I’m using this page to build an evolving set of rules and recommendations for this site. A philosophy.txt as it were. This is what constitutes an operating manual for The Cramped. It is also, more than anything, a promise to the readers.
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The Cramped will bias towards the act of using analog writing tools. This is to say that I really want the site to be less focused on “stuff” and more focused on “How I’m using the stuff” and “How you can best use the stuff”. This is not to say that we won’t review “stuff” — there has and will be those. But, I really want to know what it is like to use stuff. Especially stories of how “stuff” gets used by real writers/thinkers/creators.
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I welcome guest posts from anyone who has anything to contribute that is topical and in fitting with the goals of this site. You don’t have to be a known name. In fact, I would like to use this as an opportunity to help promote good writers to a wider audience. That said, I reserve full editorial control and discretion. If I don’t think it is a good fit or needs better editing/writing, I’ll let you know. I also will reject anything that reeks of link building, content marketing, or other deceptive advertising. So, no, I will not link to your infographic about X ways to Y. So, if you have something you think would be a good post for this site, shoot me an email to patrick@patrickrhone.com.
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In general, I receive a lot of requests to post about unreleased, yet close to fruition, crowd-funded products. Especially those on Kickstarter. And, while I have linked to a few here and there in the past, I now rarely do. The main reason being that I would prefer to focus on products and apps that are available to solve a problem or fill a need for my readers today. The second being that many of the products I have linked to in the past have either shipped half baked or not come to market at all, which then puts my recommendations in question. I respect my reader’s time and attention above all else. That is why I want to focus on solutions that can help them right now and are shipping today. But, on rare occasion, a product comes along that looks swell, is original, has met it’s funding goal, I know and trust the creators, and I know will deliver on its promise and I might mention or link to these. If you see me do so, you now know it is a very special case and you should highly consider it.
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I receive so many links from so many people in so many inboxes that I have a hard time remembering what I received from whom. Now, throw in the fact that I, more often than not, leave it in an open browser tab for days or add it to Instapaper to be read weeks later and… Well, this is why I try to add an “via” wherever possible but fail to in almost all cases. If you see something I link to and don’t see a via but say, “Hey, he got that from me and I would like to see my name, in red, clickable to the tweet I mentioned it, so I can get the credit I so rightfully deserve.” then just let me know.