How You Can Be An Expert ! Tips To Get Medium Followers!
When I was young, I went to university believing that after 4 years of study and hard work, I would become an expert in my chosen subject. I was wrong. I had become really good at writing research papers but I could not speak intelligently in all matters related to politics. So if you ask me about Chilean politics, I haven’t a clue. Same with the political system in Guatemala. After majoring in Political Science, I only have some general knowledge about political systems in China and the Soviet Union.
There are 3 things you can take away from this. Keep in mind that this is my experience, and your outcome could vary based upon your own background.
- You can never be an expert in a general field. Focus on a single subject. Even then, you will never be a complete expert on this topic. Every day you can be learning something new. My husband, who has taught physics for over 15 years, says he always learns something new each time he teaches.
How long does it take for someone to become an expert in a chosen field? The answer varies depending on where you get your sources. But according to Malcolm Gladwell, the magic number for true expertise is 10,000 hours. So if you want to become a professional golfer, pianist, artist, actor or expert Medium writer, you got to put in the time. This idea of putting in 10,000 hours of practice came from Anders Ericsson, a Professor at the University of Colorado, who studied the practice habits of violin students in childhood. The really good performers averaged more than 10,000 hours of practice time. The researchers didn’t see any natural talent emerge, but the great music came instead from hours of practice.
Still, the debate is far from over. Even Gladwell, who wrote a book about this topic, was reported to have said that natural talent matters, too. Gladwell points out that the Beatles definitely had a great amount of talent. I know from watching other people at work that some people are quick learners. They take to new subjects like a plant does to water. Others, like myself, take a bit longer before I understand the subject matter. Music is also a difficult subject, but some folks are fast learners and have no trouble reading music. But don’t get too stressed over this. Paul McCartney, master songwriter for the Beatles, doesn’t know how to read music. (check out the 60 Minutes TV interview)
If you have the time but not the 10,000 hours, try to learn something about your topic a little each day.
For example, if you want to increase your followers 10x, or 50x, try reading an article every day on this subject. Apply what you’ve read. If you read and don’t practice what you have read, you won’t get far. I often get people asking me to help them get followers. I later found out that they didn’t apply anything they have read, like engaging, commenting, clapping, and following other writers and commenters.
If you read this far, what I found is that if you want followers, write consistently. Write weekly, daily, or as often as you can, and then watch the numbers increase. I have noticed that some writers with followers under 100, haven’t written an article since July! When I was a reporter a long time ago, I had to write 5 or 6 stories a day! Nowadays, I can manage 1 or 2 articles a day since I don’t write 8 hours a day.
Make your title more interesting. Make it more personal. Try getting feedback from your friends and family members. Ask yourself why you skipped over reading some Medium articles but chose to read other stories.
Personally, I like Medium articles that have some research. I personally spend at least 1 to 2 hours writing, rewriting, and doing some research for just 1 article. But I am not a research snob. Still, I read all kinds of Medium writers’ articles, with or without research.
2. Take as much time as you need. That’s my motto.
When I took a course on how to be successful at writing and selling a book on Amazon, I took a course from Bob Burnham, a Kindle Amazon business coach, writer, and author. He advised that if you want to write about a topic successfully, read 10 books on the topic. I like this approach because it makes things more attainable.
3. You can also learn by living the experience. I have worked in customer service for 15 years and believe that I am an expert in dealing with all kinds of customer service issues.
I agree that becoming an expert in a chosen field takes time. It’s also good to know that if you don’t have natural talent, don’t worry about it. Work at it. The old adage applies: learn something new each day.
Medium writers: What are your feelings about the learning process? I would be happy to hear from you? If you are a musician, how long did it take before you became good at it?
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