Yes, people do! From my time in HN, I've accumulated a list of links to smaller/niche blogs, that you wouldn't stumble on by chance, except if you were searching for something extremely specific. You don't have to add analytics and play the numbers game, but just as ig0r0 mentioned, it's a great exercise to improving your writing, document your learning experience or an obscure solution for easy future reference.

It's easier than ever to get started (as easy as forking a Github project and uploading your markdown), and as a bonus it might also look good on a CV.