Is it mandatory to post content of any form at all?
Nothing is entirely mandatory, but you're doing yourself a big disservice if you're not taking part at all. Posting online is a big part of immersing yourself in the craft, and forcing yourself to truly understand a few subjects. It's also a big way to give back to the community. Find a way to truly help someone out even if it means you have to do a ton of research just to offer a bit of help.
If yes, what is the balance that one must hit?
I think the balance is to be consistent, but like I tweeted, not spent trying to be a thought leader. It's a shallow pursuit most of the time, unless you really want to be a big time influencer. Don't be competitive or compare yourself to others. Having a balanced outlook, not being in a major hurry, finding things to appreciate for their own merits within the craft, making friends you can chit chat with, reading a few important books, etc.
This topic of immersion is important. It's how we learn and stay relevant. It's what I'm doing right now. I'm bringing order to some random thoughts by contributing here.
A lot of these ideas are inspiration for little things about DEV itself. No follower counts, no word limit, etc. While social immersion is important, GitHub and Twitter both have some drive a lot of unhealthy paradigms. (Of course, DEV is not without its capacity to foster unhealthy activity).
I'll definitely weigh in further
Nothing is entirely mandatory, but you're doing yourself a big disservice if you're not taking part at all. Posting online is a big part of immersing yourself in the craft, and forcing yourself to truly understand a few subjects. It's also a big way to give back to the community. Find a way to truly help someone out even if it means you have to do a ton of research just to offer a bit of help.
I think the balance is to be consistent, but like I tweeted, not spent trying to be a thought leader. It's a shallow pursuit most of the time, unless you really want to be a big time influencer. Don't be competitive or compare yourself to others. Having a balanced outlook, not being in a major hurry, finding things to appreciate for their own merits within the craft, making friends you can chit chat with, reading a few important books, etc.
This topic of immersion is important. It's how we learn and stay relevant. It's what I'm doing right now. I'm bringing order to some random thoughts by contributing here.
A lot of these ideas are inspiration for little things about DEV itself. No follower counts, no word limit, etc. While social immersion is important, GitHub and Twitter both have some drive a lot of unhealthy paradigms. (Of course, DEV is not without its capacity to foster unhealthy activity).
On point. Got it. Thank you @ben 🙌