[1]

[2]Dries Buytaert

[3]Blog [4]Projects [5]Photos [6]About

[7]A blog is a biography

A mother in bed holds a newborn baby, surrounded by three formally dressed
adults in a hospital room. My mom as a newborn in her mother's arms, surrounded
by my grandparents and great-grandparents.

I never knew my great grandparents. They left no diary, no letters, only a
handful of photographs. Sometimes I look at those photos and wonder what they
cared about. What were their days like? What made them laugh? What problems
were they working through?

Then I realize it could be different for my descendants. A long-running blog
like mine is effectively an autobiography.

So far, it captures nearly twenty years of my life: my PhD work, the birth of
my children, and the years of learning how to lead Drupal and build a
community. It even captures the excitement of starting two companies, and the
lessons I learned along the way.

And in recent years, it captures the late night posts where I try to make sense
of what AI might change. They are a snapshot of a world in transition. One day,
it may be hard to remember AI was ever new.

In a way, a blog is a digital time capsule. It is the kind of record I wish my
great grandparents had left behind.

I did not start blogging with this in mind. I wrote to share ideas, to think
out loud, to guide the Drupal community, and to connect with others. The
personal archive was a side effect.

Now I see it differently. Somewhere in there is a version of me becoming a
father. A version trying to figure out how to build something that lasts. A
version wrestling, late at night, with technology changes happening in front of
me.

If my grandchildren ever want to know who I was, they will not have to guess.
They will be able to hear my voice.

If that idea feels compelling, this might be a good time to start a blog or a
website. Not to build a large audience, but just to leave a trail. Future you
may be grateful you began.

— Dries Buytaert

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December 12, 2025 1 min read time

  • [12]Digital preservation
  • [13]My site
  • [14]Writing

[15] db

References:

[1] https://dri.es/status
[2] https://dri.es/
[3] https://dri.es/blog
[4] https://dri.es/projects
[5] https://dri.es/photos
[6] https://dri.es/about
[7] https://dri.es/a-blog-is-a-biography
[10] https://dri.es/rss.xml
[11] mailto:dries@buytaert.net
[12] https://dri.es/tag/digital-preservation
[13] https://dri.es/tag/my-site
[14] https://dri.es/tag/writing
[15] https://dri.es/colophon