Link: How to Write Blog Posts that Developers Read · Refactoring English
I think this post would be good for every developer to read. It's more about communication than just blogging.
The biggest mistake software bloggers make is meandering.
Often, the author has some valuable insight to share, but they squander their first seven paragraphs on the history of functional programming and a trip they took to Bell Labs in 1973. By the time they get to the part that’s actually interesting, everyone has long since closed the browser tab.
This is me to a tea. I remember when I first started blogging and I would just get traffic, times have changed and I certainly need to be a lot clearer with my writing.
This really resonated with me:
If you want people to read your blog, choose topics that have a clear path to your readers. Before you begin writing, think through how readers will find your post.
I tend to fart out a blog post, and the guidance here is very similar to the guidance I hear from a lot of content creators. Study your medium, understand your audience, how to reach them, and then plan plan plan.
If you're interested in the broader topic of writing for an audience (probably a more business focused one) then I really enjoyed Pyramid Principle by Barbara Minto, it's helped me a lot within my role as a way to communicate more effectively (although, I still have a long way to go).... I've heard it's favoured by McKinsey consultants, while that's not my cup of tea, the principles seem sound to me.
I lead the Chrome Developer Relations team at Google.
We want people to have the best experience possible on the web without having to install a native app or produce content in a walled garden.
Our team tries to make it easier for developers to build on the web by supporting every Chrome release, creating great content to support developers on web.dev, contributing to MDN, helping to improve browser compatibility, and some of the best developer tools like Lighthouse, Workbox, Squoosh to name just a few.
I love to learn about what you are building, and how I can help with Chrome or Web development in general, so if you want to chat with me directly, please feel free to book a consultation.
I'm trialing a newsletter, you can subscribe below (thank you!)
