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Blog Post Sample

Client: Crystallize

Context: Crystallize used their blog as a selling tool, a source of information, and a way to capture traffic by means of SEO keywords. Blog posts would cover a popular eCommerce topic and explain how easily the Crystallize enterprise platform could implement or be integrated with it. Readers who were already using Crystallize would learn important concepts and best practices, while those who weren't yet using it would hopefully be persuaded to give it a try. In this case, the goal was to illustrate how simple it was for anyone, developers and non-developers alike, to get started with one of Crystallize's free open-source boilerplates.

Process: I had the challenge of installing a NextJS boilerplate and deploying it locally for the first time. I ran through the process on my own laptop and documented each step, explaining it in a way that would make it easy for even a non-technical person to follow in my footsteps. I combined this with my own unique perspective of being a Computer Science student who wound up trying her hand at lots of different things, but who still liked to flex her developer muscles every now and then. I drafted the post in Google Docs, then published it within Crystallize (yes, the client used their own product as their content management system! (CMS)).

Tools: macOS, Homebrew, NextJS, Git, Node.js, Google Docs, Crystallize

Results: I wrote 8 blog posts for the client in total. This one was particularly popular and well received. Readers appreciated my personal spin along with the clear instructions.

Hands On Experience: How to Build an eCommerce Store with Next.js?

But first, a background story to give you context. I didn't take the path most Computer Science students take once they graduate. At some point during my college career, while coding my brains out in Java, C++, and assembly, I decided that being a full-time developer was not for me.To be fair, I hadn't known what to do with myself even before college. I’d always liked writing, but you couldn’t get paid for that. (Right?)As the Internet became more popular, I’ve enjoyed building homemade websites...