181–190 of 314 posts
If you are using other platforms for exposure or expression, then you are the product of that platform. If you can drive traffic to your blog for whatever reason you would like to, then it becomes more of a value prop depending on motivations.
I can't be more constructive, then asking why its worth it than freedom of expression and monetization through content generation.
- Does the time spent writing feel worth it to you?
yes, but finding time to write is always hard, particularly when work or life responsibilities get in the way. However I find that the time I do have is very rewarding (and not just in a touchy feely way, as per below)
- Did it help to get noticed/ find jobs or other opportunities?
multiple podcast and conference talk invitations, 2 job opportunities that I actually wound up taking, and perhaps most importantly helping me make contacts within the industry that I could not have made on my own.
- Do you learn something new from it?
not sure what this question is specifically about, but yes i think writing is a "tool for thought" where you discover what you know through putting it down and trying to explain from first principles. However I also write after I discover something new and feel like sharing it, so it's not exactly learning "from" writing, but rather "writing after learning".
either way, it helps build my second brain (https://www.swyx.io/obsidian-brain) and is a key part of my competency at work, highly recommend.
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> All blog content is all rights reserved. What do you think this license specifically allows?
In general, my opinion on blogging is it's a powerful tool allowing you to get better at writing which I think lends into lots of aspects of most jobs. At this point, I'm better at writing design docs or explaining complex topics to folks through writing.
One interesting aspect of writing on Medium is it showed me how writing about topics people are interested in can lead to lots of search volume and the ability to connect with people who you wouldn't normally talk to. I wanted to delve into that more and decided to start writing a new blog about credit cards and travel, Turn On Course - https://www.turnoncourse.com/, which I set up using an SEO driven template hosted on Vercel. It's fun to watch it grow through consistent effort and it's a topic I love to talk about in general.
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> So don't publish it under a license that specifically allows that? That doesn't stop anyone.
It’s like complaining you got robbed when you left your front door wide open with a giant neon sign saying come in and take what you want.
I started blogging 15 years ago and probably what I wrote made some sense because at some point the blog had up to 10K visitors every month and I had many interesting conversations with readers. Also, since then I never looked for a job.
The blog audience also became the initial audience for my 1st commercial software product. The product itself became a stepping stone to another, much more successful software product, but that's another story.
If not the blog, things could've been very much different.
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> So don't publish it under a license that specifically allows that? That doesn't stop anyone.
There’s a difference between not stopping, and actively giving permission. It’s like complaining you got robbed when you left your front door wide open with a giant neon sign saying come in and take what you want.
For someone who's unknown or just another face in the crowd, a successful blog should have some unique information, analysis, or authority on something specific.
If you're someone famous, then your take on things you've seen and observed and lessons that others can benefit from, which they don't get to experience / glimpse in their daily life.
If you're just someone with an opinion, all you're doing is working out your need to publish your thoughts to randos. Unless your writing is super insightful, the only person it benefits is you (pretty much). (Again, unless your blog serves to collect your work for applying to a job.)