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to reinforce one's own understanding. you're motivated to get things right if you know that other people will be reading it, rather than, say, writing something in your own private notes.

This is why I do it. I don't blog for "vanity" mostly because there isn't much glory in it at the level I'm blogging. There are so many others out there way smarter who do it better than me.

I do it simply to:

- Share with others cool stuff I've learned

- Formulate stuff I've learned into a structure so I better understand it

- Put it out there so people will criticize/mock it, and improve my game.

does altruism count as vanity? people often feel good sharing information with others and helping others. perhaps that's still "vanity", but i don't think so.

His answer was not vanity. Vanity is just probably, not nescessarily, and surely not uniquely, one of the reasons behind his answer.