Professional Software Developer Who Turned into an Online Technical Content Writer with Viral Articles on HackerNoon and Other Platforms
Non-members can read this interview story here. This interview will also be published on my Content Strategy, Development, & Marketing Insights
Dear readers and writers welcome to my new interview story, which introduces another accomplished writer whose writing impressed me greatly. I enjoy interacting with people from diverse cultures, countries, and professional backgrounds. I have been interviewing professionals for a long time. I am writing this from my secondary account to find new readers for these interviews. For those unfamiliar, my main account is Dr Mehmet Yildiz.
On this platform, I specifically enjoy interviewing writers from professional backgrounds. Each writer’s interview is special to me as each person is unique. My goal is to introduce them to my audience so that they can meet another interesting/relatable person on this planet and explore their work. I discussed the Importance and Remarkable Benefits of Interviews in My Professional and Personal Life.
In this interview, I’d like to introduce you to one of my favorite authors, Thomas Cherickal, with whom I have collaborated on multiple platforms. His work ethic, passion for technology, and unique writing style with on-demand content greatly impressed me. Therefore, I decided to create visibility for his profile and excellent work on multiple platforms, which can inspire writers and allow readers to find his valuable content.
Meet Thomas Cherickal,
Hi Thomas, tell us a bit about your background.
Hi Dr Mehmet, thank you for this opportunity. As you may know, I am from India. I was born in Kerala, Kottayam, but I have spent most of my life in the neighboring state of Tamil Nadu, its capital, Chennai.
I am a professional developer by qualification. I worked as a software and application developer for a few years, but I wouldn’t say I liked it immensely. Salaries were good, but nothing else was.
Working as a software developer in India required strict deadlines and 20-hour shifts. I did not enjoy my full-time job, which was puzzling because I had enjoyed development during my studies.
However, interestingly, I received a call to write technical content from a data science training company, and my career turned firmly toward technical content writing.
Finally, I found something that I enjoyed — technical content writing about development and research! My love for the job firmly empowered me to ignore the decrease in salary and enjoy my newfound freedom as a remote worker.
What are your hobbies, or what excites or entertains you?
I love music — singing in four-part acappella choirs (second bass) and playing violin in church and religious programs.
One of the biggest drawbacks of full-time development was losing touch with music, which was a strong passion during college.
Being able to make music again helps me find fulfillment every time I play the violin and more than playing violin when I sing.
Full-time freelance writing gives me the time for music that I desperately need.
What are the top three books that affected your life?
I am an avid reader and complete at least two books a week. Technical and non-technical. But these are the ones that stand out. These books have also strongly impacted my writing, especially Jordan Peterson which I will highlight.
Well, the first answer to that would be the Bible: I am a born-again Christian and a committed Jesus Youth (Charismatic Catholic organization approved by the Holy See).
The second is The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens by Sean Covey. I read it as a teenager, and I still carry the lessons I learned and try to live them every day.
Finally, I will add two books instead of one: Jordan Peterson’s 12 Rules For Life and Beyond Order. Those books changed my life and helped me articulate the lessons I learned in the 7 Habits book.
I still revisit these books: The Bible every day; I know the 7 Habits book from memory; and Jordan Peterson, I go to once a week.
Why do you write on Medium?
I firmly believe that publishing online gives you a dopamine hit!
Medium is a unique platform because writing on Medium increased my visibility and brought me clients for writing contracts and part-time writing jobs. I remember you also highlighted these intangible values some writers overlook by only focusing on metered monetization, which is the tip of the iceberg.
As I am from India, until last month, I did not earn from Medium. However, I enjoyed publishing content that expressed my interests and predictions for technology — AI, ML, AGI, Blockchain, Web3, Quantum Computing, and Quantum AI.
Do you write on other platforms like Substack? If so, how do you find them?
I write on HashNode and Substack, but my main platform of engagement is HackerNoon. I have written nearly sixty HackerNoon articles, with several articles trending in the top 10 or top 20 numerous times and 8 “Top Story of the Day” awards.
I have also been listed as the #1 Top Writer in #AI/ML/LLMs & #Tech-Stories and have also been listed as Top Writer under several categories at various ranks on multiple occasions. .
I have found Substack engaging and friendly. I am keen to build up a deep following there as well. One thing I like about Substack is transparency. There are no algorithms; everything is organic.
Hashnode is mainly for code, and although the platform writing tools on Hashnode are the best by far, I have been too busy with HackerNoon to engage deeply.
Thanks to your book, I am also dipping my toes into the waters of Patreon. I am keen to grow my following organically, and I am eagerly looking forward to the next six months!
I know you are popular on HackerNoon. Why did you make this platform your primary writing profile, and what do you recommend technical writers for this unique platform?
Thanks for asking this question, as this platform is important in my technical writing career. HackerNoon became my primary platform because of the extremely high visibility of some of the most highly skilled people worldwide.
Numerous writing clients have come to me through HackerNoon. My blogs usually rank in the Google Search Top Ten Results for their keywords.
I have 91 stories on Medium, 58 articles on Hashnode, 43 posts on Substack, and even 22 articles on LinkedIn.
But HackerNoon is my place to publish every high-impact thought-leadership article I post.
The main reason is, as I said, visibility.
HackerNoon boasts a whopping 4 million technologists’ views every month, with 25–30 posts published daily on the most lucrative sector in the world.
Technology is the keyword for HackerNoon.
I have had multiple offers for project work and freelance programming work in technology because of my HackerNoon articles.
I have been paid well for articles from industry leaders and trendsetters for published HackerNoon articles.
But I have always kept my writing organic. And that is because HackerNoon does not allow promotion. But add genuine value through your skilled technical expertise: And HackerNoon will publish your article.
Warning: Stay away from AI-generated content.
For new writers: remember that HackerNoon is for the technology world and emerging technology and research.
If you can add original technological or R&D content, HackerNoon will welcome you with open arms.
What are your values as a writer?
While I have never been at a loss for ideas, my values are simple:
Value: Every article I publish should add to the reader’s skills and knowledge meaningfully and in a concrete manner.
Creativity: Each article must be a novel idea that has not been explored much but is worthy of attention for the reader.
Emerging Technologies: I try to keep my focus on emerging technologies and the latest R&D to provide cutting-edge value to the readers.
Singularity: I like to cover ideas and concepts that are not found elsewhere on the Internet.
Also, I would like to add humor to my articles, especially in captioning the images, which makes it a fun read! That is something I want to eagerly work on in my writing style for my upcoming articles!
How do you connect with your readers?
Headings are the beginning — literally. You can write a fantastic article, but it will never find readership if the heading does not work.
Once the article is opened, I write as if I am in a conversation. I speak directly to the reader and I keep an item of value saved for the end of the article. I demonstrate how the article can be of real-world value — often monetary.
Finally, I flesh out a logical step-by-step thought process. By the end of the article, I lead the reader to a new level of awareness about my topic.
Why did you join ILLUMINATION, and how do you find it so far?
I joined ILLUMINATION years ago on Medium, but until I got your invite on LinkedIn to connect with me professionally, I was not aware of everything that I could do with it.
To be honest, it’s a game-changer; it will take my visibility to a whole new level. I’m also thrilled to be working directly with you, sir.
You are someone I admire a lot, and you are also one of the best human beings I know. Your work and your accomplishments speak for themselves. I am thrilled to be associated with you.
Who are some writers you follow on Medium?
It turns out that I follow many of the writers on Medium, and some great ones also contribute to ILLUMINATION, such as Sinem Günel, Ayodeji Awosika, and Tim Denning whom you interviewed before. I also follow Nicolas Cole, James Clear, Tom Kuegler, and Zulie Rane. There are many, of course, but these are the ones that pop straight to mind.
What are the top five stories that you want to share with your audience and why?
Ok, I will introduce some of my best works, and it is easy for them to be lost in the crowd. Let me start with this one which was my first use of humor in my articles, and I want to follow with many articles in the same style!
Explaining the Infinite Potential of Quantum Computing in Marvel-lous English (No Math)
The next one has been wildly popular, and I would definitely like to share this article with a broader audience for running LLMs locally:
How to Run Your Own Local LLM (Updated for 2024) | HackerNoon | by Thomas Cherickal
Here is a niche topic, but it has been simplified drastically to make it accessible for readers.
A 10,000-word article that went viral on HackerNoon (believe it or not)!
“I Find Immense Joy in Believing in God’s Existence” — Google Gemini 1.5 Pro | HackerNoon
My first science-fiction article — and it is themed on Elon Musk’s companies!
What are the success factors for you as a writer?
Viewership
Shares
Virality
Social Media Posts
Trending on HackerNoon
Trending on Google
What do you recommend to the new writers?
As I used to be a new writer and understand the challenges, I will provide eight key takeaways from my experience to help them grow rapidly and sustainably. Here they are:
- Focus on ideas that deliver value.
- No input = no output. Read as much as you can every day. If you are a domain expert, subscribe to RSS in your expertise. I recommend Inoreader.
- Use self-editing tools like Grammarly to proofread your work. Free versions will do.
- Keep an idea journal and write down ten new ideas every day without fail (Use Notion on all your devices).
- Prepare for ideas to jump into your mind while doing routine work, showering, or walking.
- I will repeat that: If you are short on ideas, take a one-hour walk with Nature or do household work, keeping your mind away from writing.
- Monetize early. I am in India, so I cannot monetize easily. Make early use of that monetization feature.
- Your writing can continuously improve. Do writing courses along with your work. I recommend the Good with Words Specialization by the University of Michigan on Coursera.
What are your plans as a writer or as a professional?
As a writer:
Produce at least three articles a week.
Continue my reading and learning habits alongside or even before my writing work.
Add humor to every article with careful discernment to make it more fun to read.
Monetize much more of my work — finally. (The Medium Partner Program is now available in India.)
Grow my Substack audience with engagement and collaboration.
As a software professional:
Contribute to open source.
Continue practicing on competitive programming sites.
Learn by practicing with real-world projects.
Explore the world of no-code software.
Learn much more functional programming in practice.
Sincere thanks for this opportunity, sir.
And a shout-out to this incredible community. You are a wonderful person and a true leader. I am in your debt for adding me to this wonderful list. I look forward with joy to the road ahead.
Many thanks to Thomas for allocating his precious time and giving us a glimpse of his interesting personal and professional life.
You can connect with Thomas on my platforms, such as his Website, Medium, Substack, HackerNoon, LinkedIn, Hashnode, GitHub, GitLab, LeetCode, HackerRank, and Linktree.
Quick Updates
Good news for writers: We made the rules much easier for writers of ILLUMINATION, former ILLUMINATION-Curated now Curated Newsletters, Synergy (Newsletter Boosting), and Technology Hits. We will update the rest soon. Here are the links:
ILLUMINATION, Curated Newsletters, SYNERGY (Newsletter Booster), and Technology Hits.
Long-Waited Substack Mastery Book Is Out
I recently wrote a book titled Substack Mastery. It has already become a best seller on Amazon and other bookstores.
For those interested in taking their Substack to another level, here is a link where you can buy the Substack Mastery book through multiple online bookstores globally. It is also available in paperback format. I am in the process of turning it into audio and video formats, too, to appeal to a broad audience, as the topic is vital for freelance writers.
If you are a book author, you may try these additional publishing companies. In the next few days, my book will published on several more platforms, including Tolino via Thalia, which is one of my favorite ones in Europe, as it helped one of my books to be a best seller for 12 months.
The funds generated from this book will be donated to the management of the Substack Mastery site for the ILLUMINATION community. This education site also amplifies the newsletters of freelance writers.
If you are interested, I shared the early version as one chapter a day for my beta readers. Here are the available chapters on this platform which also provides free access to non-members.
Preface of “Substack Mastery” for Beta Readers, Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9, Chapter 10, Chapter 11, Chapter 12, Chapter 13, Chapter 14, Chapter 15, Chapter 16, Chapter 17, Chapter 18, Chapter 19.
I wrote about my monthly progress on eight different platforms to give an idea to fellow writers. It is an independent review and could be valuable for aspiring writers.
An In-Depth Performance Review of 8 Major Platforms I Contributed to This Month: Key Insights and…
Discover an independent and comprehensive analysis of my contributions and performance across multiple platforms…medium.com
Please explore some leading newsletters featured by ILLUMINATION-Curators in episode 12. It is an excellent collaboration tool for growing your Substack profile and newsletters.
Substack Mastery Featured Newsletters: Episode 12
Curated newsletters of writers contributing to the Substack Mastery publication on Medium for joyful collaboration and…medium.com
A Brief Intro to our Extending Community Bridging Medium with Substack in Innovative and Collaborative Ways
Now we have a great plan for our Substack Mastery of ILLUMINATION Community I drafted the plan on my website and look forward to your feedback and engagement.
ILLUMINATION Substack Community Support — Dr Mehmet Yildiz
This is a summary of 3-tier service offerings for creators, freelance writers, and content entrepreneurs on Substack…digitalmehmet.com
How I Architected a Charity Organization & Why I Will Run It Like a Business
Outline of my draft plan for creators, freelancers, and entrepreneurs empowered by the Substack networkmedium.com
Links to Previous Interview Interviews
I interviewed other writers on this platform. The following links will allow you to easily access them. Follow the writers who resonate with you.
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Thank you for reading my perspectives. I wish you a healthy and happy life.
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Guidance to Guest Bloggers on Digitalmehmet — Dr Mehmet Yildiz
Digitalmehmet.com now offers guest blogging service to Substack writers and storytellers from Medium.com. This service…digitalmehmet.com
Our media coordinator and film maker Aiden (Owner of Illumination Gaming) also re-branded our YouTube channel to support Substack Mastery community better.
How to Use the ILLUMINATION Substack Mastery YouTube Channel to Grow Your Audience
Practical tips for uploading your videos to our community channel as writers on Medium, Substack, and other platformsmedium.com
You are welcome to join the ILLUMINATION Community on Medium and Substack. And join our Substack Mastery to build your audience.
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