GB Ep 76: Why it’s Okay to Write About ‘Old Stuff’ and be Wrong About Things

Today I’m going to discuss something that’s been on my mind lately: how it’s okay to write about ‘old’ topics and to even be wrong about things sometimes.

  • When I look at some of the stuff I’ve written about in the past, I realize it was for my own learning and for things that were relevant during a different time period. [01:13]
    • For example, in 2006, it might have been a viable thing to do to simply buy links to get your SEO rankings up. But now, it’s totally irrelevant. [01:20]
  • I think it’s okay to write about old topics because it helps you as a writer get better, and it helps you build. Even if you write about something that ‘everyone’ knows, 20% of your readers might be new to your niche, and they’ll find true value in what you’re writing. [01:48]
  • It’s also okay to be wrong sometimes because someone will stand up and correct you. Then the next time you write, you’ll do more research and be more informed about the topic you’re writing on. [02:36]
  • Things change all the time and new people shuffle in and old people shuffle out. There’s constant change going on, which makes it okay to be wrong and resurface old topics. [03:12]
[spoiler title=’Transcript’ collapse_link=’true’]

Hello and welcome to another edition of Growth Bites.

Today we are going to be talking about something that’s been on my mind and the topic is really okay at the end of the day to write about old topics and even being wrong sometimes. I read some of the stuff I’ve written in the past and that was when I was learning. That was might be something that’s relevant during that time. For example, back in the day let’s say 2007 or 2006, it might have been viable to just go to few websites and buy links and really get your SEO rankings up and bringing a lot more cash. That was effective back in the day. Even though, you’re going against Google guidelines but to a lot of people that would provide a lot of value. But if you look back at that day now or the date of that post, it’s now irrelevant.

So, I think it’s okay to write about old topics. It’s also because even if you write about things and you write about something that’s evergreen and something that’s already been published, it’s, first of all, it helps you as a writer, it helps you get better and maybe you are trying to build up on that. You’re trying to make something more epic. It’s going to build your skill no matter what. And it’s good for other people you know, let’s say, you’re writing about a marketing topic that “everyone” maybe 80 % of the industry knows, maybe, 20% of the people that are reading it, other are coming to the industry might not know that stuff and they’ll find value of what you are producing ‘coz everybody is on a different timeline. Some people are at the very end, some people are adept or reader experts and some people are just starting. So it’s okay to catch these people at that time. So, that’s why it’s okay to write about old topics. And it’s even okay to be wrong sometimes.

Some of the stuff I write, I look at it like, I was clearly wrong there but it’s okay to be wrong because someone’s going to come up there and correct you and then next time you going to know to come back and do a little more research or be a little more informed when you’re writing something. It’s okay to be wrong like people talk about it’s okay to make mistakes. I’ve been wrong plenty of times. I still get things wrong. I still look at other writers that I think are “wrong” sometimes but it’s okay.

Ultimately, they don’t care. It’s your own. It’s the own stuff that you’re writing and it’s your own opinion. Your own opinion might change you over time too so, this change all time and I think, time is a constant. Not only things are changing. New people are shuffling in, old people shuffling out. So, things are constantly changing. So, that’s why it’s okay to be wrong and it’s okay to write about old topics. It’s even okay to resurface old stuff too and there are lots of different reasons for that. I think the constant here, the word that I should probably be using is, all of these are okay because things change in general.

So just keep that in mind. I always use to stop myself, it’s like okay, maybe I shouldn’t write about that because these topics are old or might be boring or I don’t know if I could add much value or I might even be wrong. It’s like, dude, who cares at the end of the day?

So, just want to to add that out there if you are guys are thinking about halting on a piece of work just because of this form of resistance, you can really shed it because at the end of the day it’s not a big deal.

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