Krishnan's Personal Website

Creating Content for 1000 True Fans

I first discovered blogging in 2007 while working the night shift at a tech company. Since then, I’ve been fascinated by the idea of writing and publishing my thoughts online.

Blogs have democratized the digital space, empowering individuals to share their perspectives with the world. They give a voice to anyone willing to express their ideas, without the need for traditional publishing gatekeepers.

Had I been consistent with my blogging efforts, I would have built a strong audience by now. But here we are in 2025, and 2007 feels like a lifetime ago.

One of the most effective ways to generate sustainable income online is by consistently creating valuable content. As Kevin Kelly famously stated, to make a living online, you need just 1,000 true fans—a dedicated audience who genuinely appreciates and supports your work. But to reach that milestone, one must first establish a solid content creation strategy.

Beyond Just Writing: The Importance of Presentation

Writing great content is only half the battle. A blog should not only be rich in content but also visually appealing. A poorly designed site can make even the best articles look uninviting.

I have always been able to write decent-quality articles, but my past blogs often lacked aesthetic appeal. Web design has never been my strongest skill, and most CMS platforms I tried felt limiting.

The CMS Conundrum

Over the years, I have installed and configured various CMS platforms like WordPress and Drupal. However, I never truly enjoyed customizing them to achieve a visually appealing design.

As a developer, I kept thinking: There must be a better way. That’s when I had the idea of using Laravel for my blog.

Instead of using a traditional CMS, I built a simple blogging platform with Laravel—one that allows me to create and publish articles effortlessly. Though rudimentary at first, it gave me exactly what I wanted: the flexibility of a framework and the ease of use of a CMS. Since I was already proficient in Laravel, there was virtually no learning curve.

Open-Sourcing the Project

A school friend recently came across my blog and asked what platform I was using. When I told him I had built it myself with Laravel, he was surprised.

“Why reinvent the wheel?” he asked, referring to existing CMS solutions like WordPress. After a brief discussion, I explained my reasoning: I wanted a blogging platform that combined the freedom of a full-fledged framework with the convenience of a CMS.

His next suggestion caught me off guard: “Why not put it on GitHub? Others might find it useful.”

At first, I was skeptical. Who would want another open-source blogging platform when WordPress exists? But then I realized that while many people use WordPress, not everyone is happy with it. Surely, there must be others who share my frustrations with traditional CMS platforms.

Releasing Imperfect Code

Years ago, I watched a documentary about the Netscape team open-sourcing their browser code under the name Mozilla. One of the developers mentioned how some parts of the code were messy, and they hesitated to release it due to fear of criticism.

I had similar concerns. My blogging platform was a simple project built over a weekend—it wasn’t refined or feature-rich. But I decided to release it on GitHub anyway, recognizing that software doesn’t need to be perfect to be valuable. Instead of spending months refining it, I put it out there for others to use, modify, or contribute to.

Who Is This For?

For now, I am the sole user and contributor. I run a few personal blogs on this platform and add new features as needed. The goal isn’t to compete with WordPress or other CMS solutions; instead, it serves as an alternative for developers who want a lightweight, customizable blogging platform.

This project is a reflection of my own blogging needs, and I’m excited to see where it goes from here. If you’re looking for a simple yet powerful blogging solution built with Laravel, feel free to check it out on GitHub!

Final Thoughts

Blogging remains a powerful way to share ideas, build an audience, and even generate income. But the platform you use should enhance—not hinder—your creativity. By building my own Laravel-based blogging solution, I've created something that aligns perfectly with my needs. And now, by open-sourcing it, I hope it can help others as well.