📌 TL;DR
Three months ago, I decided to start writing consistently on DEV. Twenty-five articles later, I've learned far more than how to write bet...
For further actions, you may consider blocking this person and/or reporting abuse
Hey Hemapriya! I am glad that you have accomplished in the last 3 months and we are grateful for you that you continue to stay here on DEV.
I will add your article to the guide for others to look into. I think your time here on DEV and your lessons you have learned could reinforce other new users, especially lessons 1 and 2 (which I think is heavily important).
Get Started on Dev.to! A Beginner's Guide to Engage with the Community! 💡
Francis, it means a lot that you'd include it in your beginner's guide. If it helps even one new writer feel a little more confident about pressing Publish, that'll make me incredibly happy.
I also remembered your suggestion from a while back about adding GIFs and images to articles, so I decided to give it a try this time. I actually think they made the article much more engaging and gave readers little pauses between sections. It definitely took me a while to find ones that matched the tone, but I had a lot of fun experimenting with it.
I've also removed the AI transparency note 👍
And thank you again for always being so supportive. Your encouragement and advice have helped me throughout these past few months, and I really appreciate it 😀
I am glad to see your GIF on your article as well! Brings light and engagement while reading :D
And for sure no problem! I am glad you are still here! If anything, feel free to ping if anything :)
I've actually applied to a few of your radar posts. Thank you very much for them!
A few things I've learnt from my side (I've been here for about 2 months now).
1, the numbers are wrong... If you create an account and post immediately, you'll get next to 0 views. Due to how Forem's internal DB operates. You get a trust score, based on activity, so the first week or 2 on the platform, you have a negative stat to your recommendation to people.
2, the numbers stay wrong... Once you catch traction, you'll see a sudden influx, 100 new followers, 300 new followers, in a single day. Those are bots, it translates to maybe 10 or 30 real people.
3, comments are king. Dont worry too much about posting, live in the comments a bit, it's honestly the most fun part of the platform.
4, dont rush.. You feel like you caught momentum, need to keep it going.. Stop, rest, relax, rather post when you got time and really want to post, rather than staying up to 3am just so you can do your daily post.
5, the community is 99% solid. There's a few people who are rude, regrading, overall just bad people on here... But the majority are bomb and you'll have fun chatting and having thoughtful conversations that might send you down a rabbit hole.
First of all, I'm really glad to hear you've applied to a few opportunities through Dev Opportunity Radar! That makes all the time that goes into putting it together feel worthwhile.
And thank you for sharing these lessons! I actually didn't know about the trust score and how it can affect visibility for new accounts, so that was really interesting to learn.
I completely agree with your points about comments and not rushing. Some of my favorite moments on DEV have come from conversations in the comments rather than publishing an article, and taking a short break this past week reminded me that it's much better to write because you're excited about an idea than to force yourself to keep a streak going.
I've had a really positive experience with the community too. Everyone I've interacted with has been incredibly kind and welcoming, and it's one of the biggest reasons I've enjoyed being here.
Thanks for taking the time to share your experience. I hope it helps someone else who's just getting started as well 💙
Same here, community has been awesome. But earlier today I saw 2 people bullying a poster because he used AI for his project and for writing up his post. That really ticked me off, because I know it takes 1 bad actor to discourage them from ever writing a post again. So I told them off, said they should bugger off to X or Reddit, they'd be welcomed there, here we prefer constructive commentary and friendliness. Not toxic anti-ai... I hope people atleast look past those outliers, the majority of people here have been absolutely incredible and I've had pretty much an all good experience.
I know what you mean. It only takes one bad interaction to make someone question whether they should post again, especially when they're new.
I'm glad you spoke up for them. Constructive feedback is one thing, but everyone deserves to be treated with respect.
Honestly, I didn't even realize this was happening. My own experience has been nothing but positive. I've received constructive criticism too, but it's always been kind, respectful, and genuinely helpful. I really hope new writers get to experience that side of the community, because it's been one of my favorite things about being on DEV 💙
Same, I've had constructive criticism, on my first post no less... I was called out on my documentation, said my benchmarks need to be far more granular and that's stuck with me, now my benchmarks are 2 pages long and track every stage of processing, which actually helped me develop better, by isolating the bottlenecks based on where the benchmarks are slow. But when I saw them be mean like that, I just couldnt stand it, I reported them and I told them off, cuz we all deserve a safe-space and I like to think Dev.to is that safe-space, where you can share what you've done and get positive feedback for it. Cuz developers are generally shy, or lack peers to share their thoughts with, so if someone makes a post, they're already stretched out on a limb, it takes 1 comment to make them disappear forever and write Dev.to off as another Reddit/X, where it's just a cesspool of insults and belittling. While everyone I've met has tried to keep it a productive, constructive place.
I completely agree with that. I think a lot of us already have so many doubts before we even hit Publish for the first time. It takes a fair bit of courage to put something you've worked on out there, especially when you're new. I can definitely see how one unnecessarily harsh comment could make someone decide not to post again.
That's why I'm really glad people like you speak up when they see it. I hope DEV continues to be the kind of place where new writers feel comfortable sharing their work and learning along the way.
I totally agree with the point about not chasing the numbers. 🙂
I've had some articles that were incredibly "clickable" and got far more views than anything else I've written. But honestly, some of my more mature, in-depth articles have meant much more to me—and I think they've provided more value to the community as well, even if they naturally attracted a smaller audience.
Views are nice, but they're not the best measure of impact.
Sylwia, I couldn't agree more 😀
I think that's something it took me a little while to realize too. At first it's so easy to focus on the numbers, but over time I've found myself caring much more about the conversations an article starts and whether it helped someone.
I really like how you put it: "Views are nice, but they're not the best measure of impact." I think that's a reminder all of us need from time to time 💙
Hey Hemapriya! Nice to hear from you.
I immediately say the value of your posts and your willingness to share with the community, so I am happy to be supporting since your first posts!
Really nice to see your growth here on DEV. Keep it up!
Julien, thank you! It really means a lot coming from someone who's been supporting Dev Opportunity Radar since the very beginning.
You've been one of the first people encouraging me to keep going, and I'm really grateful for that. Seeing familiar names like yours every week genuinely motivates me to keep putting the series together. Thank you for being part of the journey 💙
Wow, what a beautiful journey this is! ❤️
This article was not just about completing 25 articles, it was about the transformation from a silent reader to a confident writer. And honestly, that journey is truly inspiring.
Many people come to DEV, read amazing articles, learn from others, and think about sharing their own thoughts someday. But taking that first step and continuing consistently is where the real growth begins. You did exactly that, and it’s amazing to see how much you have achieved in just 3 months.
What I loved most is that your writing is not just about sharing knowledge; it carries your experiences, emotions, and the lessons you learned along the way. Every article feels like a small piece of your journey, and that is what makes writing truly meaningful.
25 articles in 3 months is not just a number — it shows your dedication, curiosity, and the courage to keep showing up.
And by the way, you are an amazing writer. The way you write such beautiful and heartfelt articles is truly special. Your words have a warmth that makes readers feel connected, and that is a rare quality.❤️
Thank you for sharing your journey with the community. Your story will definitely inspire many silent readers to finally start sharing their own voices.🔥
Congratulations on this wonderful milestone! Keep writing, keep learning, and keep inspiring. Looking forward to reading many more beautiful articles from you. ❤️
Divyanshi, thank you so much ❤️
I'm really happy that the article came across the way I hoped it would. More than celebrating 25 articles, I wanted to share everything I learned along the way, especially for people who are still thinking about writing their first post.
Your kind words about my writing honestly mean a lot. And thank you for being one of the people who's been supporting my journey for such a long time now. Seeing familiar names like yours in the comments has always been encouraging.
I really appreciate you taking the time to read the article and leave such a thoughtful comment. It means more than you know 💙
The lesson that rings truest here is writing for enjoyment over metrics, but I would add a selfish reason to write that nobody mentions: it is the cheapest way to find out what you only think you understand. Twice now I have started an article certain of the explanation and had to go back and test my own claim halfway through, because writing it down exposed the gap. The 25 articles are impressive, but that invisible correction loop is probably worth more than all the views combined. Congrats on the run.
That's such a good point, Vinicius. I don't think I'd ever thought about writing that way before, but it makes a lot of sense. There have definitely been times where I've started writing something and realized, "Wait... I need to double-check this first"
I guess that's another benefit of writing that doesn't get talked about enough. Thanks for sharing that perspective, and thank you for reading the article 😀
AMA starts here 💙
Whether you have questions about writing, finding ideas, building a series, engaging with the community, overcoming challenges, or anything else related to your own journey on DEV, I'd be happy to chat.
I'll be around in the comments throughout the day, and I'd love to hear about your own journey too.
If you've been writing on DEV for a while, I'd especially love to hear any lessons, tips, or advice you've learned along the way. Your experience might be exactly what someone who's just starting their writing journey needs to hear.
Let's make the comments a place where we can all learn from each other 😀
It's really motivational Thanks for sharing
Thank you so much, Sarvar, for taking the time to read the article and leave a comment. I'm really glad you found it motivational 😀