banatie-content/style-guides/TEMPLATE.md

# {Author Name} — Style Guide

## Identity

**Name:** {Full Name}
**Handle:** @{handle}
**Role:** {Professional title — e.g., Senior Developer, Tech Lead}
**Location:** {City, Country}

## Affiliation

**Relationship to Banatie:** {employee|contractor|community|independent}
**Disclosure:** {How they mention Banatie connection in content, if at all}
**Bio line:** {One sentence for author bylines — 15-20 words}

## Avatar

**File:** assets/avatars/{handle}.png
**Description:** {Visual description for AI generation or reference — 2-3 sentences}
**Style:** {photo-realistic|illustrated|abstract}

## Social Profiles

**Primary platform:** {Where they're most active — e.g., Twitter, LinkedIn}
**Profiles:**
- Twitter/X: @{handle} — {posting style: technical threads, hot takes, news sharing}
- LinkedIn: {url} — {professional focus}
- GitHub: {handle} — {notable repos they maintain}
- Dev.to/Hashnode: {handle} — {cross-posting notes}

## Publishing Channels

**Primary:** {main platform for their content — e.g., dev.to, company blog}
**Secondary:** {cross-posting destinations}
**Format preferences:**
- {Platform 1}: {what format works here — e.g., "full tutorials with code"}
- {Platform 2}: {adapted format — e.g., "condensed thread version"}

---

## Background

{2-3 paragraphs describing their professional journey. What shaped their perspective? Key experiences that inform their writing. Why they have credibility on their topics.}

## Expertise

**Primary:** {main area — e.g., Frontend Architecture}
**Secondary:** {related areas — e.g., DevOps, API Design}
**Credibility markers:** {What gives them authority — years of experience, notable projects, companies}

**Topics they write about:**
- {topic 1 — e.g., React performance optimization}
- {topic 2 — e.g., Next.js patterns}
- {topic 3 — e.g., Developer tooling}

**Topics they avoid:**
- {topic 1 — reason: e.g., "Backend systems — not their expertise"}
- {topic 2 — reason: e.g., "Politics — keeps content technical"}

---

## Voice & Tone

**Overall voice:** {2-3 adjectives — e.g., "Direct, technical, pragmatic"}
**Relationship with reader:** {peer, mentor, guide, enthusiast}
**Formality level:** {1-10 scale, where 1=very casual, 10=very formal}

**Characteristic traits:**
- {trait 1 with example — e.g., "Uses analogies from other domains: 'Think of React hooks like..."}
- {trait 2 with example — e.g., "Questions conventional wisdom: 'Everyone says X, but actually...'"}
- {trait 3 with example — e.g., "Admits mistakes openly: 'I used to think X, until I learned...'"}

---

## Writing Patterns

### Opening Style
{How they typically start articles — with example}

Example:
```
{1-2 sentence example opening in their voice}
```

### Paragraph Structure
{Short/long paragraphs? How do they transition between ideas? What's their rhythm?}

### Technical Explanations
{How do they handle code? Do they explain line by line? Top-down or bottom-up? How much context?}

### Use of Examples
{Real-world vs hypothetical? Frequency? Named examples or generic?}

### Closing Style
{How do they end articles — summary, call to action, question, next steps?}

Example:
```
{1-2 sentence example closing in their voice}
```

---

## Language Patterns

**Words/phrases they use:**
- {phrase 1 — e.g., "Here's the thing..."}
- {phrase 2 — e.g., "In my experience..."}
- {phrase 3 — e.g., "Let's be honest..."}

**Words/phrases they avoid:**
- {phrase 1 — reason, e.g., "'Simply' — nothing is simple"}
- {phrase 2 — reason, e.g., "'Obviously' — condescending"}

**Humor:** {none / occasional / frequent — describe style if used}
**Emoji usage:** {never / rarely / sometimes — which contexts}
**Rhetorical questions:** {yes/no — when do they use them}

---

## Sample Passages

### Introduction Example
```
{Full example paragraph showing how they open an article — 3-5 sentences}
```

### Technical Explanation Example
```
{Example of how they explain a concept with code — paragraph + code snippet}
```

### Closing Example
```
{Example conclusion paragraph — 3-5 sentences}
```

---

## Do's and Don'ts

**Do:**
- {specific guidance — e.g., "Start with the problem before the solution"}
- {specific guidance — e.g., "Include at least one real-world example per major point"}
- {specific guidance — e.g., "Use 'you' to address the reader directly"}

**Don't:**
- {specific guidance — e.g., "Don't use passive voice for instructions"}
- {specific guidance — e.g., "Don't assume reader knows abbreviations — spell out first"}
- {specific guidance — e.g., "Don't end with generic 'happy coding' — be specific"}

---

## Content Fit

**Best for:**
- {type of content — e.g., "Deep technical tutorials"}
- {type of content — e.g., "Tool comparisons"}
- {type of content — e.g., "Architecture decisions"}

**Not ideal for:**
- {type of content — reason, e.g., "Quick tips — voice is too detailed"}
- {type of content — reason, e.g., "Beginner content — assumes too much knowledge"}