I Write Like

I'm trying to figure out whether those creators who do write but don't code use Markdown. I feel like Markdown is still very niche but my perception might be distorted. You'd help a lot if you voted:

#Markdown #WritingCommunity #poll

I can code and I use Markdown
I can't code but I use Markdown
I can code but I don't use Markdown
I can't code and I don't use Markdown
Poll ends at .
Mar 28 at 1:31pmWeb
Show threadlina isidora1d ago

@iwritelike i code and use markdown but i'd rather use something else (typst ) if markdown wasn't the defacto standard

edit: wanted to clarify, i use markdown where it’s required (like social media, code documentation, etc). for writing i use typst and export to pdf

Show threadJonathan Lamothe1d ago
@iwritelike I can code, and I do occasionally use markdown, but these days I prefer org-mode.
Show threadSteven D. Brewer 🏳️‍⚧️1d ago
@iwritelike I don't think I'm really the target of your question. I am a creator who also writes code (though nowadays only in an informal way). I learned about markdown a really long time ago, and I am not averse to using it in particular contexts. But, in point of fact, I rarely actually do write in markdown. I generally just write plain text and then format it some other way. So none of the options really capture my circumstances.
Show threadI Write Like20h ago
@stevendbrewer You are right, these options don't capture all nuances, even though I'm interested in all perspectives. I used to think that Markdown might look alien to those who don't code but this poll has been proving me wrong, which I'm really excited about.
Show threadMelroy van den Berg1d ago

@iwritelike markdown is used a ton today. But especially in projects with a readme indeed. But also Claude code for example allows you to leverage markdown files (agents.md etc).

It's just a simple way to document stuff. Or even in websites like Hugo.

But yes it makes sense that those people can also code.

Show threadCaden1d ago
@iwritelike I code and use Markdown for basically anything I type on my computer (even like notes to self, etc.) unless there's math involved, then it's LaTeX/Typst
Show threadEric Goodwin1d ago
@iwritelike back around 2013 I was able to convince a museum client to use markdown rather than WYSIWYG in a Drupal 7 website I built. I was pretty pleased and they seemed to love it.
Show threadHannah Steenbock1d ago

@iwritelike

I use Markdown in a few special cases where the site does not accept any other formatting.

I would not call myself a Markdown user.

Show threadJames Crowley1d ago

@iwritelike Not a coder but I've technically been writing Markdown since before it was announced in 2004, because I was already writing plain-text emails with almost exactly that syntax and adapting to the Markdown bits took like a day.

(That said I kind of hate Markdown for complex or living documents, Pandoc is amazing but it's reinventing a somehow even worse AsciiDoc by strapping a rocket to a Web 1.0 blogging tool.)

Show threadGeoff Coffey1d ago
@iwritelike Needs an option for I can’t code, I don’t know what markdown is, and I use funny symbols like stars and stuff in my company’s fix system, publishing platform, ticketing system, etc… to add style and structure.
Show threadI Write Like20h ago
@gwcoffey It is a realistic scenario that someone is using Markdown without realizing it but there's a limit to how many questions a poll can have :)
Show threadGeoff Coffey20h ago
@iwritelike Oh yeah I was just making a laugh.
Show threadCharlie Stross18h ago
@iwritelike It depends what you mean by "code" (implied: "write code"). I used to be a software dev. But I've been a full-time novelist for 25 years now and mostly stopped programming over a decade ago. And I use markdown, but I use other tools as well (I cut my teeth on troff). What do I count as?
Show threadI Write Like17h ago
@cstross Thank you for sharing your perspective. I can see how, with the poll having no lengthier backstory, and the verbs having no modifiers, the questions can be read in many different ways. Within the purpose of this poll, I think what you described is a sure first option. It's the one I expected to be the most popular one, and so far it is.