📣Hi Dev people!
This is the first time I make a series of posts and I have doubts on how to face it. Do I write detailed articles step by step explaining everything or is it better to explain briefly the basics but focusing on complex topics and things that are not obvious and aren't in the official documentation? Do I write for newbies or for those already initiated?
The posts for beginners are longer and can be boring for those who already have some experience, but they explain all the details and do not take anything for granted.
On the other hand, posts with an intermediate level are shorter and go straight to the point, but they can be more difficult to understand for those who are starting to develop. They would rely less on words, and more on code samples with comments. They are easy to use as a reference.
As these posts have to be useful and of interest to you I ask you:
Girls and guys, what do you prefer???
- Posts for beginners developers
- Posts for experienced developers
For this time, the second post for the LitElement series goes in two flavours. Please 🙏 read them and tell me your opinion!
Thank you!
Top comments (5)
Julio, I can't give advice on the lit posts as it is not my expertise but in general:
All formats are useful for different groups. Put stuff both would find useful (in a beginners article try to find some things that advanced ppl would think "cool, I didn't know that etc").
The important part is to achieve the objective. That is the correct length, long or short, advanced or beginner. The main goal is to deliver value (the more value per word, the happier I am). The titles make the biggest difference to traction.
@theringleman was trying to figure out the same questions really & did a good job of making it move:
dev.to/theringleman/quick-api-debu...
twitter.com/theRingleman/status/11...
twitter.com/theRingleman/status/11...
Hello Vuild. Thank you very much for your comment! I really appreciate it.
Writing technology articles in order to teach something is a difficult task that brings several challenges
I'll take your advice into account and I'll go in that direction. I find very useful the links you have provided me.
Once again, thank you for your contribution!
Gracias Julio,
My suggestion is try lots of things & see what suits you best. It's not always easy to tell from a few posts so persistence & finding the right audience is key. Maybe start with a post on your topic that is popular & create similar.
A little mystery, humor, random facts, useful tips stuff like that all helps. The hard part is getting the first bit going (people & algos), enough that your stuff gets noticed.
Let's bump @ben because he is really good at writing engaging internet stuff & has good advice. Literally, he didn't make dev.to & then start giving good advice. He gives good advice & that's why he had to build dev.to. 😃
Thanks Vuild again for taking the time to write your comment.
I enjoyed your comments in @theringleman 's tweet and I have also taken note.
As in any other area, practice makes perfect. And as you say, it is best to do tests to see what works and what does not.
I like the idea of doing something special, like the tips you mention (humor, mystery, curiosities). My idea had been that, I wanted each post to have a different aesthetic (a bit of art?) But in Dev.to is not so easy to play with the visual aspect so I think that later, as my content evolves, it may be that I take the post to a blog of my own where I can experiment in that aspect. At the moment I am happy putting pictures that are made by myself. That is my "artistic" contribution.
The next post will have this ideas. I hope it goes well.
This is exactly it, be fearless (we can always close the internet for you if you post something you are embarrassed by). Experiment, risk failing to know where success is. Don't worry about it.
Post 10 will be 5x better than post 1. By post 50, it will always be busy. You can mix it up, some here, some there etc. Same as you would try most things. Better to fail small & learn than worry & maybe fail bigger from lack of experience.
Focus on stuff that attracts people because the feedback helps a lot (share it well, say clever things etc). Something that represents you is easy to be more original with (like your art choices).
Bump me if you don't see me on your next thread & comment off topic again. Gl. 👍😊
I like the boatman.