Opportunities. You don't need many readers, you just need the right readers. I'm a big believer in making your own luck - putting things in place that make luck more likely to strike. Having a collection of writing online that people might stumble onto is very effective way of doing that.
> What kinds of posts actually worked (for learning, career, network, opportunities)?
I've written a bunch about this in the past. TLDR version:
- Stuff I've learned: TIL style posts that describe something I've learned recently
- Stuff I've found: links to things that are useful, with an explanation of why they are useful
- Stuff I've built: descriptions of projects I've completed
What to blog about: https://simonwillison.net/2022/Nov/6/what-to-blog-about/
My approach to running a link blog: https://simonwillison.net/2024/Dec/22/link-blog/
> Any practical format that lowers the bar (length, cadence, themes)?
TILs are an incredibly liberating format. You don't need to be describing something that's never been written about before - just something that's new to you today.
> If you were starting today, what would you do differently
I'd use static publishing on GitHub Pages on myname.github.io so I don't even need to run any web hosting or buy a domain name.