A few people have asked me this question on numerous occasions.
"Why should I write my articles on a community website like C# Corner while I can create my own personal blog."
My answer is: "You don't have to."
As a matter of fact, you don't have to write at all.
But you need to ask yourself this very first question.
Why do I write?
You need to ask yourself, why do you want to write a blog or an article? Why do you want to help by replying to questions on community forums? Why do you help other people?
People write for a variety of reasons. Many people learn from the community and they want to give back to the community so it can keep feeding itself and younger generations can learn from their experience.
Our own, Suthish has written a wonderful blog Why Should I Blog in which he talks about his experience and blogging.
Why do you write?
- Do you write for your personal satisfaction? Or it is to achieve something big. Or both?
- Do you want to become famous?
- Do you want people to know you?
- Do you want to connect with people?
- Do you want to get a better job?
- Do you want to be a speaker?
- Do you want to author a book?
- Do you want to become an MVP?
Some of us here write for personal satisfaction and some write for fame and fortune. Some of us have risen beyond the tangible benefits and write to help the community. Many of us learn from community and write to give back to the community.
While writing on your personal blog may be self-satisfying but it may not be as rewarding as writing on a popular community website that has millions of monthly users. You may not have many readers for your blog. You may not get reader's feedback and hence won't know how you can improve yourself.
Writing on a personal blog may not be as rewarding as writing on a large community.
Community Rewards
Writing on a community like C# Corner has its own rewards. Check out Why Every Developer Should Write.
Exposure
It is all about exposure. It is all about how many people know you. It is all about how many people read your blog or article. Not only do these people read your articles or blogs but they also provide you feedback so you can improve yourself.
Writing Opportunities
I got my first book authoring opportunity with APress after Karen Watterson, Editorial Director of APress read my article on C# Corner. I was 23 years old only. I know it may not be a big surprise in today's digital world but 12 years ago, it was a big deal to write and publish a book.
Improvements
One of the greatest advantages people get from writing for a community website is readers' feedback. You just get so many readers, some of them may give you some feedback. This matters the most. If you think you are a big shot and you don't care then you will be all alone. Good writers take reader criticism in a positive way and improve.
Networking
The greatest advantage is networking. You connect with real people. You share your thoughts with them. You learn with them and grow with them. I personally know hundreds of writers from C# Corner who are big shots now. I know when they wrote their first article on C# Corner and look at them today. C# Corner Chapters are now connecting people in person offline.
More Rewards
And then there are more rewards such as:
- MVP Award
- Help in Jobs and Interviews
- Getting independent projects
- Consulting gigs
- Problem solving and become an expert
You have no idea how many consulting projects I get from people who read my articles. As a matter of fact, today most of my work come from people who read my articles.
Conclusion
Showcasing your work at a world-class stage to millions of people brings you fame and recognition. C# Corner was launched in 2000 and In 14 years of history of C# Corner, I've seen many guys started writing on C# Corner and became very famous, become published authors, MVPs and much more. And once you're famous, the sky is the limit.