I don't really know if anyone reads my blog because I don't use any analytics or care to know.

There are a handful of times that I've written a post about something and then when someone offline expresses interest in X thing by coincidence, I can say "Ah, I actually know a little bit and you're welcome to read what I know in your spare time!"

I also have a thing of writing about any thoughts and anxities I might have at various milestones (starting new jobs + 5 year increments).

That recently came in handy with a mentee who was a bit like "I don't know what I'm doing, is this normal?". Saying it's normal is one thing but even better is being able to point to a post where I blurted out my mental state 10 years ago :)

I also don't share posts anywhere but I have a hint that at least one person is subscribed to my RSS feed (I think they told me something broke once) but part of the fun is not really knowing who's out there I think

The other value too is that just like trying to explain something to another person, the act of putting together a coherent piece of writing forces you to sort through your own thoughts (even if you think you understand the topic) which is valuable even if no one elses reads your own writing.

I re-read one of my very first posts not too long ago that I had completely forgotten about and thought "This is good stuff! I wish I knew about it earlier" haha