Shanghai Tech WriterTechnical Writing, Technology, Web2.0, Google, Shanghai, China

Blogs have been around since the late 1990s but became increasingly popular in the early 2000′s. I remember when I was in college, I had a few friends that kept a “blog.” We didn’t call it “blogs” back then but rather, “online diaries.” And people thought that was pretty stupid. Why would you want the whole world to read your diary? Of course, this was back in the days when people wrote stuff like “I hate my teacher,” “my brother is so retarded” and “i L<3Ve LeONArDO dIcApPriO. ^_^”

Well, people still write stuff like that today but much has changed since. You probably have (or had) a blog. Most of your friends probably have one too. Professionals use blogs to share about their experiences and expertise. Some even use blogs to make a living!  Today, 2-3 blogs are born every second and blogging continues to grow in popularity. The blogging revolution will continue for a long time.

Here at Shanghai Tech Writer, I blog about work, technical writing, blogging, and technology-related stuff. I have two other blogs (personal and food) and two discontinued blogs. I enjoy blogging whenever I have time.

Why I Like to Blog

1. Self-expression. I like to voice out my own two cents. As a a U.S. citizen, it’s ingrained in my education and constitution to voice my opinion about things. Anything. Just as long as it won’t get me in trouble here in China.
2. Share information. I like to acquire knowledge and share information. Blogging allows me to share anything I want like technology trend, YouTube videos, how to do something, interesting news, photos, what I’m learning, family news, good recipes, and so on.
3. Write freely. I’m a technical writer so every day I have to write and polish technical documentation to perfection. While I like my job as a technical writer, it drives me crazy when I cannot use a particular word/phrase or have to write in a specific way because I have to follow company style guide. With my blogs, I have more freedom and flexibility when I write. It wouldn’t be the end of the world if I make a few typos or grammatical errors. It’s my reputation on the line but I’m all for content over perfection when it comes to blogging. Technical writing is different.
4. Stay connected. I have family and friends in 4 continents. I’m really bad with writing emails and keeping in touch, but family and friends can always find out what I’m up to by reading my blogs.
5. Meet people. Visitors from all over the world have stumbled upon my blogs and sent me messages. Some visitors ask questions about life in Shanghai, some people want to buy a Vitamix, and some headhunters have asked if I would be interested in working for them.
6. Establish web presence. I like to mark my web presence by contributing to Google search index. Between my three blogs, I’ve written about a wide range of topics that people stumble upon when they search specific keywords.
7. Popularity. Not that my blogs are popular or anything, but  I know people are reading my blogs based on my blog stats. I just don’t know who. It’d be nice if you, the reader, would occasionally write a comment or two. I’d like to hear your feedback, thoughts, and anything you’d like to read more about. 
8. Engage in discussions. I don’t get too many comments here, but I do like to visit other blogs and read comments from people. It’s interesting to read what everybody has to say about different topics/issues.
9. Exercise in creativity. Maintaining a blog requires lots of ideas and creativity, not to mention time. Blogging keeps my mind active as I have to churn out ideas for topics to blog about.
10. Reflection. Blogging also requires a certain level of contemplation in order to put thoughts, ideas, and experiences in writing. Blogging is my daily exercise of brain dump and putting things/events in perspective.

What I have Learned/Gained from Blogging

1. WordPress expert. Since I started blogging, I’ve become quite a WordPress expert! I’m able to setup a new website, domain name, and WordPress blog in less than 5 minutes. I’ve also learned to work with theme templates, plugins, and the art of tweaking blogs. This expertise have been put to great use as I’ve helped setup at least 10 blogs and websites for different people/group.
2. Web presence and visibility. The more I blog, the more I establish my web presence and visibility. Moving this blog from its previous location to the new location here at Shanghai Tech Writer was a good decision. I’ve marked my territory as a very visible technical writer in Shanghai / China.
3. Professional growth. I started Shanghai Tech Writer a few weeks before I started my job as a technical writer at National Instruments, to write and share about my experiences starting a new career. The more I write about my experiences, the more I benefit and grow professionally. Putting thoughts in writing requires quite a bit of reflection as well as further research about what I am learning. The more I write, the more I learn and become more knowledgeable in my area of expertise.
4. Career development. When I decided to switch career after being a teacher for six years, I didn’t know what I was going to do or whether I even had much of a career prospect outside of teaching. I got a job at NI and was excited about being a technical writer. However, I was given a one-year contract with no guarantee of renewal. In addition, finding a decent paying job as an expatriate in Shanghai is not easy. I started blogging more and more to gain visibility and expertise in my area. Since then, I’ve received a few emails from headhunters looking to hire technical writers in Shanghai/China. Being one of the few if not the only technical writer-blogger in China gives me this advantage. As more companies are outsourcing or moving technical communication to China, this blog comes up quite often in search engines. I no longer have to worry about finding a job. 
5. A few extra dollars. I placed a few Google ads on my blogs secretly hoping to get rich from blogging, but the truth of it is, it’s not easy. I made a few bucks, just enough to cover the cost of web hosting and a number of domain names I have registered. Okay, so you want to know how much I make from this blog? I made $160 USD so far since last September. My blogging expense costs about that much. Not enough to retire from my full-time job and become a professional blogger.

Do you have a blog? Are you interested in starting a blog? In the coming weeks, I will be posting a full tutorial on how to start a blog from scratch. Everything you need to know in order to build and maintain your own self-hosted blog. Stay tuned!

Or if you’re interested in starting a technical writing or technology-related blog, I’m still offering to help anyone setup a blog for free.