Why I Chose Bear
I have a long history of writing on the internet. Sometime soon Iāll share the whole story, but I began my first blog back in 2005 and Iāve had several since.
I love blogging. Thereās something very special about sharing your thoughts with the world - even if youāre the only one that ever reads them.
The act of writing posts to begin with and putting them on the web for others to find (maybe) is the part that brings joy. Itās the process more than the end result or analytics that keeps bringing me back.
So why Bear?
Well, the last blog I used was my own website via a static site generator called Hugo. While that platform is amazingly fast and lightweight, I have to write in the terminal to use it (which I quite enjoy doing) and that means I canāt write on the go. Sometimes, when I have a few minutes before a meeting or when Iām on my lunch break or simply on a stroll, inspiration will strike. In those moments, I want to be able to quickly write and publish - and Hugo just isnāt the best for that. Sure, there are workarounds that I could use, but I donāt want to have to deal with the friction of that.
Itās a first world problem, I know, but it led to the search for a new platform. It had to be lightweight, simple to use from anywhere, and I had to own my content. Iām not interested in writing content for other people to monetize it - nor to use it for training AI. I also didnāt want a platform that inserts ads into the posts. Nothing is more annoying to me than having to scroll past half a dozen ads to read something Iām interested in. It makes me quit reading, every time.
A lot of platforms exist that are feature rich and have readership built-in, but they donāt check all my boxes. I was considering using Obsidian Publish and just writing in my Obsidian vault, but I also wanted the ability to customize my site to my own liking and thatās not possible with Obsidian, as much as Iām a fan.
All of this led me to a Google search for a blogging platform that would fit my needs. I found an article that highlighted Bear and it caught my eye. At first, I wasnāt sure it was going to check all the boxes, but quickly found out that indeed it does. I used the Discover feature and found several cool examples of blogs that seem to be thriving, each having their own flavor.
Then I read Hermanās post about the philosophy behind Bear and the longevity plan he put into place.
I knew I had found my new blogging home. So, I created an account, paid for a membership, and began blogging. Iāve been having so much fun using it ever since. I love that I can tweak the CSS, have a custom domain, write whatever I want, and own it forever. I love that I started this post on my phone, then picked it up later on my iPad and finished the draft. I love that the Discover feature exists and allows me to find other cool people on the internet without needing to be on social media.
I could keep gushing, but suffice it to say, Iām very happy I found Bear and thankful that Herman built a great platform for people like us.