LinkedIn-Jekyll Post Formatting Instructions

Use these instructions when converting a LinkedIn post draft into a properly formatted Jekyll markdown file for the lfaller.github.io blog.

Required Frontmatter Format

Start the file with YAML frontmatter in exactly this format:

---
layout: post
author: lina
title:  "Post Title Here"
date:   YYYY-MM-DD 08:00:00 -0500
categories: category-name
---

Important frontmatter rules:

• Field order MUST be: layout, author, title, date, categories
• Use two spaces after title: and date: before the value
• Date format: YYYY-MM-DD 08:00:00 -0500 (always 8am Eastern Time)
• Title: Use double quotes around the title
• Categories: Use lowercase with hyphens (e.g., data-engineering, data-science)
• No extra blank lines within frontmatter

Content Formatting

Bold Text

• Use **text** for bold (converts to Unicode bold on LinkedIn)
• Apply bold to:
  • Key concepts and important phrases
  • Section headers (if not using ## headers)
  • Emphasis points

Headers

• Use ## for section headers
• Headers convert to Unicode bold on LinkedIn
• No # (h1) headers - the title is h1

Lists

Use markdown list format with hyphens:

- First point
- Second point
- Third point

Not:

• ❌ Numbered lists (use hyphens instead)
• ❌ Asterisks (*) or plus signs (+)
• ✅ Hyphens (-) only

Links

Keep markdown link format:

[link text](https://example.com)

On LinkedIn, only the URL will show. On Jekyll, it renders as a proper hyperlink.

Images

Add image reference after frontmatter:

---
frontmatter here
---

![Alt text description](/assets/images/posts/YYYY-MM-DD-post-slug.png)

Rest of content...

Image path format:

• Always use: /assets/images/posts/YYYY-MM-DD-descriptive-name.png
• Match the date to your post date
• Use descriptive filename matching the post slug
• Alt text should describe the image content

Hashtags

Place hashtags at the very end of the post in an HTML comment:

Your post content here...

Last paragraph of content.

<!-- #HashTag1 #HashTag2 #HashTag3 -->

Hashtag rules:

• Must be inside HTML comment: <!-- hashtags here -->
• Use PascalCase (capitalize each word, no spaces)
• 3-5 hashtags recommended
• Common tags: #DataEngineering #DataScience #Bioinformatics #MachineLearning #AI

Complete Example

---
layout: post
author: lina
title:  "Data Pipelines That Scientists Can Debug"
date:   2025-11-13 08:00:00 -0500
categories: data-engineering
---

![Pipeline debugging workflow comparison](/assets/images/posts/2025-11-13-data-pipelines-scientists-can-debug.png)

**Data Pipelines That Scientists Can Debug (Without Calling You at 9 PM)**

"Hey, the pipeline failed again. Can you take a look?"

## The Problem

This Slack message means your next hour is gone. You'll dig through logs and discover:

- A sample ID mismatch
- A missing metadata field
- A file in the wrong format

The scientist could have fixed it in 30 seconds—if the error message had told them **what to look for**.

## The Solution

Here's what I now build into every production pipeline:

- Error messages that say what AND why
- Data quality checks that explain failures in scientific terms
- Logging that tells a story
- Retry logic that makes sense for biological data
- Clear next steps in every failure

**The best pipeline is one that makes both teams successful.**

<!-- #DataEngineering #Bioinformatics #Biotech #DataScience -->

Filename Convention

Save the file as:

YYYY-MM-DD-short-descriptive-slug.md

Examples:

• 2025-11-13-data-pipelines-scientists-can-debug.md
• 2025-11-15-machine-learning-production.md
• 2025-11-20-database-design-patterns.md

Checklist Before Saving

• Frontmatter has correct field order and spacing
• Date is 8am ET (08:00:00 -0500)
• Title in double quotes
• Image path added (if post includes image)
• Bold formatting applied to key concepts
• Lists use hyphens (-)
• Hashtags in HTML comment at end
• Filename matches date and has descriptive slug
• No extra blank lines at start or end

Where to Save

• For immediate posting: Save to _posts/ directory
• For scheduled posting: Save to _scheduled-posts/ directory (will auto-post at 8am ET on the scheduled date)

Common Mistakes to Avoid

❌ Wrong:

---
title: "Post Title"
date: 2025-11-13
layout: post
---

✅ Correct:

---
layout: post
author: lina
title:  "Post Title"
date:   2025-11-13 08:00:00 -0500
categories: data-science
---

❌ Wrong hashtags:

#DataScience #AI

✅ Correct hashtags:

<!-- #DataScience #AI -->

❌ Wrong lists:

* First item
* Second item

✅ Correct lists:

- First item
- Second item

Notes

• The system automatically converts **bold** to Unicode bold (𝗯𝗼𝗹𝗱) on LinkedIn
• Images automatically upload to LinkedIn
• Hashtags hidden from Jekyll site, visible on LinkedIn
• Posts in _scheduled-posts/ publish automatically at 8am ET on their date