Terms

"I come from a company which has a structure which is based on the growth of communities due to the fact that it's an open source software," he begins. As such, he wanted to build a secure Discord community, with access to the content of WordPress as that's the platform where his very first project in media, virtualization.info was hosted, this would enable him to "recycle twenty years of knowledge".

He chose to go with WordPress and not due to his expertise however, but due to its flexibility. "There are a number of reasons that 43 percent of all websites on the planet use WordPress," he adds. The development of the plugin industry means that the results you can accomplish using WordPress is incredible, and it's only less time than when compared to other options."

Do not compromise: the importance of branding

Alessandro continues: "Many newsletter and blogging platforms do not offer much choice in creating a brand. They unite the appearance and feel and everyone is exactly the same. It is possible to customize the theme a little and add your logo, but they are only minor modifications.

"Every newsletter or blog appears the same. It doesn't seem to work for me. Also, as I mention on social media: don't sacrifice the option which is the best for you. You shouldn't be compromising on performing the very best job you can do just to check a box. Compromising on what you do is one of the main things that can cause you to be resentful over many times over."

A screengrab of the initial virtualization.info website

"I created a brand that users remember from 20 years ago and still write to me about. I must have absolute liberty and freedom to design and design every single image on this web property so that it is enforcing my brand. I want to advance my own brand, not any other publishing brand."

Becoming valuable: niche and voice

"Two things are incredibly important in the process of creating an online magazine," Alessandro continues. "The first one is to find your niche. It's easy to state, but difficult to do!" he laughs.

He explains that there is no value in having yet someone else who is covering the same topics like other individuals who are covering the same topics from the same angle. "You are able to cover the same topics, and that could be cooking or politics or crochet, squash, or anything else you want to However, you need to be able to see things from a different angle. That is the essence of your niche how you look at things is different."

He elaborates the concept of Synthetic Work is looking at AI from a non-technical point of view, and how it impacts the economy, jobs, industries as well as society. "If you are looking at cooking, for example you could find yourself in a niche where your perspective is based on the science behind it. This is something is not talked about much perhaps about how, on the level of very fundamental chemical what makes something taste good.

Then the second thing is to discover your voice. "Human creatures learn through imitation: we say, 'Wow, I like the way the person's writing style' so you try to copy the way they write, which is fantastic - that's the way to learn as fast as you can. Then you have to attain a level at which you can develop your own voice, which is terrifying!"

It's a bit daunting to consider that some people won't enjoy the way you view at the world or the way you express yourself in writing about it, but that's the only way you can be different from the rest. "If you're using the same voice or the identical approach as everyone who else, you'll be quickly forgotten."

He goes on to say: "People don't read for content. It may seem counterintuitive but they read for the reason that they believe in the person they read about. They are interested in the person you are and this interest translates onto what you share." He encourages people to ensure that their character can be seen in the words that they speak with when talking about your subject matter.

Alessandro present on stage at OpenStack community event in Silicon Valley

Alessandro mentions that he's witnessed this happening for over twenty years, and continues to observe it on a daily basis. For example I was reading a manual for those who want to pursue getting a PhD, written by one of the cofounders of OpenAI. It has nothing to do with artificial intelligence. It is an article he wrote many years back. In this post the author suggests attending events. He suggests that you look not so much at the schedule and more at the speakers. You should look for those you have admired and know or who you've heard are good - regardless of the fact that what they're presenting is not aligned with what you've researched."

Alessandro says that this is the perfect illustration of the point he is making that you should make people aware of what you do and how you talk about things. Then, your words can become secondary. "Even when they may not be with you, they will want to listen to your thoughts nonetheless because they have come to respect you and think that they are playing a vital role in their life."

More details on Synthetic Work

Learn more details Alessandro Perilli and his Synthetic Work newsletter at synthetic.work.