A smart contract, as defined by Ethereum, is just a program that runs on the Ethereum blockchain.

Much like traditional contracts, they can be used as digital forms of agreement. Executing a smart contract essentially creates a transaction on the blockchain and hence, these transactions are trackable and irreversible.

We can write smart contracts using the Solidity programming language. We'll use the Remix IDE which saves a lot of time in setup because it is online.

You can start working with Remix by following this link.

Open up the Remix IDE for the first time and it looks something like this. You'll have to agree to some stuff and then go through a first-time tour of the options in the sidebar.

The sidebar contains 4 options, the first one is the file structure, which shows you all the different files and folders in your workspace.

You then have a search button, a tab to choose the Solidity compiler (you can change versions here) and a tab where you can deploy your smart contracts.

Writing your first Smart Contract

Create a new file with the name FirstContract.sol. You might've noticed that we use the sol extension, and you guessed it right, it is the extension we use for Solidity files.

I'm on this version of the Solidity compiler. You might have to change your compiler to this one if you want the same results.

Let's write our first contract now.

pragma solidity ^0.8.0;

contract FirstContract {    
    string name = "";

    function setName(string memory _newName) public {
        name = _newName;
    }
}

We can deploy this contract on a JavaScript VM for now.

Documentation is key when it comes to the process of software development. Good software contains good documentation. Significant events in life should be well-documented because what are events for you, might be stories of inspiration for others.

Technical Writing is at its helm in terms of popularity all across social media. Why should you start writing? You write, create an online presence, provide value, network with people and get amazing career opportunities. The best time to get started, if you haven't yet, is now!

Create a Hashnode Account

Sign up for Hashnode at https://hashnode.com/onboard. Then create a personal blog. Customize the design in whichever way you like.

Why Hashnode?

• Markdown Support: It uses Markdown which is very easy to understand, and friendly to share code snippets and images.

• Good Text Editor: Hashnode also has a solid text editor Neptune that supports real-time preview and provides easy access to all Markdown features.

• Solid SEO Game: Hashnode articles have very good SEO and it's tried and tested by a lot of bloggers. You don't believe me? Try searching for "Flask Supabase" on Google 😉

• Custom Domain Support: You can replace the Hashnode-provided domain with a domain that you own and everything works perfectly, so integrating the blog with your existing web work is not an issue at all.

• The Community: My favourite feature, is the people around the Hashnode feed. You get good feedback, and quick responses from Hashnode on social media and they have set up a nice community on Discord as well.

Complete the Assignments

These assignments are designed for you to get comfortable with writing in general and also the Markdown Syntax.

Assignment 01

Pick an existing project that you have on your GitHub and write a README.md file for that repository. If you don't have one, make one and push it to GitHub. Here are some of the things you should mention

• A brief introduction about the project and what it does in less than 150 words.

• The tech stack you used to build this project.

• Describe the features of the project with screenshots.

• If it's a Machine Learning Project, explain the algorithm that you've used and the reasons behind the choice you made.

• If it's a utility or a tool, explain the steps to install it locally.

• Add the names of people who contributed to the project aside from you (if any)

Examples: TLDR-Text Summarizer, Shebuilds-Submission, Unsplash-Wallpapers, Edulink

Assignment 02

This is a little more challenging, but you can do this!

Remember you recently created a personal blog on Hashnode? It's time to use it now. Choose one of these two options to write an article:

• Write an article to introduce yourself to the community. Describe yourself, who you are, where you come from, what are your passions, hobbies, and experiences, and especially what you want to achieve in the future.
  Example

  OR

• Write an article where you share your opinions on ChatGPT. Showcase whatever you have tried with it and your thoughts on how a developer can use it to their benefit.
  Example

Make Notes in Hashnode Drafts

If publishing articles straight away seems intimidating, I'd suggest making good use of the Drafts feature on Hashnode. These are articles you don't have to publish, but you can always refer to them later on because Hashnode retains them.

I generally write my notes here, whenever I'm learning something new and it's a lovely habit that I've developed.

Join One Byte Social's Team Blog

Our Community recently opened its Team Blog (this blog) on Hashnode. We're looking for people who are new to content writing and want to showcase their articles on our blog. This not only gives you publicity but also motivates you to write more. You'll also find new writer friends along the way.

Contact me on the Discord Server for more information on how to join us.

I hope this gets you going in your Content Writing journey. It is a field that can bring you some incredible opportunities if you're good at it. And for that, all you need is a start. Good luck!