Help & Getting Started

Welcome to RuntimeMind! This guide will help you become a successful writer on our platform. Whether you're new to blogging or an experienced writer, you'll find everything you need here.

Quick Start Checklist

• Create an account and complete your profile
• Set up your author bio and profile picture
• Write your first article using the rich text editor
• Add a compelling cover image
• Optimize your SEO settings
• Publish and share with the world!

Accessing the Dashboard

Once logged in, click your profile picture in the top right corner and select "Dashboard". From here you can:

• Write new articles - Create and publish your content
• Manage posts - Edit, unpublish, or delete existing articles
• Create series - Group related articles together
• View bookmarks - Access your saved articles
• Track followers - See who's following your work

Great articles start with great content. Here's how to craft articles that resonate with readers.

Article Structure

A well-structured article typically includes:

• Compelling Title - Clear, descriptive, and keyword-rich (50-60 characters ideal)
• Engaging Introduction - Hook readers in the first paragraph
• Organized Body - Use headings (H2, H3) to break up content
• Practical Examples - Code snippets, images, or real-world applications
• Strong Conclusion - Summarize key points and include a call-to-action

Writing the Excerpt

The excerpt is a short summary (150-160 characters) that appears in article previews and search results. Make it compelling and include your main keyword.

Our rich text editor makes it easy to create beautiful, formatted content. Here's what you can do:

Text Formatting

• Bold - Select text and click B or use Ctrl/Cmd + B
• Italic - Select text and click I or use Ctrl/Cmd + I
• Headings - Use H1 for title, H2 for sections, H3 for subsections
• Lists - Create bullet points or numbered lists
• Quotes - Highlight important quotes with blockquotes

Adding Code

For inline code, wrap text in backticks. For code blocks, use the code block button and select your programming language for syntax highlighting.

function greet(name) {
  return `Hello, ${name}!`;
}

Adding Images

Click the image button in the toolbar to upload images. Images are automatically optimized and served from our CDN for fast loading.

A great cover image catches attention and encourages clicks. It appears at the top of your article and in social media previews.

Image Guidelines

• Recommended size: 1200 x 630 pixels (1.91:1 aspect ratio)
• File formats: JPG, PNG, or WebP
• File size: Under 2MB for optimal loading
• Content: Relevant to your article topic

No Image? No Problem!

If you don't upload a cover image, we automatically generate a beautiful placeholder based on your article title. This ensures your content always looks professional when shared on social media.

Tags help readers discover your content and improve SEO. Choose them wisely!

Tag Best Practices

• Use 3-5 relevant tags per article (max 10)
• Be specific: "react-hooks" is better than just "react"
• Use existing tags when possible for better discoverability
• Include technology names: javascript, python, nextjs
• Include topic types: tutorial, guide, tips, comparison

Popular Tags

Search Engine Optimization helps your articles rank higher in Google and other search engines. Here's how to optimize every article for maximum visibility.

Essential SEO Settings

In the publish panel, you'll find SEO settings. Here's what each field does:

SEO Checklist

• Include target keyword in title (preferably at the start)
• Write a unique, compelling meta description
• Use your keyword in the first paragraph
• Add relevant tags that match search queries
• Use descriptive headings (H2, H3) with keywords
• Include internal links to other articles
• Add alt text to all images
• Ensure content is at least 800 words for comprehensive topics

Keyword Research Tips

• Use Google Trends to find popular topics
• Check Google's "People also ask" for related questions
• Look at autocomplete suggestions when you search
• Write about problems your target audience is searching for

Series group related articles into a structured learning path. They're perfect for tutorials, courses, or multi-part content.

When to Create a Series

• Multi-part tutorials (e.g., "Building a Blog with Next.js")
• Topic deep-dives that need multiple articles
• Step-by-step courses or learning paths
• Related articles that should be read in order

Creating a Series

1. Go to Dashboard → Series → New Series
2. Add a descriptive title and description
3. Upload a cover image (represents the whole series)
4. Publish the series
5. When writing articles, assign them to the series and set their order

Series Navigation

Readers who access articles through a series see special navigation with previous/next buttons to move through the content in order. This keeps them engaged longer!

Building an audience requires engagement. Here are the features that help you connect with readers.

Track how your content performs to understand what resonates with your audience.

Key Metrics

• Views: How many times your article was opened
• Read time: Average time spent reading
• Likes: How many readers liked your content
• Comments: Number of discussions started
• Bookmarks: How many saved for later reading

Improving Performance

• High views but low read time? Your intro might need work
• Low views? Focus on SEO and better titles
• High views but few likes? Content might not meet expectations
• Lots of bookmarks? Great reference content!

Don't just publish—promote! Here's how to get your content in front of more readers.

Built-in Sharing

Every article has share buttons for Twitter/X, LinkedIn, Facebook, and a copy link option. These appear below the article header.

RSS Feed

RuntimeMind provides an RSS feed at /rss. Readers can subscribe to get notified of new articles in their favorite RSS reader.

Promotion Tips

• Share on Twitter with relevant hashtags
• Post in relevant subreddits (follow their rules!)
• Share in Discord communities and Slack groups
• Post on LinkedIn for professional content
• Submit to newsletters like JavaScript Weekly
• Cross-post excerpts on Dev.to or Hashnode with a canonical link back

Follow these guidelines to create content that stands out and grows your audience.

Content Quality

• Write original, valuable content (no AI-generated fluff)
• Proofread for grammar and spelling errors
• Include practical examples and code samples
• Update old articles when information becomes outdated
• Cite sources and give credit where due

Consistency

• Publish regularly (weekly or bi-weekly is great)
• Maintain a consistent writing style
• Build on previous content (internal linking)
• Engage with your audience consistently

Accessibility

• Use descriptive alt text for images
• Use proper heading hierarchy (H1 → H2 → H3)
• Ensure sufficient color contrast
• Provide text alternatives for visual content