In this blog post, Faisal Khan of Stardeveloper.com talks about why he believes a web presence is a must thing for developers now a days. From social networking to publishing content, a website or a blog gives an identity to a developer. The more good the content in that website or the blog, the more repute that person earns. And that repute the author believes can be very rewarding.
I believe that every person should have a web presence. If you are not a developer and know nothing about programming but still are comfortable working with computers, a web presence is still useful. You can have accounts on social networking websites which you can use to connect with your family and friends. You can upload your photographs and write a little about yourself and areas of your interest. You can create a blog and write about the stuff you feel you know about and share your ideas with others. For instance, if you are a real estate agent, create a blog about owning, selling, and developing on a real estate. This can provide tips to others on the internet who are looking for this information. At the end of the day, all of this will give you an identity, an identity of your own. So next time you meet a new person, and this person can be a new employer, you can share with them the link to your website. That person can visit your website and view your blog posts to get a good impression of areas of your strength. And this is just one element of it.
Same is true for developers. Developers are more knowledgeable when it comes to using computers. So for them, it is more easy to develop a website, an effective web presence. They can create blogs and write on the areas of their strengths. For instance, a database administrator can write on topics relevant to database administration. He can share tips that he has learned from his experience working in the field. The more valuable these tips are, the more value that person will receive from his readers. Your website will be a valuable resource to talk about in your resume. Remember, your website is your identity.
The more you work, the more popular your website will become in that niche. You will begin to receive offers from advertisers who are willing to sponsor the content on your website. And the further you go into it, you can even start to develop your own software and begin to sell on your website. The more popular you and your website becomes, the more the opportunities will begin to open up before you.
Even if you think you are not that good a developer yet that can develop code or share useful insights for other more experienced developers out there, or you think you are not a good writer and writing posts is not your strong point, or you think you don't have time for all this, I suggest that you think again. The topic of this post applies as much to you as anyone else. Every programmer, every developer out there was as much a beginner as you are at this moment. They moved on, worked hard, and developed and reached a more comfortable place in their lives, and so will you. You are beginner? So what. Write on topics for beginners. You figured out how to install or configure basic stuff about some program, write about it. You hopped from one web host to another and finally found a good one? Write about it. You are enthusiastic about learning some thing new? Write about it. The more you write, the more you will learn and the more experienced you will become. Sooner, as you become more comfortable with this, you will begin to get ideas for new topics and new software to develop on, all by yourself. Keep polishing your creativity and soon it will begin to shine. Your writing skills will improve and what used to take 2 hours to write will take 15 minutes to complete. Your small web presence, your small website will continue to expand. The search engines will begin to notice it. Other developers and bloggers will begin to notice it. Your website will continue to grow in content. That is how all big websites started. This is how everything works. Start small and make it grow to something big. Spend some time on it every day, ever week. Make it your hobby, love your work, and do what you want to do.
Think about it, take your time, but make a decision. You need a web presence, you need a website, you need an identity.
Next, I will talk about
what you should call your website, a "website" or a blog?
