Blog Migration

For years, I've maintained my blog using GitHub Pages with Jekyll. The system worked well - write in Markdown, let GitHub handle the rendering, and voilà! But recently, I caught the itch to modernize my setup with Next.js and Tailwind CSS.

The turning point came when I discovered MDX - Markdown's powerful cousin that lets you embed React components directly in content. As someone who occasionally writes about interactive AI projects like my Chinese Chess Game, this opened exciting possibilities. Imagine explaining machine learning concepts with live demos, or illustrating game theory with interactive diagrams!

My initial excitement met reality when I tried extracting the documentation system from my chess project. Building a full blog engine requires:

• Post management with pagination/archives
• Category/tag systems
• Comment integration
• SEO optimization
• RSS feeds
• Dark/light mode toggles
• ...and countless other features

That's when I found the Tailwind Next.js Starter Blog - a template offering 90% of what I needed out of the box. After considering alternatives like alexcarpenter's MDX theme, this became my foundation.

The Migration Marathon

1. Branching Out
   Created a new mdx branch and dedicated /blog directory

2. Template Setup

   npx degit 'timlrx/tailwind-nextjs-starter-blog'
   

3. Content Migration
   Moved 160+ posts from __posts to data/blog, only to discover:

   • Legacy HTML/CSS in old Markdown files
   • Inconsistent frontmatter formats
   • Broken image references

4. AI-Assisted Cleanup
   Built a Python script that:

   • Used OpenAI API to modernize legacy syntax
   • Standardized frontmatter fields
   • Handled 80% of conversions automatically
     (Available at scripts/migration/convert_to_mdx.py)

The remaining 20% required manual fixes - a perfect opportunity to reacquaint myself with old content while testing the new system's limits.

Lessons Learned

1. Starter Templates Are Lifesavers
   The template's built-in features saved weeks of development time

2. AI Co-Pilots Shine
   ChatGPT helped troubleshoot MDX edge cases I'd never encountered

3. Content Debt is Real
   Migrating 10-year-old posts revealed outdated practices and broken links

4. Progressive Enhancement Wins
   Prioritized core content migration before adding new features

What's Next?

While the new system already supports:
✅ Dark/light mode
✅ Improved SEO
✅ Responsive layouts
✅ Social sharing

I'm eyeing future upgrades:

• Interactive code playgrounds
• Article version history
• Enhanced analytics
• Newsletter integration

This migration taught me that even established systems need occasional renovation. The process felt like moving houses - stressful in the moment, but ultimately rewarding when you settle into a better-organized space with room to grow.