My blogging journey
I first discovered the web in the 90s during a short course. Most of it was basic stuff, like how to create a document, send an email, and search the web. But on the last day, the teacher said, "Today I'm going to let you create a web page."
We built it in a plain text file with a few simple HTML tags. Then we opened the file in a browser, and I was blown away. Just a few lines of code turned plain text into a living web page. It felt like magic, and honestly, it still does.
That spark led me to start blogging around 2002. I started out using Movable Type, which was pretty much the only tool available at the time. After about a year, I switched to WordPress.
My first blog was called Smidigt (Swedish for "handy"). It didn't have a particular focus at first, but over time it evolved into a blog about geeky tech stuff: cool USB sticks (yes, that was a thing back then), Star Wars-inspired computer accessories, toys, and other fun finds.
Blogging in English
Eventually, major tech sites started linking to the blog, even though it was in Swedish, whenever I posted something interesting that hadn't been picked up elsewhere yet. That led me to start an English version of the blog called GeekAlerts.
After a couple of years as a full-time blogger, I hit the (in)famous wall and quit. But the interest never really left. A couple of years ago, I felt it was time to return, so I started fresh with a new English blog. This time hosted on Bear Blog, one of the lovely indie platforms that had appeared during my absence.
I published my first post on February 16, 2023. Since then, I've tried a few other platforms as well, and also used different domain names.
Lately, though, I've come to realize that I can't hop around forever. As of October 5, 2025, I'm using robertbirming.com and host it on Bear.
And that, my friends, is my blogging journey.
What about your journey as a blogger? I'd love to hear it. Share the story of your blog for the AuguStory blogging event.
This is a new and updated version of a post I wrote back in 2024 after reading Juha-Matti Santala's post, Short History of My Blogging Journey.