Even if no one reads your blog, it's still valuable. Writing clarifies your thinking, solidifies your understanding of a topic, and acts as a personal record of your intellectual journey. It can serve as a sandbox for experimenting with ideas, a portfolio to showcase skills, and a springboard for future projects. Essentially, blogging is an act of learning and self-improvement, with the potential bonus of connecting with an audience down the line.
The blog post "The Missing Mentoring Pillar" argues that mentorship focuses too heavily on career advancement and technical skills, neglecting the crucial aspect of personal development. It proposes a third pillar of mentorship, alongside career and technical guidance, focused on helping mentees navigate the emotional and psychological challenges of their field. This includes addressing issues like imposter syndrome, handling criticism, building resilience, and managing stress. By incorporating this "personal" pillar, mentorship becomes more holistic, supporting individuals in developing not just their skills, but also their capacity to thrive in a demanding and often stressful environment. This ultimately leads to more well-rounded, resilient, and successful professionals.
HN commenters generally agree with the article's premise about the importance of explicit mentoring in open source, highlighting how difficult it can be to break into contributing. Some shared personal anecdotes of positive and negative mentoring experiences, emphasizing the impact a good mentor can have. Several suggested concrete ways to improve mentorship, such as structured programs, better documentation, and more welcoming communities. A few questioned the scalability of one-on-one mentoring and proposed alternatives like improved documentation and clearer contribution guidelines. One commenter pointed out the potential for abuse in mentor-mentee relationships, emphasizing the need for clear codes of conduct.
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https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42992159
HN commenters largely agree with the author's premise that blogging, even without a large audience, has value. Several highlight the benefits of writing as a way to clarify thinking, consolidate knowledge, and improve writing skills. Some suggest that a blog can serve as a personal knowledge base, searchable archive, or a way to track personal growth. A few practical suggestions include focusing on niche topics and promoting the blog through relevant communities. The idea of writing primarily for oneself, with the potential for an audience as a secondary benefit, is a recurring theme. Some commenters share their own experiences of low-traffic blogs providing unexpected value, like attracting job offers or connecting with like-minded individuals. The overall sentiment is that the intrinsic rewards of blogging often outweigh the pressure of building a large readership.
The Hacker News post "Why Blog If Nobody Reads It?" generated a significant discussion with a variety of perspectives on the value of blogging, even with a small or non-existent audience.
Several commenters echoed the sentiment of the original article, emphasizing the intrinsic benefits of blogging. They highlighted the value of writing as a tool for clarifying thoughts, improving writing skills, and solidifying understanding of a topic. One commenter described it as "rubber-ducking" for complex ideas, where the act of articulating a concept helps in understanding it better. Another commenter suggested that even if no one reads the blog, the process of organizing and presenting information publicly forces a higher level of rigor and clarity of thought compared to private notes.
Building on this idea, many comments discussed the use of a blog as a personal knowledge base. Commenters described using their blogs as searchable archives of their learning process, allowing them to easily revisit past projects, ideas, and solutions to problems they've encountered. This was seen as particularly valuable for technical topics, where revisiting specific code snippets or explanations from previous work could save significant time and effort.
Some commenters addressed the potential for future readership, arguing that even if a blog isn't read now, it could be discovered later by someone facing the same challenges. They viewed blogging as a form of "paying it forward," contributing to the collective knowledge base of the internet. This also ties into the idea of a blog as a portfolio, showcasing skills and knowledge to potential employers or collaborators.
A few commenters offered practical advice for those starting a blog. Suggestions included focusing on niche topics, consistently producing high-quality content, and actively engaging with other bloggers and online communities. One commenter pointed out the importance of owning your own domain and platform for long-term control and flexibility.
While some commenters were skeptical about the value of blogging without an audience, the overall sentiment leaned towards recognizing the inherent benefits of the practice. The discussion highlighted the value of writing for personal growth, knowledge retention, and potential future impact, regardless of immediate readership. Several commenters shared their personal experiences of how blogging, even with a limited audience, had positively impacted their careers and learning journey.