I recently acquired imzl.com, fulfilling my “dream” of owning a decent-looking .com domain. It now serves as my blog’s primary domain, marking the third domain change for Zhou Liang’s Blog since 2020.

Since 2010, I’ve been blogging for over a decade^[1], having changed domains five times, themes over a dozen times, and CMS platforms twice^[2]. Perhaps because of my design background^[3], I was overly fixated on the presentation layer — chasing aesthetics and perfection. With plenty of free time as a student, I poured enormous effort into themes, plugins, and server maintenance. Others might see this as a waste of time, but for me back then: the thrill of tinkering to satisfy my own needs and ideas could only be described as “euphoria.”

This is why I say: independent blogging has three great pleasures — themes, domains, and CMS platforms. But pleasure is for yourself; value is for your readers.

The value of a blog lies in its content — good, useful content.

Blog Theme: Clean is enough. It should present content clearly and be easy to read — a bit rough around the edges is perfectly fine. A search box so readers can find what they’re looking for, and a comment box so you can converse with them — that’s all you need.

Domain: Ideally short and memorable at a glance, but it’s no big deal if it isn’t. Domains carry less and less weight these days. The principle should be: use what you have, as long as it works. Don’t be like me, constantly switching. I only do it because of a personal hang-up, but it’s really not necessary. If the content is good enough, I’ll bookmark even the most ungainly domain.

CMS Platform: As long as it works — the simpler, the better, even. Don’t let the tool limit you, and don’t make the startup cost of writing too high. These days I just finish writing in my notes app and paste-publish with one click, completely ignoring all those bells and whistles in the backend. The unformatted, plain-text approach to writing is simply wonderful.

This might sound a bit “utilitarian,” but as long as you’re comfortable, anything goes.

What I’m really doing here is a reflection — one I should have written four years ago. I used to be overly obsessed with surface-level flash (and this goes beyond blogging). Being a designer, there was nothing wrong with that per se. It wasn’t until I transitioned to product management that I realized beneath the dazzling surface lies something invisible. User experience isn’t just about the framework and presentation layers — dig deeper and you’ll find structure, scope, and strategy. It’s not enough to just make features look good and feel smooth. The balance between business value and user value — that’s the true core of experience.

When it comes to writing and blogging, the quality of your domain or the beauty of your theme are by no means prerequisites for a good blog. Strive for quality, but don’t obsess over perfection. Put your energy into the content — that’s what truly matters.