Compose.ly’s Post

Why Front-End Developers Should Care About Documentation (It’s not just for technical writers!) As a front-end developer, I’ve seen firsthand how great documentation can make or break a project. Here’s the truth: Your code might be brilliant, but without clear, concise documentation, it’s only half as useful. Why? It reduces onboarding time for new developers. It minimizes confusion during handoffs. It helps your team (and you) debug faster. Good documentation = less frustration and more productivity for everyone. And here’s the kicker: When you write documentation, you learn to communicate your logic better. That skill? It’s invaluable during code reviews, collaborations, and even interviews. So the next time you finish a feature, take a few minutes to document: What it does. How to use it. Any known issues or edge cases. Trust me—it’s a game-changer. Do you make documentation a priority in your projects? P.S. If this resonates, share it to spread the word. Let’s make documentation cool again. #FrontendDevelopment #Documentation #CodingTips #Teamwork #DeveloperProductivity #CodeQuality

Going to drink my own kool-aid here. Yesterday I posted about converting your comments on other peoples posts into posts of your own. Today, I was engaging with someone on a topic that I found interesting. They were talking about how to improve the relationship between writer and editors. What I found so interesting was the parallels that relationship has to the software engineering code review process. Engineers often get a bad rap for being a jerk during code reviews because of the way they communicate critical feedback. A lot of the same ideas translate directly to editor/writer. #writingtips #postpup #davidlocke #codereview #software #engineers

🚨✨ Finally, the Wait Is Over😉🚨 Sometimes last year, I watched one of Amruta Ranade's YouTube videos on technical writing portfolios. In the video, samples of excellent technical writing portfolios were shared and the perks of having a technical writing portfolio were stated. Also, I came across one of Tom Johnson's articles that highlighted the importance of having a portfolio as a technical writer. Finally, I got to work. I decided to limit my social media activity till I had my portfolio ready. I reached out to my developer friends among which Daniel Brai shared with me cool portfolio templates that came in handy. Having programming knowledge, despite being a technical writer was a blessing as I could make changes to the portfolio and update my portfolio as needed. #Markdown, #HTML, #Git, #Github, and #CSS really came in handy. Of course, I encountered some annoying bugs😅, that wouldn't let go but thanks to Daniel Brai and Opeoluwa Ojewale (awesome software engineers), I could circumvent them. Finally, the long wait is over, I am officially making my portfolio public. It contains some of my technical writing experiences be it: API documentation, writing a user manual, and technical articles. Here it is: https://lnkd.in/df6EnNCu Do take a look 😄. I am also open to #remote technical writing roles be it part-time, full-time, contract, etc. My recent freelance contract just ended last week. I appreciate your comments on the portfolio and support for getting my next technical writing role. Many thanks. #technicalwriting #softwaredocumentation #apidocumentation #webcontentwriting #userexperiencewriter #jobhunt #remotejobs

“What one programmer can do in one month, two programmers can do in two months.” — Frederick Brooks Sounds crazy, but this is software development reality. Too often, I see companies assume that more developers mean more speed. But adding more people doesn’t just add code—it adds communication, dependencies, and complexity. It’s like trying to compose a song with a dozen songwriters: too many voices, too many changes, and a whole lot of noise. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘆 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹. Adding manpower to a late software project makes it later. Smaller teams of highly skilled developers cut through tasks with high velocity. There is no hand-holding, no unnecessary back-and-forths, just execution. The fewer developers you have, the less "non-coding" work they need to do. The result is faster delivery, fewer bugs, and better outcomes. 𝗕𝗶𝗴, 𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗼𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗶𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀—𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗶𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀, 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘆𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀. 𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗯𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘀 𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲. 💬 Have you ever seen a big team slow a project down? Share your experiences below. #SoftwareDevelopment #EfficientTeams #Productivity #ValueOverCost #EngineeringLeadership

Developer documentation is the product! If you are a DevRel/technical writer (especially at a devtool company), I wrote a detailed article on how to write good developer documentation. Covered: → Learnings from the best developer docs → 5 tips on writing good developer docs. 🔗 Head on to Hashnode blog to read: hshno.de/Jbxn9LG

"No code editor can make you a better coder, but knowing your code editor better can make you a faster developer." quoted by Hitesh Choudhary Your tools won't write perfect code for you, but mastering them can save you time and improve your efficiency. Whether it’s shortcuts, extensions, or configurations—investing time in understanding your code editor pays off in the long run. 💻⚡ What’s your favorite editor tip or trick? Let’s share and learn together! #CodingProductivity #DeveloperTools #CodeEditorTips

Wanted to highlight Tom Johnson's recent post on docs as code, responding to my own blog post about the challenges of such a workflow: https://lnkd.in/gHXrbqV5 I'm back working in a non-docs-as-code environment again, and I definitely agree with his points that diffs and merge workflows are real highlights of docs as code! It seems to me that as tech writers, we'll always be stuck with imperfect tools, but we improve what we can and build processes to help us do our work efficiently and effectively, so we can help customers with our content! (what can I say, I'm not optimistic about yet-another-tool solving problems, but refining organizational systems feels more possible 😂)

From Developer to Technical Writer: My Journey As a frontend developer, I’ve always loved learning through documentation—there’s nothing like diving into docs to master a new tool or framework. While YouTube tutorials are great, reading docs has always been my preferred way of learning. But over time, I noticed a recurring issue: poorly written documentation. Whether it was missing details or unclear explanations, I often found myself frustrated, knowing that great documentation could make the developer experience so much smoother. That’s what sparked my interest in becoming a technical writer. I wanted to bridge that gap and ensure that developers like myself could have access to clear, concise, and well-structured technical content. Now, I focus on both building user-friendly web applications and writing documentation that makes tech easier to understand. My goal is simple: to help others learn and create without unnecessary friction. If you’re passionate about improving the developer experience, let’s connect! I’m always up for learning and contributing to the community. #FrontendDevelopment #TechnicalWriting #DeveloperExperience #ClearDocumentation

🌟 Exciting Times for Technical Writers! 🌟 Hey everyone! As someone passionate about technical writing and always looking for ways to innovate our craft, I wanted to share some thoughts on the concept of “Doc-as-Code.” In my experience, blending documentation with code streamlines our workflows and enhances collaboration with development teams. By treating documentation as a part of the codebase, we can ensure that our content is versioned, reviewed, and deployed just like our software. This truly aligns with Agile methodologies and DevOps practices! Here are a few reasons why I believe embracing Doc-as-Code is vital for us as technical writers: 1️⃣ Version Control: Like code, our documentation can benefit from version control. This means tracking changes, understanding historical context, and enabling rollbacks when necessary. 2️⃣ Collaboration: Developers and writers can collaborate more effectively when documentation lives alongside the code. Feedback loops become shorter, and we can iterate together to create better user experiences. 3️⃣ Automation: Imagine automatically generating documentation from code comments or using CI/CD pipelines to deploy content updates. This efficiency frees us time to focus on what we do best – crafting clear and engaging documentation! 4️⃣ Single Source of Truth: We’re fostering a single source of truth by integrating documentation into the development process. This helps ensure that users always have access to the most up-to-date information. I encourage all my fellow technical writers to explore Doc-as-Code methodologies. Let’s embrace this shift and continue elevating our role in the tech ecosystem! 💬 I’d love to hear your thoughts or experiences with Doc-as-Code. Have you implemented any practices in your workflow that have made a difference? Let’s share and learn together! #TechnicalWriting #DocAsCode #Documentation #Agile #DevOps #Collaboration #technicalwriter #opentowork

Defining the Programmer: Architects of Tomorrow's World ☕ A programmer is more than a code writer; they're architects of logic, engineers of innovation, and problem-solving artists. They're relentless learners, collaborators, and resilient problem-solvers. Think of them as machines that turn coffee into code, shaping the digital landscape with creativity and skill. 💻✨ Follow for more such amazing content