The Internet is great. Really. There has been perhaps no more organic, democratizing invention in the world since Gutenberg’s printing press. How empowering is the ability to compose an original idea, or start a new novel, and upload it to a website for the world to see within minutes.
If you are like me and find great pleasure and power sharing your writing with the world, be sure to bring it to an appropriate forum, preferably in a place where it will provide long-term promotion assistance for itself down the road. You also want to post where you trust the people to provide worthwhile feedback, rather than pilfering your ideas for their own or criticizing your writing for the sake of self-promotion.
Where do you start?
The answer depends upon what you hope to achieve, and the way in which you want to “spread the word.” Writing online is no easier than writing offline. In fact, it may seem harder at first. The extra effort is worth it later on.
If you’re seeking instant feedback on your writing from other people, I would suggest participating in online writing groups and forums. Yahoo offers “Groups” specific to a wide array of writing subjects. You can access the Groups section by going to the Yahoo main page at http://www.yahoo.com
Google offers groups also, and you can find them on the Groups link on Google at http://www.google.com
By conducting a subject or category search from either of these venues you can find a number of possible groups in which to participate.
I recommend you spend some time exploring Yahoo and Google groups. Register for an account with the one you like best. Don’t necessarily start writing online yet. That comes later. Instead, just look around and become familiar with the “environment.”
Then, down the road you’ve accomplished two things in one – established a platform or presence in your market and generated content to bring to your self-publishing option for production into a book.
Self Publishing Advisor 
Hello,
I love this blog, and I find all your posts very interesting and applicable. I’ve cross-posted this entry to our site, The Open Publishing Guide. I wanted to add that there are TONS of author community sites out there that can be beneficial to writers who are seeking feedback on their work. We have an extensive list on our site for authors to research ways they can discuss their writings with others. Here is the exact link: http://opg.cias.rit.edu/author-communities.
Thanks for always posting interesting entries! I’m an avid reader of your blog, keep up the great work!
Rachael Gootnick
Associate Content Manager, Open Publishing Guide
Open Publishing Lab at RIT