I built Jottings after watching friends give up on blogging before they even started. Why? They were convinced they needed to "know how to code" or hire a developer.
Here's the truth: that's completely backwards.
The Microblog Paradox
Somehow, we've created this myth that blogging—especially microblogging—requires technical expertise. You'll see people link to static site generators with names like "Hugo" and "Jekyll" and suddenly everyone's convinced they need a computer science degree.
They don't. You don't either.
What actually happened is that developers built tools for themselves, and then everyone else looked at the command line and backed away slowly. Which is reasonable. Why would someone who just wants to share their thoughts navigate terminal windows?
The real irony? The actual blogging part is trivial. It's the mythology around "setup" that scares people away.
What "No Code" Actually Means
When I say you can start a microblog "without coding," I mean:
- No terminal commands
- No GitHub accounts
- No configuration files
- No mysterious error messages about dependencies
- No installing Node.js or Python
- No SSH access to servers
What you do get is a clean dashboard. An interface. Buttons that say "New Post." A text editor that feels like a text editor.
Basically: the parts that any normal human would expect from a blogging platform.
Why This Matters More Than You Think
Here's what changes when your setup doesn't require technical skills:
You actually start. Not "next month." Not "once I learn this thing." Today.
You stay consistent. You're not wrestling with infrastructure. You're not fixing broken deployments. You're writing.
You own the results. No platform drama. No algorithm changes. No wondering if someone's going to shut down the service. Your words, your domain, your responsibility.
You can add a custom domain immediately. Want yourname.com pointing to your microblog? Works out of the box. No DNS wizardry required.
When the setup is genuinely frictionless, you skip the false starts. And that's where most blogs die—not after three months of writing, but on day zero when the technical stuff feels overwhelming.
The Three-Minute Setup
Here's what starting a microblog with Jottings actually looks like:
- Sign up (email, Google, or Apple Sign-In)
- Create a site (name it. pick a subdomain. done.)
- Write your first post
That's it. You now have a functioning microblog with:
- Your own custom subdomain (yourname.jottings.me)
- RSS feed (automatically)
- Tagging system (for organizing posts)
- Open Graph support (posts look good when shared)
- Mobile-friendly design (no extra work)
Your second post is even faster because you already know where the button is.
What You Can Do Without Writing Code
This is the part people underestimate. Without touching a line of code, you can:
Customize your site's appearance. Colors, typography, layout adjustments—all from the dashboard settings.
Organize with tags. Create a tag cloud. Structure your archives. Help readers find related posts without ever thinking about HTML.
Set up analytics. See what people read. Track which posts get shared. Understand your audience.
Connect your own domain. Go from subdomain to custom domain with a few DNS records (which you copy-paste, not configure).
Create automatic feeds. Your site generates RSS, JSON Feed, and social media meta tags automatically.
Embed media. Photos, links, quoted text—drop them right into your posts. The platform handles the technical part.
Add SEO metadata. Set custom titles, descriptions, and social images per post without going near any code.
The technical work is done. All the infrastructure is handled. You're just... writing. And occasionally clicking "publish."
When Might You Actually Need Code?
Honestly? Probably never.
If you want to build something custom that goes beyond what a microblogging platform offers, sure, code exists for that. But that's not microblogging anymore. That's something else.
For blogging—even if you later want advanced features like a newsletter, member-only posts, or custom integrations—there are no-code solutions for that too. Zapier. IFTTT. Simple webhooks. None of it requires you to write code.
The point of a good blogging platform is to get the technical complexity out of your way. Not hidden (you can see it if you want), but optional. Off to the side. Not required.
The Real Barrier Was Never Technical
I've watched people succeed with microblogs who'd never touched code. I've also watched technically skilled people overthink their setup so much they never started.
The actual barrier to blogging isn't knowing how to code. It's:
- Clarity on what you want to say
- Permission to publish imperfect thoughts
- A place that doesn't feel like an obstacle course
- Consistency (showing up, again and again)
A good no-code blogging platform handles the obstacle course part. It lets you focus on the stuff that actually matters: your voice, your ideas, your words.
Everything else is just buttons.
Ready to Start?
If you've been waiting for the "right time" to start a microblog, waiting until you learned to code, waiting until the setup felt simple enough... this is it.
Create a Jottings site. Write your first post. No command lines. No configuration. No technical barriers.
Just you, your thoughts, and a clean space to share them.
Your readers are waiting (even if it's just your future self, looking back at your thoughts from today).