Many have posited that the brilliance of Twitter is in the limitation provided by 140 characters. This “restriction” in fact “frees” (some) contributors to be uncommonly communicative, creative and profound in the shortened medium, and builds expectations for consumers of the content.
In much the same fashion, I believe this blog can benefit from some ground rules laid at the very start. Here they are:
#1: No underachieving. Every post here must meet a high bar of usefulness and quality. This will likely mean lower frequency.
#2: The tenants I established at SEOmoz (TAGFEE) will be represented with equal dedication here. I will strive to be transparent – revealing as much as possible without infringing on others or causing harm. Content will be authentic – representative of who I am and my beliefs, with acknowledgment of bias or conflicting interests where they exist. I will strive to be generous and give value in my writing. There will be some fun. This blog shall be empathetic to its readers and those potentially impacted by what I author. I will strive for exceptional posts – those that are unique in quality and perspective.
#3: 90% or more of the posts must be valuable to professionals in my field(s) – startup employees, entrepreneurs, investors and marketers. 1 in 10 posts can be off-topic or purely fun, but even these should follow the guidelines above.
#4: This blog is not a plug for my company. My writing should try to remain non-promotional, though some inherent bias may be unavoidable.
#5: No fewer than 1 post every month.
#6: The comments are meant to be a place for positive, productive discussion. Constructive disagreement is welcome, insults, negativity and personal attacks are not and will be promptly deleted. The web has more than enough outlets for vitriol.
#7: Visitor traffic and metrics for this blog should be updated publicly and consistently. One of this site’s goals is to serve as a case study and home for experimentation and data sharing.
#8: This list is not final and should be updated as new guidelines that make sense and add value are discovered.
Additional suggestions are certainly welcome.