# DearDiary Website & Blog - Agent Instructions

## Overview

The DearDiary website is a static HTML site generated from Markdown blog posts. No frameworks, no build complexity.

## Structure

```
www/
├── _posts/           # Blog posts in Markdown (source)
│   └── YYYY-MM-DD-slug.md
├── blog/             # Generated HTML (don't edit manually)
│   ├── index.html
│   └── YYYY-MM-DD-slug/
│       └── index.html
├── css/
│   └── styles.css
├── docs/             # Documentation (also static HTML)
├── js/
│   └── main.js
├── index.html        # Main website (uses envsubst for templating)
├── build-blog.js    # Blog generator script
└── package.json     # npm deps (gray-matter for parsing)
```

## Building

```bash
cd www
npm install
node build-blog.js
```

This converts `_posts/*.md` → `blog/*.html`.

## Blog Post Format

Frontmatter:
```yaml
---
title: Your Post Title
date: 2026-03-27
author: Konrad Lother
excerpt: One sentence summary for the blog index
---
```

## Tone & Style Guide

Read unixsheikh.com for inspiration. Key characteristics:

### Voice
- **Direct and authoritative** - Say what you mean, don't hedge unnecessarily
- **Personal opinion is welcome** - Write from a first-person perspective
- **Technical but accessible** - Explain complex topics simply
- **Not afraid to be contrarian** - Challenge conventional wisdom when you disagree with it

### Structure
- **Strong opening** - Hook the reader immediately
- **Clear sections** - Use headers to organize thoughts
- **Concrete examples** - Illustrate abstract concepts
- **Practical takeaways** - End with actionable advice

### What to Avoid
- Corporate/tech-blog speak ("leverage", "synergy", "cutting-edge")
- Unnecessary hedging ("might", "could potentially", "in some cases")
- Padding or fluff - every sentence should add value
- Being mean-spirited - critique ideas, not people

### Example Openers

Bad:
> "In today's fast-paced digital world, journaling has evolved..."

Good:
> "Traditional journaling apps ask you to write long entries at the end of the day. But let's be honest - who has time for that?"

### Length
- 500-1500 words is ideal
- If you're writing more, consider splitting into multiple posts
- Short posts can be 200-300 words if the idea is complete

## Topics to Cover

### DearDiary-Specific
- How to use features effectively
- Tips and tricks for better journaling
- Behind-the-scenes development stories
- Why AI-assisted journaling makes sense
- Privacy and self-hosting benefits

### General Tech Thoughts
- Software craftsmanship
- Human-AI collaboration
- Simplicity in development
- Critical thinking about tech trends
- The value of boring technology

### Personal/Philosophy
- Productivity and reflection
- Memory and identity
- The importance of记录 (record-keeping)
- Learning from daily life

## Post Ideas

1. Why capture events, not essays (the thesis behind DearDiary)
2. My journaling experiment - 30 days of DearDiary
3. What I learned building an app with AI
4. The case for boring technology in side projects
5. How to remember your life better
6. Self-hosting isn't hard, it's just unfamiliar

## Technical Notes

- The `build-blog.js` uses a simple regex-based Markdown converter
- For full Markdown support (tables, footnotes), consider using a proper parser
- Images should be hosted externally or added to the repo
- Code blocks work but syntax highlighting is limited