Accessibility First DevRel. I focus on ensuring content created, events held and company assets are as accessible as possible, for as many people as possible.
I love that story, it is a beautiful reminder to leave something for others in the future, to work towards bettering things long term (I like the short version which is "plant trees in whose shade you know you shall never sit").
Also the way you put the part about tending your garden and expectations that others should maintain it for you is a great analogy.
So I think what I have gathered from this thread is that there is a huge gap in the market for heavy duty agricultural equipment. Machines that mean we can tend to our fields with less effort and with greater yields.
We probably also need a farmers market so that we can sell our high quality produce without having to resort to adverts in the paper and signs by the side of the road.
OK, I think I have done the analogies to death there, but the core principles are there...there is a gap for quality content to be put in one place.
I suppose though, if you think about it from that perspective, the answer would be to build a site that is pure high quality content with a central marketing team and reputation.
We kind of have that with sites like CSS tricks, smashing magazine etc. so perhaps just an improved version of them that is half way between full editorial and a free to post what you like site is the answer.
So taking that to a (very long-winded) conclusion, perhaps the advice for people who want to write high quality pieces but not have tend their garden, for people who do not want to write regularly and aren't bothered about building a personal reputation that much, but instead sharing their valuable insights is to submit them to sites that pay for articles, or sites that curate high quality content and accept the trade-offs that entails?
I feel like I am just a couple of steps a way from a "how should you create and promote content" flowchart / decision tree at this stage 🤣
Loving all the ideas this article's comments section has within it, and the beautiful ways in which people have expressed themselves, such as in your comments Toby!
He/him, developer, builder of things both tangible and abstract, practitioner of yoga and ukulele... All-around complicated monkey.
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/tobyplaystheuke
In the not-too-distant past, I worked as a landscape crew foreman, ran a crew of guys handling care and maintenance. We had a number of folks who didn't want to have to work at their lawns and garden beds, but they wanted the pleasure of looking at them.
So it comes down to this, regardless of field: you will always invest something. You might invest your time and effort, or you might invest your money in other people's time and effort. If I want to get my word out there, I can keep promoting and hyping and selling myself, or I can affiliate or use someone else to do that for me.
I have tried to be fairly consistent and complete in the kind of writing I do, and I have to say that being accountable to my better half has helped tremendously. She helps keep me on task, writing new things, and helping spread the word. Just recently, on another article site to which I cross-post, a developer magazine asked if I'd consider listing my articles under their publication. Had to think about that one a bit.
But if I do, I still own my articles, my words are still my own, they are simply being affiliated with that ezine. Their editors review my stuff, correct typos, improve my SEO and help promote for me. I'm still working at it, I'm still doing the writing and responding thing, but I'm able to focus on the parts I want to do - because I remained constant and consistent in my message, and my delivery.
I don't like to market, I don't like to hype myself or talk about myself or being the center of attention like that. But I love teaching and sharing and writing. And by consistently regularly doing the things I love to do, I'm slowly starting to reap those rewards.
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We're a place where coders share, stay up-to-date and grow their careers.
I love that story, it is a beautiful reminder to leave something for others in the future, to work towards bettering things long term (I like the short version which is "plant trees in whose shade you know you shall never sit").
Also the way you put the part about tending your garden and expectations that others should maintain it for you is a great analogy.
So I think what I have gathered from this thread is that there is a huge gap in the market for heavy duty agricultural equipment. Machines that mean we can tend to our fields with less effort and with greater yields.
We probably also need a farmers market so that we can sell our high quality produce without having to resort to adverts in the paper and signs by the side of the road.
OK, I think I have done the analogies to death there, but the core principles are there...there is a gap for quality content to be put in one place.
I suppose though, if you think about it from that perspective, the answer would be to build a site that is pure high quality content with a central marketing team and reputation.
We kind of have that with sites like CSS tricks, smashing magazine etc. so perhaps just an improved version of them that is half way between full editorial and a free to post what you like site is the answer.
So taking that to a (very long-winded) conclusion, perhaps the advice for people who want to write high quality pieces but not have tend their garden, for people who do not want to write regularly and aren't bothered about building a personal reputation that much, but instead sharing their valuable insights is to submit them to sites that pay for articles, or sites that curate high quality content and accept the trade-offs that entails?
I feel like I am just a couple of steps a way from a "how should you create and promote content" flowchart / decision tree at this stage 🤣
Loving all the ideas this article's comments section has within it, and the beautiful ways in which people have expressed themselves, such as in your comments Toby!
In the not-too-distant past, I worked as a landscape crew foreman, ran a crew of guys handling care and maintenance. We had a number of folks who didn't want to have to work at their lawns and garden beds, but they wanted the pleasure of looking at them.
So it comes down to this, regardless of field: you will always invest something. You might invest your time and effort, or you might invest your money in other people's time and effort. If I want to get my word out there, I can keep promoting and hyping and selling myself, or I can affiliate or use someone else to do that for me.
I have tried to be fairly consistent and complete in the kind of writing I do, and I have to say that being accountable to my better half has helped tremendously. She helps keep me on task, writing new things, and helping spread the word. Just recently, on another article site to which I cross-post, a developer magazine asked if I'd consider listing my articles under their publication. Had to think about that one a bit.
But if I do, I still own my articles, my words are still my own, they are simply being affiliated with that ezine. Their editors review my stuff, correct typos, improve my SEO and help promote for me. I'm still working at it, I'm still doing the writing and responding thing, but I'm able to focus on the parts I want to do - because I remained constant and consistent in my message, and my delivery.
I don't like to market, I don't like to hype myself or talk about myself or being the center of attention like that. But I love teaching and sharing and writing. And by consistently regularly doing the things I love to do, I'm slowly starting to reap those rewards.