Coming Up With Topics to Cover and Issues to Comment on
Socialising is a big part of it
HAVING written for many years and having written many articles on unique topics, sometimes I get asked how I come up with ideas and topics. Being out and chatting with people helps; it's a quick way to figure out other people's perspective and sometimes insider knowledge (which they would not write in chats or publish online; it would potentially get them in trouble if they did). For some particular kinds of information there's simply no other way. Sometimes you just go to some of the fine pubs/coffee shops for informal chats, either discussing new information or debating existing information. A lot of "Free software" isn't technical because there are conceptual and philosophical aspects to it, for instance the ramifications of paying for something with a card (bearing the buyer's name) or linking to examples of abuse online. One of the best aspects of writing for so long is that the more you write, the more people recognise the work and then contact you with additional information. Many of the articles/material we covered is inspired by or indirectly comes from other people. Some sources work inside the companies and/or organisations we write about. No need to find and chat with random people at the gym or down the pub.
So the short story is, once you get started (writing about a topic) expect people to send additional input, prompted by prior writings of yours. It's a process and a self-feeding input/output loop. But it must always involve discussions; people say verbally a lot more than they're willing to write because writing (even digitally) leaves a "trail" and people can get caught when there's some footprint, whether digital or physical (the latter is harder to forge).
Some of our most important stories started with informal discussions. █
Image credit: Manchester Evening News