Content Creation Series: Intro

Hello and welcome everyone!

Creating content is a thing that I have been doing for a while. In the beginning I did it in a more casual manner and as I grew as a developer, content creation started to be something I took more seriously.
The reason behind it was that as a junior, I often struggled to find motivating examples to keep me going, as well as technical content explained in a more ‘human ish’ way.
While I am not an expert in the topic, I decided to start a series in content creation, with the hope of inspiring more people to share what they know and their journeys.
In this series I will teach about how to create content in a practical why, but before diving into the process, let’s talk about the whys, what and hows...

Why to create content?

The answer to this question can vary from person to person. I will share why I create content and common reasons here, but in the end you will have to answer this question with your own whys and words.
For me, creating content has always been about sharing the way I see and understand things.
As a person without formal programming education, learning to code has always been a bit scary. Some resources make heavy use of technical jargons and words, which can make things seem much harder than they actually are.
As I got more into tech and realized that it is not a very diverse field, representation started being another strong reason to motivate me to create.
I am a woman, latina and immigrant without a college degree or bootcamp certificate, and as you can imagine, not very represented in tech. But I want it to change, so I am doing my part the way I can: Sharing my journey with the hopes to motivate people like me and show them that we belong in tech.
Your reasons can be similar to mine, or not at all.
Maybe you just want to share a problem you solved, or get people to know you as an expert in the field. It doesn't matter as long as you want to create quality content that will be helpful to other people.

Photo by Green Chameleon on Unsplash

What can I talk about?

There is so much you can talk about! And I know you probably think that all the cool topics are already taken, but that is not true. No one else can explain things like you do, and no one else has your experiences.
When brainstorming about topics to create content about ask yourself this questions, and make a list with the answers:

• What do I already know?
• What am I learning?
• What are people talking about?

You do not have to be an expert in a topic to talk about it. Just be comfortable enough with it and honest with your audience.

The how; Content Formats:

Now that you have a WHY and a WHAT, let’s quickly talk over the hows.
You can create content in a variety of shapes, it will just depend on what you are comfortable with or what you would like to explore.
In the following posts on this series, I will be diving in each of those formats, but for now, let’s get to know the formats we will be talking about:

• Writing,

• Video,

• Podcasting,

• Social Media,

• Streaming

Each of these formats has its pros and cons, but the most important here is to be comfortable with them or have the desire to explore something new.

Conclusion:

Creating content is awesome for lots and reasons, and while your why is important to keep you motivated, it has to make sense for you and you only.

It doesn't matter what you know or your skills level, there will always be something you can teach!

Next week I will be sharing with you my writing process and hopefully inspire you to write something too!

Next Steps:

Before I go, I would like to invite you to come read my post first hand, on The Relicans, an online community for learners, teachers and creators.

XOXO

Pachi