Taking a cue from IE team blog and from Robert Scoble’s Corporate Weblog Manifesto, allow me to lay out some basic principles and aspirations for the MSN Search blog:

 Honest and Respectful.  We will tell the truth and stay the high road.  ‘nuff said.

Useful.  We will announce new products, features and releases related to MSN Search.  We will answer frequently asked questions, make clarifications, and once in a while we may address a rumor or two.   We’ll discuss significant problems and fixes. 

Relevant.  We will keep the blog current and post when we find that there are things to discuss.  We aspire to cover a broad variety of topics over time, and cover a broad range of things that are interesting to you.  To do that, the blog has to be…

Personal.  Various team members will contribute over time on topics they are passionate and knowledgeable about.   

Tantalizing.  We intend to maintain a faint air of mystery.    Don’t expect us to reveal too much information about the inner workings of our search service, or about upcoming features and product plans.  There are practical limitations on what we can say.  Besides, it would be boring if we revealed all the secrets at once.

Communal.  We would like to build a two-way dialog, rather than a broadcast.  So do expect us to listen and respond to your comments, and to solicit feedback on specific issues.  You should also expect us to stumble and to learn from it. As an example, I want to modify what I said the other day and not blindly rule out commenting on the nature of our search results; if an explanation is necessary and beneficial to a broad range of our customer community, we certainly reserve the right to chime in. 

Constructive.  In turn, we ask for your constructive suggestions, feedback, and requests.  Thanks to everyone already doing this, it is greatly appreciated!

 –Brady