Let your work do the talking

To promote yourself, start with genuine sharing without self-promotion. And others will do it for you - on national radio.

This UnfilteredFriday let's talk LinkedIn, the social network that everyone loves to abuse in the name of professional networking.

A surprise video

I received this video clip yesterday from Adrian Choo, a well-regarded career consultant and frequent guest on national radio.

To my surprise, he started talking about me (1:20min), pointing to my LinkedIn posts as an example of good social media content.

I've had lunch once with Adrian. I think he paid too. Why would he even promote me for free?

Of Favikon rankings

There were some discussions this week about Favikon rankings, and how it fluctuates wildly depending on the combo of categories selected.

The critique is how this makes it easy to game one's way to a high ranking.

I've never written about my Favikon ranking. The reason? I don't think it matters.

Real life impact, not rankings

Adrian's clip was a timely nudge that what matters is real-life impact, not transient digital engagements.

The message hit home for me at the Indonesia Cloud & Datacenter Convention - Global this week.

• A manager who enthusiastically showed me screenshots of a recent post he'd shared to his team's group chat.
• A data centre consultant I met over evening drinks who related how a common friend first pointed him to me.
• A regional marketer whose boss encouraged her to read my content and how it helped her understand the industry.
• The dozen or so senior leaders who said "Oh yes, I've read your content" as I was introduced to them.

People remember you for how you’ve helped or blessed them, not for your accolades, likes, or even writing flair.

Do it your way

In an impromptu chat, Francis Ankrah told me how a friend enquired if I write using AI. Because the volume.

I've never recommended anyone to write daily for the sake of social "reach." Because there is a cost to it. It's a cost that makes sense to me because - and here's the secret - I write first for myself.

Because writing:

• Forces me to read and stay up to date.
• Is regular practice to write better, faster.
• Makes me ask better, sharper questions.
• Helps me form clear opinions about tech.

Your reasons will differ - and a slower cadence that matches the payoff might make a lot more sense.

Bottom line: Know your why and stick to it. Doing it for likes is a lousy reason.

So, what keeps you writing?