But what would I write about?

Last night I had dinner with some friends at the forge. As part of my ongoing (and completely unsanctioned) work as a Vox goodwill ambassador to the 40-something set, I talked to two more of my friends about Vox. I've written about these friends before. They are two of the brightest, most-educated, articulate people I know, and I would love to see them in Vox. They are displaced East-coasters with a daughter Juju's age. He used to be a journalist and she is a business consultant. I love talking to them.

Interestingly enough when it comes to blogging, the question in the forefront of their minds is this: But what would I write about?

Kind of funny, don’t you think? Two of the brightest people I know, one of whom used to be a professional writer, and they don't know what to write. I totally get that. I know exactly how they feel. 

These are my friends and I really want them to write. So I thought I would try to help a little by writing a few thoughts about blogging in Vox. Karen's rules, if you will. Which means of course that no one else has to follow them. In fact no one in my neighborhood needs these rules at all -- you already know what to do. But I want to give some food for thought to my friends in the hope that they will give it a try. And since they're not in Vox yet, I'm making this public.

So the rest of you should feel free to skip on along to something else, especially since this post is starting to look a wee bit long (you know me, brevity is not my strong suit).

Ok, so these are not actually rules, maybe they're guidelines, or simply food for thought:

First off, know this: I want to hear your voice. This is not formal writing. Talk like yourself, like you do when we're having dinner together. Ok, the way you do before we've had four bottles of wine. Yes, you get points for good spelling and grammar (that comes naturally to you anyway), but if you start to sound like Abe Lincoln it won't be you. Be you. I think you're brilliant.

Second, talk about what you know. You know so much more than I do about almost everything from politics to parenthood. Talk about your experiences. We all make our way in the world in a different way. Tell me about yours. We're not together every day - or even every month. Fill in some of the blanks for me.

Three. Don't be too ambitious, just tell one of your stories. Vox is the land of anecdotes. Short and sweet works great (I am not a good role model for this).

Four, don't have anything to say? That's fine. You don't have to post every day, or even every week. Just because I look forward to your posts doesn't mean you have to satisfy me (god knows no one else does). Write when you feel like it. And don't head trip yourself about it. Do it when it feels right.

Five. Don't have anything to say? Try pictures. Show me a picture of you. Your family. Your backyard. Your dinner out. A picture's worth a thousand words, right? Show me the weird thing you saw on your way to work. Show me the world the way you saw it this morning.

Six. Still don't know what to share? How 'bout some music? Introduce my ears to something new. Post an actual song so I can hear it. No one else can download it, so posting music won't cause any trouble.

Seven. Still drawing a blank? Take a stab at The Question Of the Day. You don't have to answer it straight. I often use it as a jumping off place - sometimes as a total non-sequitor to some other story.

Eight. Not ready to share with others? This can be a place where you write just for yourself. While I would love to be hanging on your every word, there might be things you want to keep to yourself. This place is safe, you can trust your thoughts with it.

Nine. Don't feel like you have to bare your soul. No one ever said you had to expose yourself blogging. Write at the level of intimacy that feels right for you. And if you want to tell me your secrets, I'm all ears (just like always). In fact, just go ahead and mark me "family" ;-)

Ten. If you decide to write publicly, don't write anything you wouldn't want your mother, boss or random admirer to find out. Vox ranks very high on Google and your public posts will be extremely easy to find. Follow the same rules as e-mail: never post anything publicly that you wouldn't feel comfortable having read at your deposition. Do I think you'll ever be deposed? No. But use your head. Anything can happen. Privacy controls are your friend.

And finally. Thank you for even thinking about doing this. I know it seems weird. And it might make you feel a little vulnerable. All I can say is that the worst thing that will happen in here is nothing. And if you're like most people, nothing will feel bad enough. Finally you let down your guard, spill your guts and nothing happens. (As a community, we all need to be commenting more than we do.)

But I won't let that happen to you. I will read you. And I will give you feedback.

All I'm really asking is that you try. Really, if you don't like it, you can stop any time you want.