Start a blog
Blogging story
The reason why I started blogging was actually rather simple. I need a place to record my learning. Therefore, I only had one audience in my mind: myself. I started blogging for myself.
Changing with the times
- My blog has evolved from being a technical blog with code snippets and demo to a blog that talks about technology carreers, leadership.
Things I learn from blogging
- Time management
- Get rid of time wasters: no TV, no netflix, no procrastination
- Keep lists: Have a shopping list, Idea list..
- Relax and reflect: You'll rarely see me in the office past 6 P.M, how long I stay in the office, at a certain point. I'm not adding value or doing any high impact work, my brain just stop working
- Design thinking: Regardless of how great I think my content is. If none of my audience is interested in that paticular topic, it is not going to add value to them.
Start bloggin today
Making a blog can really boost your career. However this is a long-term investment and it takes time, patience and persistence to have a blog.
Why
Improve your technical skills When you want to teach someone a subject. You have to understand it clearly so that you could express the ideas to readers in a most comprehensible way. So that you have to research more, through that, you notice some holes in your knowledge and through researching, you reinforce your brain to remember it and understand it more thoroughly
Market yourself Your blog will open the doors for various networking and business opportunites that you mind not find otherwise
Learn how to write and present your ideas
Be an authority in your field
- Having a programming blog helps you build authority in your field
- Being an authority helps you stand out among other software engineers and open the doors for leadership roles
Help you become a better communicator: If your blog conveys that you know what you're talking about. It makes interview a lot easier and increases your chances of getting hired.
Before you want to to write a blog, forget these things
- I'm not an expert. Everyone has a unique angle, a different perspective on something that's worth sharing.
- Best moment to teach something is right after you learn it
- I'm not a good writer. You will never become a good writer unless you practice writing every day for years. You will become a good writer, eventually
- Last summer , I got deep into Go programming for two months. And literally had recruiters sending me job offers that I'd never applied to. just because they found my post shared online.
Some key aspects of a successful technical blog
- Be consistent with the topic: I would never subscribe to feed of blogs that are not focused on something.
- Write post in advance
- Have a list of blog post idea
James alutcher says to write down 10 ideas every day. That 3650 ideas a year.
- Read books, read blog posts. Read twitter, Listen to podcast
- Wake up early: Set the alarm clock, actually wake up, and start writing. When you have accomplished a task such as creating a new blog post by 8AM, you feel super energized to tackle the rest of the day
- Having a blog indicateing that you're willing to take risk and do something outside of your confortzone
Best pratices
https://www.themuse.com/advice/the-free-tool-you-can-use-to-boost-your-credibility-fast
Actively interact with the community
- leave thoughtful comments on posts you find interesting
- The more you give to this community the more it'll give back to you
Make your posts visually appealing
- Think of interesting titles
- Headings, subheadings and photos
- Use animated image
References
Every developer should have a blog. Here’s why, and how to stick with it.
Resources
https://simpleprogrammer.com/products/careerguide/links/?utm_source=careerguide&utm_medium=book&utm_campaign=chapter-53&utm_content=homepage#chapter-53 https://medium.com/@DZoneInc/blogging-for-software-developers-c6ef42f7b6f6