# Research

Use this file before writing a single word of the post.
Also read [human-voice.md](human-voice.md) — the voice you are writing from starts here, during research.

## Order of operations

1. Clarify the exact subject and any angle the user specified.
2. Search Google for the most current facts, named examples, dates, and documented outcomes.
3. Search Reddit for real user reactions, complaints, and honest takes. Use subreddits relevant to the subject.
4. Search Hacker News for technical discussion, contrarian views, and insider details.
5. Check one or two reputable news sources or official docs if the subject is a product, release, or event.
6. Look for one embarrassing or surprising detail that most posts on this topic skip.
7. Do not stop at the first page of results. Go deeper until you have something specific enough to anchor Part 1.

## What to collect

Before closing the browser, you must have:

- One concrete real-world fact or documented reaction to open the post (not a cliché opener)
- The most current factual anchor with a date or named source if relevant
- One surprising or underreported detail
- One honest critique or documented failure
- One opinion angle the post can credibly own
- **The one thing that actually surprised, annoyed, or genuinely interested you during research** — this is the emotional anchor for the post. If nothing surprised you, go deeper until something does.
- 3-5 short notes in bullet form to draft from

## Source priority

1. Official docs, release notes, company announcements, primary sources
2. Reputable reporting that names the source clearly
3. Reddit, Hacker News, Indie Hackers for real user sentiment and reactions
4. Social posts on X for current pulse, not as the sole source of any factual claim

## Rules

- CRITICAL NON-NEGOTIABLE: draft from your own notes, not from copied source phrasing.
- CRITICAL NON-NEGOTIABLE: if the story is still unclear after research, say less and make safer claims.
- CRITICAL NON-NEGOTIABLE: never use social screenshots as the only evidence for a factual claim.
- CRITICAL NON-NEGOTIABLE: write from the emotional anchor you found during research. The post should feel like a person processing something real, not a neutral summary of facts.
- Do not open X to research unless the subject is specifically about X or social media behavior.
- Close all research tabs after collecting notes.