Hashnode Bootcamp '23 was held from May 1st through May 3rd. The entire bootcamp was of around 3 hours. If you were unable to attend the BootCamp, don't worry, I have your back. Here is the recap of the entire bootcamp. Dani Passos hosted the entire bootcamp.

List of Topics & Speakers

The Importance of Writing as a Developer - Ankur Tyagi

Remember that you are writing for an audience, not for yourself

Why should a Developer write?

Communication is an important aspect of any career. As you progress through your career, You would find that written communication plays a significant role. From a software engineer's perspective, writing is the second most important aspect to excel in your career.

When you should write?

It is critical to remain consistent with your writing, but it is also critical not to push yourself to write. Instead, write when you feel motivated and energised. To accomplish something, you must make a sacrifice and set aside time from your everyday routine to write.

What you should write?

You should write about your experiences, something you've built, or something you're passionate about. Your brain exists to generate ideas, not to store them. So, whenever an idea strikes you, make sure to note it down.

How you should write?

If you choose to write about a topic, there is a good chance that someone else has already written about it. However, this should not prevent you from writing about it. Find your own voice and write from that point of view. This will set you distinct and help you establish an audience.

Begin by writing the article; don't think too hard about it; just write whatever comes to mind. After you've finished writing the entire article, make sure to edit and trim it into small bite-sized chunks so it doesn't become too long. Remember that you are writing for an audience, not for yourself. Also, make sure to include a catchy heading.

Stay active on Twitter and other social media platforms to keep yourself up-to-date with the latest trends and topics.

Leveraging Technical Writing to Land Opportunities and Boost Your Developer Career - Swapna Kumar Panda

Documenting the process helps us to not repeat the same past mistakes

At the very high level, there are 3 pillars of any software product -

1. The Application (Product itself)

2. The Relations (Sales, Marketing etc)

3. The Document

Developers are first-hand problem solvers. Documenting the procedure and other technical elements allows us to avoid repeating previous mistakes. It also helps future generations in avoiding errors.

How can we leverage the benefits of technical writing?

You can monetize your work using any of the following ways-

1. Asking your audience for a subscription.

2. Collaborating with other writers in the community

3. Paid Contents for your audience.

4. Full-time opportunities.

Being proficient in technical writing may benefit you in a variety of ways, including enhanced communication skills and better visibility in the community.

You can become an educator, mentor, public speaker and brand ambassador.

What should you write on?

You should begin with anything you already know or have just learned. As a technical writer, you can write on any of the topics listed below

1. Guides / Manuals

2. API / SDK Documentation

3. Training Materials

4. Statement of Works & Statement of Proof

5. White Papers

Tips to improve your article-

• An attention-grabbing title.

• Outline the entire article at the start & Summarize the entire article at the end.

• Explain in layman's terms while also not losing the technicality. In order for your audience to connect

Where can I write?

Hashnode offers great features to start your technical writing journey.

After you've established your grip, make an effort to connect with your audience. Maintain balance with your life and Diversify your field

Leveraging Social Media for Monetization - Nader Dabit

If you feel uncomfortable or cringe you're probably doing something right

Personal Branding

Personal branding is asking yourself the question "Does your online presence say who you are?"

Here are some of the tips that can help you create your own brand.

1. Have a clean, clear and consistent profile picture - changing your profile picture frequently might make your followers think that you are new here.

2. Be active and engaging in Socials and other communities.

3. Help others in any way you can without expecting anything in return. You will make great contacts and great friends along the way.

4. Be Authentic - Be yourself. Know the line between engaging & helpful without relying on gimmicks i.e. make click baits and threads that do not reflect yourself.

5. Make sure every one of your social media accounts has as many links to other social media accounts. (In the case of Twitter make sure to not clutter your bio with links)

6. Understand Twitter algorithm. It promotes your tweet if it has media in it.

7. Collaborate with others and leverage their network and audience.

8. Make sure your writings are well formatted and easily scannable by most of your readers.

Content creation -

To create some quality content you need to get out of your comfort zone. If you feel uncomfortable or cringe you're probably doing something right. When you have to teach something, you will be able to understand it better.

Here are some tips for content creation-

1. Reuse the content in multiple formats - Text, Images, Videos etc

2. Create resources for yourself - There will come a time when the resources available on the internet will be of little use to you. At that point, you must create resources for yourself.

3. If something is already been done, do it in a better way - Different people learn in different ways, so you know that your article has helped someone.

4. You only need to be good at 1 thing - Specialization matters.

5. Mix things to create something new. For example - when something new comes up try to mix it with something that already exists and you will see something new out of it.

Refer to the tweet by Nader about how he creates technical content.

Building Your Personal Brand on Social Media - Ákos Kőműves

The quality of your audience is a function of your content quality

Be yourself, Be authentic and be transparent with your audience. To build your personal brand there are 4 basic points to keep in mind-

1. Simple tools

2. Simple to build

3. No competition

4. No rules

Simple Tools

Considering writing as a tool, It can be used in so many ways to create your personal brand. It can be used for copywriting, Technical writing, Repurposing, Systems, Idea generation and Storytelling.

Simple to build

The quality of your audience is a function of your content quality. If you post quality content you will attract a quality audience.

To build your Personal brand you need to follow 3 things

1. Impression - Quality tweets and providing value in a discussion can help you gain impressions. Using Twitter as an example, you can track your impressions and other analytics using a tool called typefully. Impression matters because it is directly related to Profile Clicks.

2. Profile Clicks - After you have gained impressions. There is a chance that a user might have visited your profile.

3. Decision - This is the final and most important step because the user who is viewing your profile will decide whether or not you are worthy of a follow. Make sure to include a clear bio that states who you can assist and provide them with a link to start. Make sure your Twitter bio doesn't have too many links.

No Competition

The only person with whom you should compete is yourself. Make an effort to network and positively build your own brand. Always remember to personalise some of your tweets about yourself. Don't forget the person in the personal branding.

No rules for copycats the algorithm

You will come across copycats and gurus on your journey (to building a great personal brand), but ignore them and don't give them any attention or impressions.

Enjoy the positive sum game

Freelance Writing Opportunities for Developers - James Q Quick

At present your niche is X, Y or Z but, It doesn't have to be the same in future.

Freelance opportunities available for developers

1. Guest Author Program - Many companies don't have the resources to hire a full-time technical writer. So, they hire freelancers for the task at hand. You can gain exposure and be compensated for your efforts.

2. Sponsored articles - It's a great way to learn about a product and spread the word about it. Normally, you would have done this, but the article is now sponsored. You're being compensated for it.

All about niches

If the topic you are specializing in is broad and hot, then your growth is guaranteed because now your audience knows what to expect from you. But, there is a tradeoff and that is maybe you are limiting yourself to that topic only.

An optimal way to choose a niche would be to choose a broad topic and be flexible within it. At present your niche is X, Y or Z but, It doesn't have to be the same in future.

Taking the content and packaging it into different media. So that it becomes easy to understand and consume is what you should focus on. Assume you're creating a series on a specific topic. People will look to you for information on that topic in return. You've established a name for yourself in that field.

Attracting clients

You must have high-quality content on your blog in order to attract clients. So, when someone visits your blog, they'll know you're good at this sort of thing. Articles of high quality that are grammatically correct, technically correct, and concise.

Tools & Resources -

1. Hashnode offers many features for you to start

2. Frontmatter CMS - To create and preview content in real-time

3. Notion - To keep track of ideas and planning

4. AI tools - There are many AI tools available that one can you. Hashnode has also launched Hashnode Pro which has tons of AI features. Chat GPT is one of the tools that you can use.

Please keep in mind that you should not simply publish any autogenerated blog posts generated by these AI tools, but rather use them to generate content and work on them. It is also important for to you use proper metadata, hook and attention-grabbing title

Quality vs Quantity

Many people are eager to publish their articles when they first start out. They strive for perfection in their articles, so they never publish them. Hence, when you first start out, prioritise quantity over quality. After that, you can gradually improve the quality.

Tech Journey

A successful learner is someone who shares their learning journey with others, such as 100daysofCode. It encourages students to participate in community activities. Teaching is the best way to learn. If you have just learned something then no one will have your point of view because when you learn, you remember what it is like to learn.

Final Tips on Writing

• Clear & Concise

• People scan texts more than they read, so use bullet points whenever possible. If you are filling up the spaces you are doing something wrong.

Conclusion - TL;DR

1. Your brain exists to generate ideas, not to store them. So, whenever an idea strikes you, make sure to note it down.

2. Remember that you are writing for an audience, not for yourself.

3. Stay active on Twitter and other social media platforms to keep yourself up-to-date with the latest trends and topics.

4. Documenting the process helps us to not repeat the same past mistakes

5. An attention-grabbing title.

6. Outline the entire article at the start & Summarize the entire article at the end.

7. Explain in layman's terms while also not losing the technicality. In order for your audience to connect

8. Personal branding is asking yourself the question "Does your online presence say who you are?"

9. Have a clean, clear and consistent profile picture

10. Help others in any way you can without expecting anything in return.

11. Make sure every one of your social media accounts has as many links to other social media accounts.

12. Collaborate with others and leverage their network and audience.

13. Make sure your writings are well formatted and easily scannable.

14. If something is already been done, do it in a better way

15. Make sure to include a clear bio that states who you can assist

16. The only person with whom you should compete is yourself

17. At present your niche is X, Y or Z but, It doesn't have to be the same in future.

18. Guest Author Programs are great ways to earn.

19. when you first start out, prioritise quantity over quality. After that, you can gradually improve the quality.

20. A successful learner is someone who shares their learning journey with others