For Those Who Want to Write: Should We Write Original Content or Rehash Articles for Money? Thoughts on "Blog Post Writing" #Daily Thoughts

Today, I read the sixth section of the second chapter of the book "Learning to Write 2.0" by Zhou Zuoluo, titled "The Values of a Writer Determine the Ultimate Fate of Writing." It says:

"For those learning to write from me, never plagiarize or rehash content. The core reason is that once you get used to copying and piecing together articles quickly, you’ll never be able to endure sitting at a desk all afternoon or even all day, carefully crafting an original piece. This habit destroys your potential to become a great writer for temporary gains, which is very unwise.

Moreover, those who plagiarize skip the most valuable part of the writing process: thinking. Even after three to five years, they remain shallow thinkers, while those who create original content become adept thinkers over time.

Two people start writing at the same time: one plagiarizes or rehashes, the other writes original content. Initially, the plagiarist gains more in terms of profit and satisfaction. However, over time, the plagiarist's gains plateau, while the original writer's benefits and satisfaction grow steadily because the plagiarist is an enemy of time, while the original writer is a friend of time.

If you only care about traffic and profit, you’ll focus on short-term gains and might initially benefit. But ultimately, this approach will ruin you. The rewards gained this way will be taken back.

There's a WeChat public account called 'Popular Article Writing,' which seems to promote copying or rehashing, solely focusing on maximizing traffic. High traffic brings high revenue, so they write whatever is trending, be it emotional stories, history, law, hot topics, or feel-good articles. They prioritize short-term benefits: if an article gets recommended, it might become popular and yield good income, but this traffic is fleeting.

Among these types of articles, I believe writing about history and law is worthwhile. As the saying goes, 'learn from history,' and knowing more about the law is also beneficial. Other types, like emotional stories or feel-good articles, only provide short-term gains with no lasting value.

I've heard that some who write popular articles for public accounts can earn 2 million yuan a year, running 20 accounts and using ChatGPT to generate content. It sounds appealing, even offering writing camps that make you feel you can earn 2 million a year too. But how likely is that?

Even if you can't make 2 million a year, earning tens of thousands as pocket money isn't bad, and it's tempting to try for quick cash.

The downside is that while you might earn quick money in the short term, it probably won't help much in improving your thinking or writing skills in the long run. I categorize this as short-term thinking.

Another writing approach focuses on providing valuable content to readers, like what Coach Guo Yaotian shares in the 'Popular Article Writing' group. Guo focuses on WeChat public account SEO, which differs from the popular article writing approach.

I understand that writing popular articles focuses on trending topics and relies on system recommendations to gain traffic, producing mostly low-value content.

Guo Yaotian says: "Everyone wants their article to hit 100,000+ views, but most people’s earnings are in single digits. Even if you have a hit today, there's no guarantee it will be recommended tomorrow.

If you understand the logic behind WeChat search recommendations and create content that meets user needs and solves problems, you can continuously grow your audience and monetize in many ways.

Initially, you might not earn much, but as your content accumulates over time, your earnings will steadily increase, providing sustained income. This is the power of compounding and being a friend of time."

I define this as long-term thinking.

Lenry, a member of the "Book Club" group in Shengcai Youshu, believes that the essence of both approaches isn't conflicting, but rather a difference in value orientation. Long-term thinkers focus on framework thinking and enhancing thinking skills, while short-term thinkers are adept at adapting to platform changes and seizing opportunities.

Group member Gao Xiang argues that consistently earning from short-term trends is also a form of "long-term thinking." Whether it's long-term or short-term, don’t get too fixated. People are different: some are hunters, with short feedback cycles, and some are farmers, with long feedback cycles. Regardless, continuously improving skills and accelerating growth is the hallmark of a long-term thinker.

Writing popular articles is like hunting, while consistently producing valuable content is like farming. Each has its pros and cons, depending on which suits you best and where your strengths lie.

I lean towards the writing approach advocated by Zhou Zuoluo and Guo Yaotian, which focuses on original content with compounding benefits, being a friend of time, and enhancing thinking skills.

Each valuable article you write is like depositing money into your bank account, accruing interest.

I feel that Zhou Zuoluo and Guo Yaotian share similar philosophies. What do you think?

Group member Sanxing MU says, "Content that consistently attracts users will eventually bring you value," which I deeply agree with.

Rehashing content, relying on ChatGPT to write articles, and depending on system recommendations for traffic lack compounding benefits. Once the recommendation period ends, no one will read your content.

However, focusing on writing valuable content means that even years-old articles might still be discovered and provide continuous value, demonstrating the power of compounding.