Wow! It's already been 2 years since the last major site refresh. Here's what's new.
Update: Visual Guides
I'm using a theme that makes new layouts a snap, vs. coding everything myself. Now we can finally browse insights visually:
In a follow-up I'll share the "holy grail" web setup I've settled on, after years of struggle.
Update: Small, Medium and Large Updates
In my head, I thought of this site as a collection of "articles". Unfortunately, an article takes weeks or months to write (Fourier Transform, looking at you) even though a key insight might be a single phrase.
So, to untangle my brain, I realize there's a few types of updates:
Insights: A quick diagram, analogy, or example that might help. A 1-5 min read. (Which could be a tweet, if they weren't so temporary. It hurts to write something and have it disappear in the void.)
Articles: An end-to-end lesson that helps explain a topic. Usually 1000-2000 words, 15-30 min read.
Guides: A learning path through a collection of articles, with a rough timeline, skills to check, etc. Going through a guide could take an hour or week. The first guide is coming next week.
Along with math, I'd like to share lessons on the learning process, the marketing/positioning of the site, and the content creation hurdles I'm overcoming.
If I spent years confused about a concept, and had an Aha! moment, I want you to benefit. If I get tripped up on an idea (like thinking every post must be a full "article"), I want you to avoid it.
Update: Easier Comments
I've been experimenting with a community at http://aha.betterexplained.com. I like having a dedicated area for discussions, but it reduced the amount of quick feedback (typos, etc.) that improved articles. I've added the regular comment forms back in.
Here's the idea:
- Blog comments: Quick feedback on a specific topic. What works? What didn't?
- aha.betterexplained.com: Longer discussions about our learning journey, notes for things we're working on. I have several works in progress there.
Update: The Freedom to Write
I'm starting to embrace the story of the potter: create more, and you'll improve. It doesn't help to sit on the perfect jewel. (And what you think is a perfect jewel now, won't be in a few months anyhow.)
Originally, I was worried about over-sharing (as if my problem has been writing too much), so I'm going to course-correct the other way: be less shy with what I write. Share the little things.
On that note, I recently did an interview on the Developer Tea Podcast on learning, the ADEPT method, and the site itself. I think you'll enjoy it:
Developer Tea Interview (Part 1, 30 mins)
Developer Tea Interview (Part 2, 60 mins)
Wow! That felt great to write. A quick update, ready in minutes, not the weeks a typical post takes. I'm enjoying this already.
Happy math.