Content Audience

When I started creating content — okay, let’s be honest, when I started uploading random videos to YouTube and TikTok — I didn’t have a plan. I’d record something, maybe clean it up in post, and toss it online. No real story, no strategy, and usually… no good. Looking back, I realize I never stopped to ask the two questions that actually matter: Who is this for? And why am I doing it? This blog is me trying to answer those questions — and maybe help you ask them too.

Who/What is my audience/purpose? Feedback beats planning

Even though I love Begin with the End in Mind - there is something to be said about “Feedback beats planning” Until I figure it out - start producing content:

Planning feels good when we’re afraid because it gives us the illusion of progress/security. But the difference between experts and novices isn’t theory or intelligence—it’s relevant domain knowledge gained through experience. The key get feedback loops as quickly as possible:

  • Get into the feedback loop as soon as possible, and run it as fast as possible because:
  • Knowledge only comes from empirical observation; everything else is speculation
  • We only learn while we are moving

1. Life of Igor

1. Purpose/Audience

  • Why/what
    • Documentary of my life - family moments, personal growth, daily adventures
    • I’m doing this to model how I embrace and celebrate my identity, so others can feel more comfortable embracing and celebrating their own!
  • Auidence
    • Me
      • To reinforce things I value, like my affirmations
      • Tor remind me about IGor at his best
      • To look back fondly on my adventures and remember how much fun I had
    • My kids,
      • To remember their father
      • To learn (and hopefully copy his values)
    • GenPop
      • Anyone wanting a laugh from knowing a goofy fellow
      • Anyone I want to share one of my life examples from

Funny Story Today

Daily moments worth remembering

Igor’s Affirmations

Values I’m reinforcing (Essentialist, Class Act, etc.)

Music Videos/Dances

Movement and joy

Igor’s Crazy Commute

Adventures getting to work (kayak, unicycle, Tesla stories)

Family Adventures

Time with kids, life lessons

Achievement Unlocked

Celebrating wins and milestones

Jump in the Lake Day

Daily cold plunges and water adventures

2. Welcome to Being Human

2. Purpose/Audience

  • Why/what
    • Help people navigate life’s challenges with wisdom and humor
    • Share emotional and life wisdom to help others feel less alone
  • Audience
    • Me
      • To process my own emotional journey
      • To articulate lessons I’m learning
    • My kids
      • To understand emotional intelligence
      • To learn how to navigate relationships and challenges
    • GenPop
      • Anyone dealing with being human - emotions, relationships, growth
      • People seeking authentic discussion about life’s struggles

Emotional Health

Managing feelings, mental wellness

Life Wisdom

Lessons learned the hard way

Relationship Navigation

Connection, conflict, love

Finding Purpose

Meaning, values, direction

Daily Practices

Habits that help

3. Adventures in Vibe Ville

3. Purpose/Audience

  • Why/what
    • Exploring AI, agents, and bleeding-edge tech
    • Sharing real-world AI experiences and lessons learned
  • Audience
    • Me
      • To document my AI journey and experiments
      • To reflect on what works and what doesn’t
    • Technologists
      • Technologists, AI enthusiasts, people maximizing AI value
      • Anyone curious about practical AI applications

AI Agent Stories

Real experiences with AI agents:

  • Gotta get in a container (erasing content story)
  • Don’t give them your creds (auth story, self-approving PRs)
  • Agents testing agents (the typo story)
  • Don’t be the slave (automate your testing)
  • Keeping agents fed (managing 4+ agents)
  • Why use the best models (local vs cloud)

AI mental model changes

  • It’s not just chatbots - talk about eulogy song (and its impact on me)
  • Dellusions

AI Productivity

  • Don’t stop thinking! (Though maybe that’s OK, think about maps (scary) )
  • Should I learn a better CLI arguments library (good enough, better more DRY code handles more, but it’s just an implementation detail, if I specify well, it’s like a new compiler optimization for me).
  • I guess it’s about better specifications (vs better malliability)
  • Practical AI workflows

Tech Philosophy

Production vs consumption, attention management

Tool Reviews

What’s working, what’s not

4. The Book of Engineering Management

4. Purpose/Audience

  • Why/what
    • Share engineering leadership lessons and scaling wisdom
    • Document the manager experiences I’ve built
  • Audience
    • Me
      • To crystallize my management philosophy
      • To track my growth as a leader
    • Engineering Managers - New/Aspiring
      • Engineering managers, tech leaders, aspiring managers
      • Anyone navigating technical leadership challenges
    • Folks I support
      • Some specific deep dives into what’s going on and why

Short films based on:

Loading (/manager-book)
  • Performance Mnaagement
  • Recruiting
  • Etering a new space
  • What do managers do

Appendix

Quick Reminders

  • Start with a script!
  • Are all these edits really making it better or are you just suffering from parkinson’s law

Guard rails

Avoid:

  • Anything that embarrasses my wife, kids or co-workers
  • Oversharing details that could hurt them or me
  • Hype, clickbait, or performance

Final check before sharing:

  1. Is it kind and honest?
  2. Does this match my aspirations of being a class act?
  3. Does it pass the new york times test?
  4. Would I regret my kids or future employer seeing this?
  5. Would this help, comfort, or affirm someone—even just one person?

Optional Taglines or Captions (as mood cues):

  • “Just in case I forget this later…”
  • “Still figuring this out…”
  • “I’m not done learning, but here’s what I’ve got so far.”