Why I started a blog in 2025: And why you should start one too

In its essence, the modern blog hasn’t evolved much since the inception of the internet—today, it is still a collection of ideas written down in HTML (and other coding languages) that provide the reader with information that was searched for. What’s changed is the discovery and monetization of blogs.

It started as online diaries coded in HTML, credited to Justin Hall in 1994.

In 2003, WordPress democratized the blog and now powers almost half of all websites today.

Due to the rapid growth of the concept, advertisers saw this as a revenue opportunity and started placing ads where the eyeballs were and still are.

Today, the proliferation of LLMs has revolutionized how we seek and parse through information online.

This has fascinated me in so many ways. The way I can answer complex questions in seconds without parsing through a few different sources to validate is mind-boggling. This led me to think about the good, the bad, and the ugly of AI—how much more efficient we can be by asking the right prompts is rising just as fast as the amount of AI-generated (sometimes misleading) content out there.

I then thought to myself, “Why not contribute to this pool of online resources where information might be lacking?” For the past few years, I’ve attempted to create an online presence sharing my love for specialty coffee and collecting vinyl records—passions I’ve developed as I’ve grown to appreciate the roots of each medium. I’ve also come to learn that they share very similar demographics (at least TikTok makes me think so).

Specialty coffee lovers geek out on the country of origin, the roasting process, and the brewing method, while my former self just wanted a quick caffeine hit with milk and sugar at the cheapest price to get me through exam season. Record collectors sift through hundreds, if not thousands, of pieces of paper to come home with a few discs that emit sound when a needle glides through their grooves.

But what exactly do they have in common? Their medium is best consumed slowly and stays true to the source. This ultimately led me to complement my existing social media activity with a traditional medium that still relies on basic HTML to convey ideas and share stories.

Hence, the creation of this blog. I aim to be there when someone starting out their coffee journey wants to know where to find the best coffee shops are or when a record collector just wants to learn more about a record beyond its Wikipedia page. But it’s not up to me—I leave it all in the hands of the metasearch and LLM algorithms…

It’s a medium to share my ideas with the world

It all begins with an idea.

This is the default phrase in Squarespace, and there’s so much depth woven into this simple sentence.

Ideas revolutionize the world. Ideas have led to failures. Ideas have yet to be discovered.

Maybe you want to launch a business; maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more; or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online is yours and can inspire those who share a common passion.

This is what sparked the idea for pourtherecord. I’ve refined my pour-over thanks to James Hoffmann and discovered some gems from Dillon from Noble Records. I realized throughout my YouTube binges and TikTok doomscrolling that no one has captured the two niches together. At least, they haven’t made their way to my feeds.

And if you’re reading this, I appreciate your attention so far and hope you can learn a thing or two.

Blogs provide unique ideas in an AI search-driven economy

In a society inundated with short-form content, blogs reign supreme in terms of its contribution to the knowledge economy.

When searching for inspiration for Top 10 lists or recommendations, ChatGPT would often give me cookie-cutter answers. It was often the no-name blog where I discovered fresh content and ideas.

If you want to dive deep into a subject, blogs are still the way to go. After countless nights of doomscrolling, this was the depth I was looking for—and I wanted to contribute to this deep knowledge. I’m by no means claiming to be an expert in any subject. I’m just an average guy trying to contribute to the coffee and vinyl community.

In a sense, I want to go against the norm, similar to my knack for vinyl when the rest of the world prefers to stream, or drink specialty coffee when the world prefers their cappuccino to-go. While there’s nothing wrong with those preferences, I often have the itch to ride against the wave and carve my path.

Blogging expands my creativity

I’m by far not the best writer out there, but it’s a skill I’ve always wanted to hone. Beyond that, the art of storytelling can catapult an idea to a commercial goldmine. Blogging is simply a storytelling tool that I wanted to add to my arsenal.

From my limited experience, writing helps me focus, helps me expand my vocabulary, and is an expression of my inner thoughts. I started this blog as a personal diary with the hopes of inspiring, and this motivation fuels each word on this site. I’ve drawn inspiration from countless blogs out there, but there wasn’t a single one that represented my vision. Even if no one reads a single page, I’ve documented my ideas somewhere that I can access (hopefully) forever.

It’s been a fun ride setting up this blog, and I hope to continue this journey by being inspired and inspiring others. It has forced me to be vulnerable with my ideas, knowing critics can tear me apart. As someone who uses criticism to build character, I welcome this. When done constructively, it’s fuel for me to be a better writer and communicator.

Final thoughts

If any of this resonates with you, I encourage you to give it a try. Sites like Squarespace or WordPress have made blogging easier than riding a bike, so there are virtually no barriers to entry. The internet is a fascinating space where thoughts can flow and imaginations can be realized. This blog is my diary, and it will look completely different from yours.

There are times when I think to myself, “Will anyone actually read this?” And to that voice I say, “I will.” The number of times I’ve smiled looking at an old photo or giggled at a silly Facebook status has brought me so much joy. Regardless of the outcome of this blog, I hope to look back and be proud of the ideas I’ve shared with the world.