This update’s just for you 
(If you’re just looking for details on how to get your threads cross-posted, skip to the summary below.)
Writing blog posts can be incredibly rewarding, but it’s also a lot of hard work, and, often after the initial bit of exposure bloggers get, their blogs become subject to the whims of search engines.
So while thinking about ways to widen Elixir’s reach beyond our immediate community channels, we also wondered how we could give bloggers (and other content creators) additional exposure too - but also in a way where they can remain visible for significantly longer and on a broader platform too.
Before we outline these new features, let’s first review how we’ve been accommodating blog posts to date. Essentially, there were two ways to post blog posts here:
- In one of the official blog post threads (eg, Elixir Blog Posts)
- In a single thread for all of your blog posts. Eg, “Julia’s Blog Thread”, or, a single thread for a large series.
We implemented this to make it easy for members to subscribe to or mute threads.
However we found that a fair number of people posted threads for individual blog posts which meant a moderator would need to either rename or merge them - and when they were missed this wasn’t fair on everyone else. Ideally, we’d have a system where people can post a thread for each blog post BUT everyone else can subscribe, or in some cases more importantly for them, mute threads about blogs they may not be interested in (there could be a number of genuine reasons for this, such as the content being at a level or frequency that is too high/low for that particular reader). Our new system makes this possible, while also gives bloggers exposure on multiple platforms and multiple Twitter accounts. How? By posting via the Elixir portal at Devtalk. (Haven’t heard of Devtalk? It’s the new multi-language platform brought to you by the same team behind the Elixir Forum )
How the new system works
Firstly, bloggers will still be able to post in one of the official blog post threads here like they always have (or in an existing thread for their blog if they already have one) however, for those who would like additional exposure, you’ll be able post via Devtalk and the following will happen:
- When tagged with
elixir(orphoenix,erlang,gleam, etc) your blog post thread will show in Elixir’s (or Phoenix’s/Erlang’s/Gleam’s) portal on Devtalk - The thread is tweeted via Devtalk’s Twitter account
- The thread is automatically posted here via the user’s Elixir Forum account if they have one
- The thread will be prefixed by type (eg: “Elixir Blog Post:”)
- The thread here will automatically have a user’s blog tag added, eg “blogs-by-username”
- If the thread was posted by someone who doesn’t have an account here (or their details don’t match), it will be posted here via the @Devtalk account and a special
via-devtalktag will be added (allowing users here to mute all such threads should they wish to) - The thread will be tweeted by the @elixirforum Twitter account with the prefix intact, allowing people on Twitter to quickly see what the thread might be about.
We’ll do similar for screencasters and published books.
Apart from the advantages above, of getting exposure on multiple platforms and allowing users to easily watch/mute such threads, by posting via Devtalk you will also help Elixir remain visible on a multi-language platform - both in terms of Elixir related content and Elixir itself remaining high up in the list of ‘top portals’.
A key feature is that you won’t just be posting once, getting some initial exposure and then being forgotten about - if you’ve written a blog post that people like or comment on, it could get continuous exposure all year round via Devtalk’s trending lists on the homepage and/or Elixir’s portal All these additional links could help with your SEO too 
We love blogs and we want to support people blogging via their own platforms rather than them have to rely on the now commonplace blogging platforms to get exposure - hopefully we can help self-hosted bloggers get on an equal footing and perhaps even see a resurgence.
For those not interested in specific blogs, or items posted with the via-devtalk tag, you can simply mute the tags that don’t interest you.
How to ensure your accounts are linked
Simply sign up to Devtalk with the same username and primary email that you are using here. If you want to use a different username on Devtalk, simply PM the @Devtalk account here with your Devtalk username and we’ll get them linked for you.
Summary
- If you’re not interested in this service you can continue to post your blogs here in one of the official blog post threads (or an existing blog thread if you already have one)
- If you’d like more exposure, skip the above and simply sign-up to Devtalk with the same username and primary email address and post via any of the blog post sections on Devtalk, tag it with any of the BEAM language tags, and we’ll automatically cross-post here on your behalf (only use the Phoenix, Erlang, Gleam or LFE tags if the thread is primarily about those - if they exist in addition to the Elixir tag, they will take precedence and we’ll assume your thread is primarily about them)
- Screencasters wanting the same: use any of the ‘learning resources’ sections and include the
screencasttag and we’ll automatically cross-post to the screencasts section here - Those not interested, can simply mute the tags that don’t interest them
Like most things we try, this feature is on trial - we’ll monitor and tweak it as we go, but we hope you’ll agree this is a really nice addition for bloggers and screencasters and something that will also help get Elixir noticed in wider circles too 
Edit: This now works for podcasts too - just ensure all the details match as above then post in one of the podcast sections on Devtalk and include the ‘podcasts’ tag
by encouraging people to post links to their blogs on Devtalk (as it’s a multi-plat site with users of many different languages). However also acknowledge it would be a nuisance to have to post on two sites, hence this announcement that will make it easier - a blogger posts their links once, and we’ll cross post here under their username so they don’t have to post it twice themselves 
