“I can say what I really think,” said Tyler about blogging a few days ago. Not only that, (a) this truth-speaking is on a topic he cares about, (b) what he says is based on considerable knowledge (what an ignorant person “really thinks” about something isn’t helpful), and (c) a lot of people listen. This is a potent mix.
The magic of blogging is that when you start you can tell the truth because no one is listening. With zero audience, it makes sense — it feels good — to tell the truth. If you are an expert like Tyler, this sort of thing is irresistible to readers (economics confidential) so your audience grows. Now it is too late to start censoring yourself; people are reading your blog because you tell the truth.