TFG - How it came to life
I was thinking … what would be a good way to express myself creatively which supports not only my love for technology but also discussing new ideas and topics, in a centralized way? Could not find of a better way, than creating a website which acts as an umbrella for some of my passions in one place. Herewith Try Fail Grow.
As you might have noticed, dear reader, TryFailGrow is a collection of hobbies which enrich my life , each one in a different way. When creating for example the Youtube Channel, I was trying my camera setup and exposure to video making, failing many times until a video was up but always growing . Each video helped me better understand video editing software like Davinci Resolve, playing with lights, microphones and so on. Does it look perfect upon release? Of course not but every time a video comes up, I learn something new and apply it in the next one. As you might have noticed a pattern, I am more of a advocate in learning by doing, instead of waiting for the perfect version. This state of mind came after years of experience in the field of work, in which I learned exactly the opposite (the old approach of having a final version for the customer before anything). That has changed dramatically in the last years, as the age of failing slow is over and the new age of fail fast, learn and adapt is rising.
A similar approach was adopted for the release of Offtogether and Friends apps. Before releasing the first versions for testing, there was a lot of going back and forth if they even should be released at all. Both of them were build with the idea in mind that they should be as good as it gets but, while adding new features, I came to the conclusion that there is no better way in adding new functionality, with having direct customer feedback. Siting alone at my desk thinking what I should / could improve next cannot compete with having users directly testing the app and getting in touch if a change or update is required or not.
Bunicas-table is another prime example of doing exactly that. This side project came to life when discussing over a coffee with my mother in law, the grandma for my kids. She is always preparing delicious receipts every time we come to visit so why not share it with the world. The idea was that everyone should benefit , if they take the necessary time to prepare, of such delicious receipts. Initially included in TryFailGrow main website, I have taken the decision to host it separately because the general theme did not fit the blog.
And in the end is the topic of monetization. Now this is a sensitive topic for all of us, as the times we currently live in are turbulent. The website does not have any commercials and it is build with the promise NOT to take sensitive data and reuse it in maleficent way. Everything I build, I will try to keep it with no cost or at a minimal cost, for everyone. If you would like to support me , you can buy me a coffee on Patreon, the only way currently available to back me up and encourage me to keep going with my work.
If you were looking at my blog and thought you also want to start your own, don’t leave that Idea un chased. There are many ways how you can start your own. You don’t need many things to get going and your costs can be minimized using Platforms like Blogger that supports the generation of certificates for free. So what would you need?
A Google account – Blogger is a Google service, so you need a Gmail/Google login.
A blog name and topic – Decide what you want to write about and choose a simple, memorable name.
A free Blogger address – You can start with something like yourblog.blogspot.com.
A basic theme – Pick one of Blogger’s free templates and adjust colors, fonts, and layout.
Your first few posts – Prepare an introduction and 2–3 useful articles so the blog does not look empty.
Basic pages – Add an About, Contact, and, depending on your location, relevant privacy/legal pages.
Optional custom domain – Later, you can connect your own domain while still hosting the blog on Blogger for free.
If you decide to invest some money upfront, there are platforms like Wordpress, Wix or Squarespace which are much more complex, supporting a great range of different features like more templates, monetizing capabilities, even translate services. With these ones sky is the limit (limit being your wallet) but I would argue for your first trials of blogging that they are overkill.
My recommendation is to test the waters using Blogger and if you manage to consistently upload 1-2 articles per week, then shift your attention to a paid service like the ones mentioned above. Blogging articles can be easily moved to another platform. The hard part is not customizing your Blog webpages, it is to regularly write and updating the site with content. Don’t underestimate this point when taking the decision of creating your first blog.
You have an idea and still are not sure how to start? Write in the comments and I will do my best in helping you get going.
Until next time, TFG
