On New Year's Eve 2016, I decided to start blogging as a new year's resolution. I was a developer for 10 years, I didn't know anything about writing, just that everyone is always saying, "I need to write more blog posts!" so I thought, why not? I planned to write one article a week and see how it goes.
It didn't sound like a good idea back then, but I was bored and wanted to try something new. I started to write in English because I wished people all over the world to read my content, but I wasn't even a native speaker, let alone good at English at school. I almost dropped out of high school because my English was really bad.
Overall, the future of my writing career didn't stand on the best foundations.
I started small and wrote about whatever I faced in my development job. I worked as a freelance front-end developer and mostly struggled with React and Webpack, so I wrote about these.
My articles had over 10k views in the first month, mind-boggling. Seemingly I hit a nerve with Webpack, and people liked to read what I had to say about it. This early success felt awesome and motivated me to keep on going.
Five years later, I wrote hundreds of articles, published a book, and worked with dozens of companies worldwide.
Writing also made me a better developer. Before I wrote regularly, I just chimed into projects and wrote my code, often not understanding what was happening. Writing helped me take a step back and look at projects from a different, more overarching perspective. That's why I think writing can be a massive benefit for all developers.
Head Editor of the Developer DAO Blog
Last week, I volunteered to be the head editor of the Developer DAO blog. In that position, I want to accomplish two goals.
Help People Write
My first and primary goal is to help Developer DAO members to start writing. I had much luck when I was starting my writing career all on my own, but with the help of Developer DAO, it should be easier to get things off the ground.
My focus is on the blog, but you can come in the following channels if you're interested in contributing to the newsletter, the wiki, scribing for the various meetings, or any other part of the DAO that needs texts. We will refer you to the right people.
DAO PROJECTS/#📝-blogDAO PROJECTS/#📰-newsletterWRITERS GUILD/#✍-writers-general
More Content on the Blog
My second goal is establish a regular cadence of publishing to the DAO blog. Right now, only a few people are writing articles, and the only action taken to change that was a small shout-out in the newsletter. I believe, our DAO has many talented members who can contribute exciting articles on all kinds of topics to our blog. They probably think they aren't good enough or don't know what to write about.
A more active blog will show that Developer DAO is about learning and inclusivity. I think the Web3 and crypto space need more content showing critics that we actually care about people and not just making money with the next best investment. It will also make our blog more attractive to sponsors, which, in turn, can help us to secure funding for cool DAO projects in the future.
Ways to Get Started
I think, one of the most pressing questions for new DAO members is how to contribute to the DAO. And while some might consider writing something, they might have no idea what they should write about or what types of writing the DAO actually needs.
There are different types of texts you can write for the DAO.
Writing for the Blog
Some members have already published articles on the DAO blog. Tutorials, opinions, and guides. Everything that helps people to navigate the DAO or Web3 is welcome. This doesn't have to be technical.
There are still many other topics in the DAO regarding community, tokenomics, and diversity. With events like the early contributor $CODE distribution, we've seen that "tech will solve it" isn't a viable strategy. Humans are what form the DAO, and we need solutions that include them to move forward.
If you don't have a blog, we can publish your content directly on ours, but you can also re-publish existing articles on our blog to gain more reach.
If you don't have ideas, we also have several article types in mind, which is probably the biggest issue for people who want to start writing.
Beats
Weekly or monthly short articles (400-1000 words) with status updates, including but not limited to:
- project updates
- website updates
- governance updates
- roadmap progression
- Web3 updates about the DAO
What the newsletter already does, but with a bit more detail. Beats are easy to get started, not that much of a time investment, and can give you some routine by doing them regularly.
Editorials
Longer articles (1000-1500 words) where you tell your (fact-based) opinion on a trending DAO/Web3 topic. They might even be satiric or comedic.
It's a bit harder than beats because they aren't just stating facts but need to tell a story, but at least they're about what you think, so that should help.
Features
There are very long articles (1500-4000 words) with research-driven reporting and analysis of pressing topics in Web3. This can include extensive interviews with interesting Web3 personalities. Citing primary sources, making sure things are air-tight.
Too much for someone who starts writing, but they might tickle the fancy of some seasoned writers.
Humans of Dev DAO
Developer DAO member turja.eth started to pursue the idea of interviewing and writing about our members.
This is a vast space that can be attacked from many different directions.
- The
GENERAL/#🤗-kudoschannel, for example, is a great source of interesting DAO members. - The
ALPHA/#⚡-creator-spotlightchannel could also be interesting - " Gonna Make it!" A series about members who got a job in Web3 through Developer DAO
- A series about early contributor interviews and what they were faced with in Season-0
- A series about the core team and project champions.
Writing for the Newsletter
The newsletter is all about Developer DAO news. Giving the people a way to stay on top of things happening in an asynchronous and easily digestible way.
Currently, the newsletter team covers big DAO-wide news and guild updates. They need someone who can write recurring beats (as mentioned above in the blog section) for DAO projects.
If you want to contribute, you can go to the DAO PROJECTS/#📰-newsletter channel and ask how to get started.
Scribing for the DAO Meetings
One of the most crucial writing positions in the DAO. A scribe writes down what is being said in an official DAO call.
There are guild calls, project calls, and more. A scribe makes sure, people who couldn't attend can read what was said afterward.
Being a scribe is a great way to get insights into a project or a guild. If you write down and refine meeting notes, you will understand what's going on and might be able to contribute in other ways more easily.
To get into scribing, ask in the WRITERS GUILD/#✍-writers-general channel if someone can set you up for the work!
Keeping the Wiki Up to Date
The DAO Wiki is another place that utilizes writing heavily.
As always, things can get outdated here quickly, so it would be nice to have some people that keep the wiki current.
If you're interested in the Wiki, ask in WRITERS GUILD/#✍-writers-general channel.
Write for other DAO Projects
Many DAO projects need some writing done. Text for their websites, emails, bots, or documentation.
The Writers Guild doesn't have a list of these, so if you want to write for a project, ask in the corresponding Discord channel under the DAO PROJECTS category and tell us in the WRITERS GUILD/#✍-writers-general channel when you start supplying a project with texts or need specific to do the actual writing.
Summary
Writing is a fantastic way to get to know Developer DAO and to further your career.
If you are just starting as a writer, the Writers Guild can help you to move in the right direction right from the beginning.
Sparked your interest?
Join the Writers Guild and start contributing now. No developer experience is needed!