I joined DEV in June and started doing what I have been avoiding for a long time. Now and then, I hit the publish button and closed the DEV window tab.
Sixteen posts went out that way. They averaged 1.6 reactions. Several of them got none at all. I told myself the work was good and the readers would find it, which was the comfortable thing to believe while nothing was happening.
Fast forward to 24th July, I started actually reading other people's posts and leaving my thoughts in their comment sections.
The twelve posts since then have averaged an increase in reactions and followers.
Then this week, DEV granted me Trustee Member status. I did not ask. I researched what this actually means. I found out their guide lists three ways it happens, and two of them are things I have never done. The one left I suspect is that somebody noticed.
They did not notice my post; I guess sixteen of those had gone out to almost nobody.
Maybe they noticed how I turned up in other people's threads.
That is the thing I would tell my June self. The writing was never the bottleneck. Showing up was.
Thank you to @xulingfeng, whose Stratagems series I have followed comment by comment. To @technogamerz, who leaves every thread warmer than she found it. And to @vinhnguyenthanhdn, who answered a question at the end of one of my posts with a better debugging story than the post itself.
None of you was a strategy. I have found real family here in this community. Thank you all @fellowdevteam , for the trust. I intend to use the thumbs down about as rarely as that guide implies I should.
Full guide, if you want the detail: https://dev.to/trusted-member
Top comments (16)
Congratulations! π
Thank you, Hadil! π This one was more nerve-wracking to publish than any of the technical posts, so the warm reception has meant a lot.
Welcome! π
Exactly! And honestly, thatβs probably the best advice you can give to any creator here: interact with the community. The people here are so great that itβs genuinely worth it! π
You said it all @sylwia-lask. The only thing I would add is why it works. This community is full of kind people who will share what they know, and people that generous are usually paying attention too. They can tell when you are not being genuine. Thank you for reading, Sylwia. π
Congratulations on getting those hidden privileges!π
Just as you said, it wasnβt because of your articles, but your active participation and the sincere comments you left on every post. You truly deserve these privileges. Letβs keep pushing forward together.πͺ
You are part of the reason this happened, and I mean that literally.
Your Stratagems series is where I started writing comments that took more than thirty seconds, because your posts do not allow the lazy kind. Thank you, my friend. Forward together. πͺ
Congratulations and celebrations,
Youβve earned your Trusted Member reputation!
Thank you! Coming from you, this lands differently, since you are one of the three I named and the reason I know what a warm thread actually feels like. Also, I have not forgotten. More videos are coming. π
Nnamdi, donβt praise Divya so much, sheβll start crying, poor little girl! π
Noted, I will pace myself. π Though I could not help noticing that Divya is the one who brought Divya into this.
Oh, Divya is crazy, just ignore her. By the way, the recipe you sent was really good! The only problem is that Iβm vegetarian. π So, do you have any good vegetarian recipes?
Nnamdi, Congratulations on the Trusted Member status π
Thank you, Hemapriya. π And thank you for using my name. Small thing, but it is the difference between a notification and a conversation.
That's cool π
Thanks, Ekong! π Still thinking about that cover image from your Comfort Food entry, by the way. It did me no favours at lunchtime.