Alter Ego 2

A personal blog and digital journal built with Hugo, featuring insights on web development, agency life, and personal growth.

About

Alter Ego 2 is the 5th iteration of my personal blog/journal, continuing from berlime5.blogspot.com. This version represents a shift to a static site approach, focusing on minimalism and performance while maintaining the personal, evolving nature of my previous iterations.

Blog Evolution

• 1st Edition: "What's Up" - Physical Reader's Digest style
• 2nd Edition: "Alter Ego" - Physical magazine format
• 3rd Edition: "Alter Ego Edited" - First online version (blogpost.com)
• 4th Edition: "Berlime 5" - Blogger platform with mono-neon theme
• 5th Edition: "Alter Ego 2" - Current Hugo-based static site

Content Themes

🏢 Agency & Business

• Web design and development agency insights
• Business growth and sustainability strategies
• Client management and project workflows
• Agency evolution from freelancing to incorporation

💻 Web Development & Technology

• WordPress Development: Bricks Builder, JetEngine, custom themes
• Static Sites: Hugo static site generator tutorials and experiences
• CSS & Frontend: Grid layouts, custom fonts, rounded corners, responsive design
• Development Tools: VS Code, Git, Node.js version management
• SEO & Analytics: Google Analytics 4, traffic filtering, optimization

🛠️ Technical Tutorials & Notes

• JetEngine: Meta boxes, listings, components, glossaries, query builder
• Bricks Builder: Component development, template systems
• CSS Techniques: Grid layouts, custom styling, responsive design
• Development Workflows: Local setup, deployment processes
• Notion: Formula usage, workflow optimization, project management

📝 Personal & Lifestyle

• Personal growth and learning experiences
• Life updates and reflections
• Food delivery rider experiences
• Room updates and lifestyle changes

🔧 Development Resources

• Shared prompts and templates
• SQL commands and database management
• Regex patterns and usage
• Spell checking tools (LTeX)

Technical Stack

Core Technology

• Static Site Generator: Hugo
• Theme: Gokarna - Minimalist, fast, and responsive
• Deployment: Netlify (via netlify.toml)
• Content: Markdown with front matter

Theme Features

• Light and dark mode support
• Feather icons integration
• Syntax highlighting (Monokai theme)
• Table of contents
• Responsive design
• SEO optimized
• Google Analytics integration
• Custom shortcodes (collapsible elements)

Customizations

• Custom avatar and branding
• Social media integration
• Custom accent color (#FF4D4D)
• Back-to-top button
• Recent posts on homepage
• Custom date formatting
• Image optimization with AVIF format

Site Structure

alterego2/
├── content/posts/          # Blog posts (40+ articles)
├── layouts/               # Custom layout overrides
├── static/images/         # Optimized images
├── themes/gokarna/        # Hugo theme
├── hugo.toml             # Site configuration
└── netlify.toml          # Deployment configuration

Key Features

Content Management

• Evolving Posts: Posts are regularly updated with new context and information
• Backtracked Content: Historical posts from 2024 and earlier
• Tagged Organization: Content categorized by themes (agency, dev, WordPress, etc.)
• Cross-referencing: Posts link to related content and continuations

Performance

• Static site generation for fast loading
• Optimized images (AVIF format)
• Minimal JavaScript footprint
• SEO-friendly structure
• Mobile-responsive design

User Experience

• Clean, minimalist design
• Easy navigation with tags and categories
• Search-friendly content structure
• Accessible design patterns

Development

Local Setup

# Install Hugo
# Clone repository
git clone [repository-url]
cd alterego2

# Run development server
hugo server -D

Content Creation

# Create new post
hugo new posts/your-post-title.md

Deployment

The site is automatically deployed via Netlify when changes are pushed to the main branch.

Content Categories

Primary Tags

• agency: Business insights and agency development
• dev: Development tutorials and technical content
• WordPress: WordPress-specific tutorials and experiences
• blog: General blogging and content creation
• static: Static site generation and Hugo content
• backtracked: Historical content from previous iterations

Secondary Tags

• bricks: Bricks Builder specific content
• server: Server management and deployment
• software: Software reviews and recommendations
• web-design: Design principles and techniques
• lifestyle: Personal updates and experiences

Contact & Social

• Website: berlime.com
• Email: [email protected]
• LinkedIn: Berlime Solutions
• Twitter: @berlime
• Facebook: Berlime5
• Instagram: @Berlime

License

This blog content is personal and copyrighted. The Gokarna theme is licensed under its respective license.

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"The Marauders" - A continuation of the journey from berlime5.blogspot.com