Writing Guide

Writing on Olii isn't about perfect grammar or big words. It's about being useful, honest, and easy to follow. Do that, and people read to the end, drop a comment, and remember your name.

Here's the whole recipe. ☕

The one rule: lead with the value

Most readers decide in the first two lines whether to keep going. So put the good stuff first — the result, the tip, the thing you wish someone had told you.

✅ "How I cut my Docker build from 9 minutes to 40 seconds." ❌ "Today I'd like to talk a little bit about build times…"

If your opening makes someone think "oh, I need this" — you've already won.

Write like you talk

Short sentences. Plain words. Imagine explaining it to a friend who's smart but new to the topic. Read it out loud once — if you stumble, rewrite that line.

• Cut words that don't earn their place.
• One idea per paragraph.
• It's okay to sound like a human. It's better, actually.

Give it a shape

A post people can scan is a post people finish. Use the editor toolbar to build a clear skeleton:

Tool	Use it for
## Headings	Break the post into steps or sections
Bold	The key takeaway in each part
Bullet lists	Options, steps, requirements
Code blocks	Commands & snippets — formatting stays intact
Images	A screenshot saves a whole paragraph
⤢ Full screen	Write distraction-free (great on mobile)

Show, don't just tell

Concrete beats abstract every time. Add:

• a screenshot of the thing working,
• a before / after,
• a code snippet people can copy,
• a link to the repo or the live demo.

# a snippet people can actually use beats three paragraphs describing it
docker build --cache-from myapp:latest -t myapp:latest .

Pick the right home

Choosing the correct category and tags is how the right people find you:

• Build — you made something and want to show it.
• Open Source — code others can use or contribute to.
• Tutorial — a how-to, step by step.
• Announcement — news, a launch, an update.
• Profile — introduce yourself and your work.

Add 2–4 honest tags (the tech, the topic). More isn't better — relevant is better.

A 30-second checklist before you publish

• The first two lines say why this matters.
• There's at least one image, snippet, or example.
• Headings let someone skim the whole thing in 10 seconds.
• The title is specific (not "My project", but what it does).
• You'd want to read it yourself.

Ship it 🚀

Done is better than perfect. Your first post won't be your best — publishing more is how it gets good. The community is here to cheer you on, not to grade you.

Try Everything. 🇲🇱