I get asked frequently by fellow programmers why I started writing online and if they should do the same. Let me tell you one thing right from the start: Yes, you should!

程序员经常问我为什么我开始在线写作，以及他们是否应该这样做。 让我从一开始就告诉您一件事：是的，您应该！

Writing as a programmer has a lot of benefits like additional income, personal development, increased reputation, and more. You don’t need to write 10,000 words every month. You don’t even have to write every day. And you definitely don’t need a background in writing or some hidden talent! You just need a reason for writing, and that’s what this article is about.

以程序员的身份写作有很多好处，例如额外收入，个人发展，声誉提高等等。 您不需要每月写10,000个字。 您甚至不必每天都写。 而且，您当然不需要写作背景或某些隐藏的才能！ 您只需要写一个原因，这就是本文的目的。

So in the following article, I wrote down my personal top five reasons why programmers should start writing online.

因此，在下一篇文章中，我写下了我个人最重要的五个程序员为什么应该开始在线写作的原因。

1.声誉 (1. Reputation)

A good reason for a lot of programmers to start writing is to build up some kind of reputation. Let’s say you are a programmer who is able to write JavaScript code and turn it into functioning applications, but nobody else knows you can do that.

许多程序员开始写作的一个很好的理由是建立某种声誉。 假设您是一个能够编写JavaScript代码并将其转换为可运行的应用程序的程序员，但是没有其他人知道您可以做到这一点。

By starting to write online about what you do, you give other people the chance to get to know you and what skills you possess. It’s an excellent way of self-marketing and constantly leads to new opportunities — especially job-wise.

通过开始在线撰写有关您的工作的信息，您可以使其他人有机会了解您以及您拥有什么技能。 这是一种很好的自我营销方式，并且会不断带来新的机会，尤其是在工作上。

You don’t even need your own blog for this (I do recommend creating one, but that’s content for another article). You can use social media like Twitter or Reddit or one of the awesome platforms like Medium, Dev.to, or Hashnode to share your work.

您甚至不需要自己的博客(我建议您创建一个博客，但这是另一篇文章的内容)。 您可以使用Twitter或Reddit等社交媒体，或使用Medium，Dev.to或Hashnode等出色平台之一来共享您的工作。

2.教育 (2. Education)

Another great reason to start writing as a programmer is with the intention of helping others. The demand for skilled developers is still high around the world, but access to learning material and money to buy it are definitely not.

开始作为程序员写作的另一个重要原因是要帮助他人。 在世界范围内，对熟练开发人员的需求仍然很高，但是获得学习资料和购买金钱的途径绝对不是。

By creating content in the form of blog posts, tutorials, or ebooks, you can help other people discover and learn new things and improve their skills.

通过以博客文章，教程或电子书的形式创建内容，您可以帮助其他人发现和学习新事物并提高他们的技能。

It is totally up to you whether you want to charge for it or not, but especially in the beginning, I would recommend creating something for free. Not only is it going to help you become a better writer, but it’s a good way to build up a reputation, it’s fun, and helping others is always a great form of motivation.

是否要收费完全取决于您，但是特别是在一开始，我建议您免费创建东西。 它不仅可以帮助您成为一个更好的作家，而且是树立声誉的好方法，它很有趣，而帮助他人始终是一种很好的激励方式。

3.你自己 (3. Yourself)

This is actually the reason why I started writing online. I wanted to do it for myself — to share my thoughts and get feedback on them. But oftentimes, writing has some sort of therapeutic effect on me. My mind is always full of ideas and thoughts, and writing them down really helps me in many situations.

这实际上就是我开始在线写作的原因。 我想自己做–分享我的想法并获得反馈。 但是写作常常对我有某种治疗作用。 我的思想总是充满想法和思想，在很多情况下将它们写下来确实对我有帮助。

Don’t be afraid to share failure and things you regret but learned from. Life is not always sunny and there will always be people trying to drag others down. Even more so online, but don’t let them discourage you because when you write, you write for yourself!

不要害怕分享失败和您后悔但从中学到的东西。 生活并不总是阳光灿烂的，总会有人试图拖累别人。 网上是如此，但不要让他们灰心，因为当您写作时，您会自己写作！

4.宣传 (4. Publicity)

Another valid reason for writing online is to gain public attention — whether for yourself, your product, or your company. A lot of people certainly write in the hope of becoming famous. And platforms like Twitter, Instagram, etc. support this with their clap and like systems. These small rewards can really be addictive and also dangerous.

在线写作的另一个有效理由是引起公众的关注-无论是您自己，您的产品还是您的公司。 当然，很多人都希望能成名。 像Twitter，Instagram等平台通过鼓掌和类似系统支持这一点。 这些小小的奖励确实可能使人上瘾，也很危险。

I think it’s OK to write for the rush, but there are definitely better reasons for writing. I believe that if you start writing without looking at those likes too much, it will not only be less stressful to write, but it will pay off in the long term even more.

我认为写急事没关系，但是绝对有更好的理由写作。 我相信，如果您开始写作时没有过多关注那些喜欢的事物，那么写作不仅会减轻压力，而且从长远来看会有所收获。

You also shouldn’t try to copy others too much. It’s fine to get inspiration, but in the end, you should find your own way of writing.

您也不应该过多地复制他人。 寻求灵感很好，但是最后，您应该找到自己的写作方式。

5.钱 (5. Money)

Your writing can generate a substantial amount of (side) income. I’ve managed to generate several thousand dollars each month writing on Medium about programming and tech:

您的写作可以产生可观的(副)收入。 我每个月都能通过在Medium上撰写有关编程和技术的文章来赚取数千美元：

But writing for money is an art in itself, in my opinion. It needs a special focus. The focus on making money. If you want to maximize your ROI, you need to align everything you write towards that goal. Things like reputation or education are just side effects — not the main purpose.

我认为，为金钱而写作本身就是一门艺术。 它需要特别关注。 专注于赚钱。 如果要最大程度地提高ROI，则需要使您编写的所有内容都与该目标保持一致。 诸如声誉或教育之类的事情只是副作用，而不是主要目的。

When writing for money, you need to make sure that your articles are constantly read by a lot of people. And I mean lots and lots of them. At least on Medium, you need high exposure of your articles but also interesting content because the time each person spends reading your articles is an important factor for the algorithm that determines your payouts. Medium publications are a great way to increase the reach of your articles, so you should try to get accepted as an author for at least one major publication!

赚钱时，您需要确保许多人经常阅读您的文章。 我的意思是很多很多。 至少在Medium上，您需要对文章有较高的曝光率，但也需要有趣的内容，因为每个人花在阅读文章上的时间是确定支出的算法的重要因素。 中型出版物是增加文章覆盖面的一种好方法，因此，您应该尝试被至少一个主要出版物的作者接受！

Another option to get paid as a writer is applying for paid writer programs offered by internet businesses. Those are going to pay you a fixed amount, often between $100-$500 for one article. Here’s a list of such programs and what you can earn:

作为作家获得报酬的另一种选择是申请互联网企业提供的有偿作家计划。 这些将支付给您固定的金额，通常一件商品的价格在$ 100- $ 500之间。 以下是此类计划的清单以及您可以赚取的收益：

Focusing on money and ROI is not so important if you choose a paid writer program. Your focus should rather be on meeting the criteria of the program in question.

如果您选择付费作家计划，那么专注于金钱和投资回报并不是那么重要。 您的重点应该放在满足有关程序的标准上。

最后的想法 (Final Thoughts)

There are many good reasons to start writing online. Some require a special focus for you to be successful and almost all of them benefit from each other.

有很多充分的理由开始在线写作。 有些需要您特别关注才能成功，并且几乎所有人都可以彼此受益。

But the best advice I can give you is to just start writing. Just do it, for whatever reason. Not tomorrow but today!

但是我能给您的最好建议是开始写作。 不管出于什么原因，都要做。 不是明天，而是今天！