There's a trend toward convergence these days that simply didn't exist twelve years ago. I'm writing this comment by way of Disq.us, with the option to Tweet it at the same time. I can see responses in my email, or on Disq.us' profile page, or any number of other places. This is important, it's one of the reasons some of this advice seems janky. Any advice on “best practices” usually has an expiry date that seems to move at exactly the same pace as the underlying technology.

1. If you fail to take the next step, you may be writing from ignorance. A little education never hurts.
2. If you write your own take on the topic first, you might just conclude that you've got it right and so you won't be motivated look elsewhere.

I'll check out the link to TheDeets.

You don't have to post the thing, with that part I agree. But I would rephrase #3 as “First draft, then re-draft, and then check what others have said about the topic”. You won't write the most groundbreaking and original blog post, but it will at least come from a more “pure” perspective. Also, it's the best way to learn how much you really know or don't know about something.

BTW and adding to the link chain, Merlin picked up the John Cleese video from this post http://www.thedeets.com/2009/10/29/hey-merlin-m... which has a great video reaction to his recent video of “Knowing Who You Are”. I posted the link in the comments.