How to Ensure Your Blog Outlives You

The Eternal Blog: A Practical Guide to Digital Longevity

This isn’t a guide to physical immortality, even though that would be an interesting topic. Instead, it’s about the life of your words, your ideas, your digital thoughts. After seeing countless blog links giving 404, the burning question in my mind is, which blogging platform should you pick to ensure your words outlive you? for a reasonably long time.

Blog on your own Domain ?

The common advice on blogging encourages you to buy your own domain and own your content. While I agree with owning your content but hosting the blog on your own domain is not designed for longevity. Yes, owning your domain gives you control, but what transpires when you’re no longer in control? or if you miss a annual payment to your domain provider ? Or worse, it gets snatched up by an opportunistic bot. Expecting your descendants to continue paying for your domain is as realistic as expecting your dog to start cooking dinner. Sure, you could set up a trust fund for your domain, but that’s not the most practical solution for most people.

The Practical Solution: GitHub Pages

For those of us who value practicality over grandiosity, GitHub Pages seems like a promising alternative. Github pages is a free service by github to host your static sites. GitHub is owned by Microsoft, a company that’s as reliable as a Swiss watch and likely to stick around for decades, if not centuries.

Assuming, MSFT keeps the lights on at github pages. The lifespan of your GitHub.io domain is as stable as Microsoft’s stock performance. Given Microsoft’s strong market standing and steady growth, it’s like having a life insurance policy for your blog.

another paid option is posthaven, which they say is blogging designed to last forever. Also worth exploring

Wrapping Up

Best free option is github pages. Your blog stays on github.io domain for as long as MSFT is relevant. Microsoft has a vested interest in keeping GitHub Pages alive. When it comes to your blog’s longevity, the platform you choose is as critical as the content you create. While owning a domain gives you control, it doesn’t guarantee immortality. Hosting your blog on a platform like GitHub Pages, backed by a tech behemoth like Microsoft, offers a more secure promise of longevity.

But remember, just like every decision in life, the choice depends on your individual needs and circumstances.

So, what’s your take?

How long do you think your words will survive on the world wide web?