MaddyDo you plan to start a tech blog but struggle to find some good reasons to start (and keep) one? This article is for you.
I will lay down all the good reasons to start a tech blog in 2022 (and beyond).
Let's start.
#1 SHARE YOUR KNOWLEDGE
Those days when you could do everything on your own are gone.
Software development is a team effort, and it requires a lot of problem-solving.
We, developers, benefit from a wide range of communities, combined with various Q&A sites (such as StackOverflow, Quora, and Github Discussions) that help us get unstuck, solve our problems and increase productivity.
Sharing your knowledge online is a form of caring.
How often have you been stuck on a problem and managed to overcome it because someone online decided to share their knowledge?
You indirectly help someone else solve their problems by sharing what you know.
This is why online writing suits everybody, from beginners to most seniors.
Beginners can share their knowledge and help other beginners.
Seniors can share their knowledge and help other seniors. And so on.
#2 DOCUMENT YOUR JOURNEY
Blogging is not just a place where you share what you already know.
It's also a place where you document your journey when learning a new technology.
For example, let's say you want to learn a new Javascript framework.
You can do so by blogging and creating simple tutorials and step-by-step articles where you document what you learn.
You don't have to be an expert at anything to start writing online.
Ali Abdaal, a popular YouTuber, shared some helpful notes about the book "Show Your Work":
The minute you learn something, turn around and teach it to others. Share your reading list. Point to helpful reference materials. Create some tutorials and post them online. Use pictures, words, and videos. Take people step-by-step through part of your process. As blogger Kathy Sierra says, “make people better at something they want to be better at.”
#3 IMPROVE YOUR WRITING SKILLS
Without a doubt, blogging will make you better at writing if you stick with it.
Software development doesn't just involve writing code.
It also involves writing documentation, writing comments in code reviews, etc. Especially now that we live in a world where remote work has become more popular, writing is a crucial skill to master as a developer.
Excellent writing skills ensure that you pass on the right message and avoid misunderstandings or conflicts.
If you'd like to take a look, I wrote an article a few weeks ago about 3 Things You Can Do To Improve Your Technical Writing Skills.
#4 LEARN FROM OTHER PEOPLE
By writing blog posts, you put yourself in the position to learn from people more experienced than you.
You will receive comments on your article.
Some types of feedback will be on your grammar. Others will be to point out any mistakes relative to your understanding. Either way, receiving input from other people is excellent for becoming better at writing or becoming a better developer.
#5 YOU BECOME AN AUTHORITY
When you start writing articles around a specific topic, you unintentionally establish yourself as an authority.
For example, if you write an article on CSS for years, you'll be seen as an "authority" in CSS, and people will trust you more because you have been releasing a lot of content for a long time around CSS.
This is just how the internet works.
#6 YOU LEARN SEO
Not everyone is interested in this, but if you do care about growing your blog, then learning SEO is critical.
SEO is one of those concepts you can master by putting your knowledge into practice.
Blogging is one of the best ways to practice SEO.
My previous article shares some tips on how to write an SEO-optimised article.
#7 IT CAN HELP YOU LAND YOUR NEXT TECH ROLE
Writing online will expose you to way more opportunities than if you were not writing online.
Putting yourself online will help you land your next role without coldly applying for jobs.
I'm also aware that you can use your blog to find freelance jobs.
#8 YOU LEARN AT A GREATER PACE
By blogging, you learn quicker and more efficiently.
Often, we think we know a topic so well until we start creating content around it and find out that our knowledge wasn't that correct. And this is a benefit of blogging. It amplifies and clarifies what you think you know.
#9 YOU IMPROVE YOUR RESEARCH SKILLS
Generally speaking, we developers are already good at Googling stuff. We know that is a valuable skill to have for our job.
Crafting an article requires a lot of research as well. And by doing this, you'll also become better at researching.
This skill is essential as you want to double-check the facts before adding them to your content.
#10 YOU BUILD A SKILL STACK
I recently came across the "skill stack" concept in the book "Happy Sexy Millionaire" written by Steven Bartlett:
You can be a developer and learn non-coding skills, such as designing, SEO, audience analysis, etc.
A blog can help you stand out from the crowd because blogging involves different non-coding skills.
#11 YOU HELP OTHER PEOPLE
As I mentioned above, blogging is a form of caring.
We tend to underestimate how an article around a topic that seems easy and obvious to us can hugely benefit someone else.
Don't underestimate writing a concise and straightforward article. Sometimes people don't understand concepts for a long time until they find an article that gets them unstuck simply because of how you present the information.
#12 IT'S LOW RISK
Blogging is low risk.
You don't get into debt if you give up on blogging.
The doors are open to everyone, and the barrier of entry is extremely low.
There are many free blogging platforms you can use to start your tech blog.
#13 YOU CAN SELL YOUR SERVICES
I haven't done this yet, but I'm fully aware that this is something you can achieve once you have an active blog which gets enough traffic.
I know many developers who use their blogs to sell their services or products.
Gergely Orosz gives a great run down in his blog "The Pragmatic Engineer":
Image from "Becoming a Full-Time Creator as a Software Engineer: Controversial Advice"
If you're interested in creating an extra source of income, blogging is something you can consider.
Ways to make money through your blog are:
- Affiliate Marketing (where you get a commission from selling a product).
- Ads.
- Sponsorships.
- Selling eBooks.
- Selling books.
- Selling courses.
- Selling a paid newsletter.
And many more.
You can get creative and find different ways to monetise your blog.
CONCLUSION
In this article, you read about 13 reasons you should start a blog as a developer.
Do you have a blog? What's your favourite part of running a blog?
Thanks for reading my article,
Until next time!
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