Why do I need a personal blog?#
August 2024 happens to mark the 3-year mark since I started working. Over the past three years, I have encountered many people and events, gaining some social experience, and increasingly feeling empty inside. Therefore, I feel the need to learn more things, and after learning, I hope to be able to share them. Sharing can stimulate multidimensional collisions of thoughts, which may generate new sparks in these collisions. In this way, I can use output to drive input. That's why I want to have a personal blog that I can share.
I really like these two sentences:
There will always be people who need a quiet, introverted, and creative internet.
Writing is for better thinking!
I want to treat my personal blog as a paradise, where I can calm down and cultivate slowly.
What is xlog?#
xLog is a modern open-source blog system that uses blockchain technology to store blog data, including configurations, articles, comments, etc. It has rich interactive features, allowing users to follow blogs, comment on and like articles, and even mint articles as NFTs. xLog is built on the proselog project, using Next.js + Tailwind CSS + TypeScript + TanStack Query, providing a complete development experience. It uses the Crossbell blockchain for social activities, eliminating the need to purchase gas fees. Each blog is an NFT owned by the user, with configurations and articles stored within the NFT. - From the xLog founder's blog.
To learn more about xlog, please visit the following links:
- xlog official website introduction
- The first open-source on-chain blog system xLog
- Introduction to the open-source project xlog - a blog system on the blockchain
- My understanding of xLog (a blog platform based on Web3 and encryption wallet technologies)
Why I use xlog#
Since graduation, I have had a habit of writing blogs, mostly about Unity technology, which I published on a certain SDN platform. Recently, I felt that the platform I used from top to bottom was really terrible (I won't go into details, those who understand will understand). Coupled with the urgent desire to build my own personal knowledge base, I started looking for an open-source blog system that allows me to share my personal knowledge.
I searched online for many popular personal blog frameworks: hexo (I have used it before, but I didn't persist in writing), Hugo, Halo, VuePress, MkDocs, WordPress. I also listed some basic requirements for my personal blog:
- Must support Markdown files
- Basic blog functions (subscription, likes, comments, custom domain, navigation bar, etc.)
- Decent themes (can be simple, cool, and customizable)
- Low setup cost, no complicated configuration or installation of various environments
- Language switching
- Friendly to both PC and mobile devices
- Data security and performance requirements
After researching, I found that most mainstream frameworks did not meet my requirements, but xlog, which is still relatively niche, caught my attention. For now, I am just using xlog with a mindset of trying it out. I hope that the xlog ecosystem will continue to improve in the future, and I can continue to write and share.
Ready to get started? No#
I refuse to go through complicated setups. As xlog's official website says, you can have your own personal blog in just 5 minutes!
The following setup process is based on the Google Chrome browser, and I also recommend using Google Chrome.
Install a cryptocurrency wallet#
- Go to the xlog official website, click on "Connect" in the upper right corner, and choose the first wallet, MethMask.
- Click on "Download here" to install the browser extension for the wallet.
- Click on "Download for Chrome" (I recommend using a method to bypass internet restrictions, but if you don't have one, this extension also works for Firefox, Edge, etc.)
- Click on "Add to Chrome" and select "Add extension" in the pop-up window.
- Agree to the terms and conditions, click on "Create a new wallet", and follow the prompts to select some settings (remember to keep your private key mnemonic). Finally, pin the wallet to your browser.
Congratulations! You now officially have an Ethereum wallet.
Log in to xlog using the wallet#
- Go back to the xlog official website, refresh the page, click on "Connect" again, and click on MetaMask. A wallet window will pop up asking you to authorize xlog login. Follow the prompts to allow access.
- After successful login, you will see your account information displayed here. You can then click on "My xLog". Before entering, a window will pop up asking you to create an xlog role. Fill in your name and other information. As a new user, you will receive 0.02 $CSB (just follow the instructions on the page to click on "Verify" and "Claim", no need to send a tweet).
Go to your personal homepage#
Great, the unique blockchain identifier is also displayed below.
Go to the dashboard (blog backend)#
You can write articles online (supporting real-time rendering of Markdown) and import Markdown files. With this, you have completed the setup of your xlog personal blog. Now you can start writing articles. (If you only publish articles, 0.02 $CSB is enough for a long time. If it's not enough, you can also claim for free. Claiming address: Faucet)
Publish your first xlog blog post#
Click on Dashboard -> Articles -> New Article, and use Markdown syntax to create your first xlog blog post.
Click on "Publish" and confirm the virtual currency consumption.
Great, now you can go to your homepage and refresh to see the article you just published.
Conclusion#
The initial experience with xlog is quite good. From the setup process, it is indeed fast. Although I haven't used it extensively, xlog's functionality meets my basic requirements for a personal blog. Once it stabilizes, I plan to buy a domain name. I also plan to host my articles, which I organize using the note-taking software Obsidian, on GitHub and automatically sync them to xlog using other tools.
I hope to use my personal blog to record and share, to connect with humanity, to find like-minded people, and to explore the realm of poetry and distant places.