For me, choosing Xlog as a blog platform is both a coincidence and a trend.
Blogger is not satisfactory#
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. Blogger was originally a content sharing platform that caught my attention, but its templates are outdated and the indexing is slow, which is somewhat regrettable. As I mentioned in this article, after trying out various blogging platforms, I found that Blogger is more suitable for me to share content.
After some exploration, I found that Blogger has two major issues: outdated templates and slow indexing.
Regarding templates, due to the lack of tutorials (I didn't try paid templates because I didn't think they were worth it), I once modified the CSS code of Blogger based on ChatGPT4. Although the modified template and website worked fine, later when I checked Google Speed Insights, I found that the website's score was not high. So, I suspected that it was my own settings issue and reset the template, but in the end, the score remained as low as before (around 80). As for search engine indexing, after learning the method of submitting indexing requests to Google, I applied for indexing several times, but only a few articles were indexed in the end. I still don't know the reason and countermeasures.
All these factors made me feel somewhat unsatisfied and regretful about sharing content on Blogger.
Under fortuitous circumstances, I discovered Xlog#
I have actually known about Xlog for quite some time. Shortly after Xlog was released, I read DIYgod's introduction about Xlog and browsed her website (including her life in the UK, etc.). However, due to my insufficient understanding of cryptocurrencies at the time and concerns about future fees, and also because I didn't find detailed tutorials, I temporarily put aside the idea of trying Xlog.
Recently, under fortuitous circumstances, I rediscovered the principles and operation tutorials of Xlog, combined with my dissatisfaction with Blogger, and decided to try creating a blog on Xlog and become an Xlogger.
The fortuitous circumstances refer to my recent browsing of blogs by Wei Yexing, Zhenxia's Old Dream, and Jin Cheng Goidea. By browsing Wei Yexing's blog, I initially discovered that Xlog blogs can be stable, modern, and visually appealing, which can make up for the lack of modernity in Blogger templates. After browsing Zhenxia's Old Dream blog, I realized that setting up the encryption wallet required for managing Xlog is relatively easy, and in a sense, Xlog does not require payment to perform various management and operations for free. It also made me understand that setting up an Xlog blog is actually quite easy. Browsing Jin Cheng's Xlog blog further strengthened my determination to use Xlog. I had previously read his Hugo blog, and the content was excellent.
As for the required cryptocurrency for blockchain, Xlog bloggers can apply for CSB cryptocurrency for free. Every time the account currency is less than 0.02 CSB, you can apply for 0.02 CSB cryptocurrency once from the Faucet. These currencies are enough for a blogger to perform 100-1000 operations. The total amount of currency currently held by the official website is less than 87 CSB, and each operation does not require much CSB, so Xlog bloggers do not need to apply for CSB frequently and should apply as needed.
More importantly, during this period, I really liked DIYgod's concept of "Everything is RSS" and the application of Web3 technology based on Ethereum blockchain technology. Perhaps because I like RSShub, my preference for Xlog increased. After a preliminary understanding of the basic operation logic of Xlog, I finally decided to build a blog on Xlog and bind it to my long-dormant domain igdux.com.
Initial Experience of Using Xlog as an Xlogger#
Using Xlog to build a blog has been a good experience so far. First of all, the creator's forward-thinking concept deserves respect. Xlog has made preliminary explorations and beneficial attempts in promoting the development of blockchain technology and the application of Web3 technology based on the underlying logic of Ethereum. Compared to other operations that only use Web3 technology to make money, I prefer practical and future-oriented applications and developments like Xlog.
Secondly, Xlog has the features that a modern blog should have. Based on an open-source project, Xlog is relatively stable and secure. It allows free import and export of data. It uses IPFS technology for persistent storage and sharing of content. Additionally, Xlog has a novel UI design that is more in line with the current mobile-friendly requirements. Furthermore, Xlog has AI-enhanced features that can automatically generate content summaries and translate them into the target language of the browser (for example, if a blog is written in Chinese and read by an English reader, the blog will be automatically displayed in English). Moreover, Xlog can be accessed normally in China.
Thirdly, I have a few expectations for Xlog and Xloggers.
- I hope that Xlog will provide visual and selectable templates in the future.
- There are few detailed Chinese tutorials on deploying and optimizing Xlog. For example, how to add images and text descriptions at the bottom of the blog, and how to add personal social media accounts at the bottom of the blog.
- Improve the SEO friendliness of Xlog blogs. Many experts have hundreds of articles on Xlog, but Google's indexing is not ideal. For example, when I search for weiyexing.win on Google (up to now, there are about 270 articles), only about 20 are indexed on the homepage. The test score of this site on Google PageSpeed Insights is lower than that of Blogger blogs (perhaps due to the decentralized nature of the servers used by Xlog). Xlog developers can consider optimizing it. The test results are as follows:
PageSpeed Insights test results for Xlog blog igdux.com:
PageSpeed Insights test results for Blogger blog igengdu.com:
- Refer to Xlog bloggers as Xloggers and enhance community interaction among Xloggers. Learning from excellent communities like V2ex and linux.do, some activities can be organized to increase the recognition and popularity of Xloggers.
Collection of Xlog Blog Tutorials#
- Five-minute Guide to Creating a Decentralized Blog on Blockchain and IPFS;
- Why Do I Write a Blog? (With the Process of Building an Open Source On-Chain Blog);
- Xlog Based on Ethereum Blockchain Technology;
- Free Cryptocurrency Claiming Address;
- A Brief Introduction to Xlog.
Note: This article will be synchronized to my Blogger blog.