I’m pleased to share that Horkan.com has been recognised as the 12th most widely read tech blog from the UK by Feedspot, based on RSS feed aggregation in their recent article “Top 70 UK Tech RSS Feeds“. This acknowledgement is a significant moment for me, reflecting a journey that began over 17 years ago.
The History and Beginnings of Horkan.com
Horkan.com was born out of a sense of obligation and curiosity. On the 3rd of April 2007, I decided to dive into the then-emerging world of self-publishing, carefully choosing that date to avoid launching on April Fool’s Day. It felt like the right time to learn and contribute to the new paradigm of online content.
Starting on the Sun Blogging Platform
The journey began on the Sun Blogging platform, blogs.sun.com, which was built on the Roller Blogger system developed by Dave Johnson. I named my blog “Eclectic” to reflect the broad range of topics I intended to cover, allowing me the flexibility to explore various interests. My Sun blog could be found at blogs.sun.com/eclectic.
Leaving Sun Microsystems
In 2009, I left Sun Microsystems as they were acquired by Oracle (cough). My final post on the Sun platform was on the 17th of September 2009, titled “John Zachman, father of Enterprise Architecture, to present at the next BCS Enterprise Architecture Speciality Group event on Tuesday the 6th of October, 2009“.
Transition to Blogger and Beyond
Fortunately, I had taken backups of my blog, which proved essential when Oracle decided to discontinue most of the Sun blogs, shifting their focus to blogs.oracle.com. I then moved my blogging efforts to Blogger, where it remained from late 2009 until 2017. Despite my plans to reboot and integrate content from my Sun blog, the Blogger platform didn’t allow me to implement those legacy posts meaningfully.
Moving to WordPress
In response, I transitioned to WordPress, starting on WordPress.com on April 20th, 2017, with my initial post titled “Howdy”. As I mentioned in my “20211230 Update”, “Hi. I’ve decided to rifle through my old blog from Sun and repost the interesting/technology/engineering posts here.”
The Self-Hosted WordPress Era
WordPress.com served me well for a time, but as I grew more familiar with WordPress as a CMS, I realised that the platform didn’t offer the granularity needed to rehost my legacy content from both Sun and Blogger. This led me to move to a self-hosted WordPress instance. On the 21st of July 2023, I redirected the horkan.com domain to this new instance, launching with the post “Hello World!”. The very next post, “Migration 2023”, detailed the challenges I faced in migrating my old Sun blog content.
Recovering and Preserving My Blog’s History
In the process, I discovered that my backups were partially corrupted. To retrieve as much of my old content as possible, I wrote a script using wget to scrape my data from the Wayback Machine and, my old friend, some “C” code to marshall and arrange what I’d gathered, allowing me to recover and migrate the content successfully.
Now, this blog represents my full and frank blogging history, encompassing everything from April 3rd, 2007, to the present. It’s a digital archive of my thoughts, experiences, and commentary on the ever-evolving world of technology.
Reflecting on the First Post
My first post on my blog, titled “And finally…“, marked the beginning of what would become a long-term commitment. In that initial post, I reflected on the timing of my decision and the tech trends of the day, particularly the prediction that the growth of blogging would peak around 100 million blogs by 2007. At the time, blogging was at the forefront of digital communication, and I felt compelled to add my voice to the mix.
Here’s a snippet from that first post:
“…after much comment – from workmates, colleagues, friends and acquaintances (but not, I might add, from family members) – as to the lack of a blog of any sort, and as the peak of the blogging phenomenon apparently arrives on the collective horizon, I’ve decided to go and start one.”
A Journey Through Tech Trends
That post set the tone for the blog, which has always been about offering thoughtful analysis and commentary on technology trends. Over the years, I’ve explored everything from the early days of blogging to the shifting landscapes of IT outsourcing, corporate social responsibility, the evolving role of security in tech, to the time I spent on the National Cyber Security Centre’s NCSC For Startups programme on behalf of Cyber Tzar, to increasingly what cultural items interest me, and especially regarding neurodiversity and my own journey.
The Changing Landscape of Blogging
Over the years, blogging has transformed significantly. What started as a platform for personal reflection and niche communities has evolved into a sophisticated medium for professional content, brand building, and multimedia storytelling. Today, blogs are integrated with social media, optimised for search engines, and often monetised, reflecting the broader trends in digital media. The growth of microblogging and platforms like Medium, Substack, and LinkedIn has further diversified the landscape, making blogging a more dynamic and multifaceted form of communication.
Spotlight on the Top UK Tech Blogs
As Horkan.com is now recognised among the top UK tech blogs, I want to highlight the other exceptional sites that share this list. These platforms offer a range of insights, news, and opinions that make up the best of what UK tech has to offer:
- The Register – A well-established source of IT news, opinions, and reviews, known for its sharp and often humorous take on the tech industry.
- Coolest Gadgets – A blog dedicated to showcasing the latest gadgets, offering reviews and insights on the most innovative tech products.
- Tech Advisor – Providing advice, reviews, and news on the latest technology, this site covers everything from consumer electronics to cybersecurity.
- Silicon Republic – Focusing on innovation, technology, and business, this site is a hub for those interested in the latest tech developments in Ireland and beyond.
- Computerworld – A respected source for IT professionals, offering news, analysis, and opinions on the latest in enterprise technology.
- Irish Tech News – Covering the tech scene in Ireland, this blog offers news, interviews, and insights on technology trends and startups.
- Everest Group – A research firm’s blog that provides in-depth analysis and insights into IT, business process services, and global services.
- TechRound – A platform that highlights startups, tech news, and industry trends, focusing on the UK’s vibrant tech scene.
- Ficode – A blog from a software development company, offering insights on digital transformation, development, and IT solutions.
- AddictiveTips – Known for its how-to guides, tips, and tricks, this blog is a go-to for tech enthusiasts looking to optimise their digital lives.
- Vanson Bourne Community – A community-driven site offering research-based insights and opinions on the latest trends in technology.
- Horkan.com – And finally, this blog, where I share my thoughts, analysis, and commentary on technology trends, culture, and more.
The full list is available at “Top 70 UK Tech RSS Feeds“.
Looking Forward
Seeing Horkan.com ranked 12th on Feedspot’s list is a moment of quiet satisfaction. It’s a testament not just to the content but to the readers who have followed and engaged with the blog over the years. Your support has been instrumental in keeping this platform going, and I’m grateful for the community that has grown around it. That’d be me masking, but you know what I mean, thank you!
As I look back on where this all started, I’m reminded of the quote I referenced in that first post from Warren Buffett: “Forecasts usually tell us more of the forecaster than of the forecast.” This blog has been, in many ways, a reflection of my evolving thoughts and interests in technology.
Thank you for being part of this journey. I look forward to continuing our discussions and explorations in the future.
Best regards,
Wayne