Writing is one of the most important forms of communication next to verbal. The essence of the internet makes this vital for all kids of transactions from informing to career improvement, to breaking down complex information. What we write determines who are as a person, thus conveying a point of view and information is paramount to all kinds of success in life. What we choose and how we choose to write defines is in more ways than we can list in a single blog post, so that brings me to my message.

You don’t have to write a lot – just write something. It doesn’t necessarily have to be daily, just what’s comfortable enough. Let other knows you’re out there and show them what you know and why it’s important. The hustle of networking sites like LinkedIn portray a culture of “shock value” and clickbait. I’m here to tell you not to fall for that. If you have a point to make, make it – regardless of length or reach. If it’s important enough and is posted in the right places; the internet will see it.

On a personal level, I utilize tools like AnyType, Google Notes, and to organize my thoughts. Often my posts consist of anything from 500 words to only a few sentences. Links are often posted on LinkedIn, BlueSky, Mastodon, or just keep drafts to work on for later. When I have an idea I write it down somewhere, that’s the crucial step to getting started. I then have a personal repository of all of this information through my hosted Micro.Blog site through my domain (michaelmartinez.co). I then link back to these sources through AnyType to keep a record of truth (and it’s so much easier to search when you post a lot). I don’t much care for the Micro.Blog drafting page, so I use a sanction third-party plug in called Quill that is more functional for my uses. Your uses may vary.

Critiquing articles, long-form analysis, or just sharing links with a small bit of obvious context goes a long way to show the world your understanding or just posting for reach. The more writings create an online community, the better the conversation; thus the interactions with those wanting to gain knowledge, or teach you grows. That benefits the internet community as a whole. In a social media universe filled with disinformation and misinformation, try to be that source of authority. Research and double-check all links and news sources before commenting or opining on them.

In this new GenAI world, there is a lot of content out there – a lot of genuine conversation and a lot of AI slop. Try to combat the latter. You have something to say, it just needs to be said. It can be a tool to organize your thoughts, but it should never be the platform that does the work. At times, old Web 1.0 mediums like the Internet Archives and Wikipedia are amazing resources for brainstorming. Use them. Outline your thoughts before you begin.

These insights may seem cavalier and self-serving, but this is how I write. I encourage you to write and post. Don’t keep everything to yourself – but you must try to own and control your own content. Do not post natively on platforms, keep copies in your own personal management systems for fast recall and later synthesis. You have a lot to say, please say it. Whether it’s a sentence to a link to relevant career or business information on LinkedIn, or a summary of an article on social media – try to add your own context and get out of the habit of reposting for the sake of it. Yes, I’m guilty of that too, but it’s a hard habit to break, but I am contextual where I can be.

To make this long story short, you don’t have to write constantly but just write something. Posting on a daily basis or feeling pressured to post will get in your way and make your thoughts feel forced. Take your time. It’ll get your thoughts onto paper (or computer), and you’ll get a proper dopamine hit knowing that you’ve added content that is vital to the corpus of the internet.