicycle. Simple, reliable, and powered only by my own input. That is why I landed on Bear Blog. The platform feels limited at first glance, but if you think about it, that is exactly what differentiates great from outstanding products.
Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.
Antoine de Saint-ExupΓ©ry
And the long-term commitment of Herman, ensuring this platform lives for a very long time, is truly the icing on the cake.
That said, I am really happy to join the Bear Blog community!