Sometimes I question why I write. The next question is why I share most of what I write.
There may be different reasons for writing and posting.
Personal branding. You publish online what you write because you want to position yourself as a subject matter expert. Nothing wrong with that. I don’t feel like a big fan of personal branding. I am pretty happy with my positioning right now, assuming I have a position. I also think that personal branding may turn into a sort of cage. You are forced to write on the same subject repeatedly if you don’t want to lose your followers. No, I am not writing for personal branding.
Money. It is legitimate to write for may. There are hundreds of writers on Medium that pay their bills and more with writing. As you may have noticed, there are no ads on Corrente Debole. As I wrote for personal branding, you need to be consistent with your writing to make money on Medium or any other online publication. My revenues on Medium barely pay the premium subscription.
I want to write whatever comes to my mind—Tech stuff, personal stuff, stories, etc.
Show off. You may want to write to show off how good you are. Even if I constantly fight my overflowing ego, I am not writing to show off.
I could go on forever.
I write because I like it and want to share my thoughts. Sharing is caring, said someone, and I still think it’s true.
Writing is also a sort of introspection, and it helps me clear my mind on the subject I am writing about. We can call it a sort of therapy if you will.
At the very same time, I love telling stories. I genuinely hope that someone may find what I find inspiring or, at least, helpful.
I am always cautious about what I write and share. Falling into the trap of giving advice is a considerable risk.
As Buz Luhrmann sang:
Be careful whose advice you buy but be patient with those who supply it
Advice is a form of nostalgia; dispensing it is a way of fishing the past
From the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts
And recycling it for more than it’s worth.