[wurp]

While at Amazon, I started a mailing list that sends one curated software engineering tip each day. It still persists, last I heard.

While working there I noticed that other people did productivity hacks I didn't know, and vice versa, all the time, so I created the mailing list. Others had created tip lists before, but they had just posted their own tips on it, and their list fizzled after a few months.

My list had impact because it wasn't "my list" - I just set up a discussion list and a template, and send in the first forty tips or so. After that, it was essentially all other people's tips. My manager had a game-changing suggestion, too: give phonetool icons for people who submit to the list. It served as both motivation and advertising.

[disposedtrolley]

That’s a fantastic idea. In my last job I started a weekly newsletter of curated tech articles, but this crowdsourced approach sounds far more sustainable.

> My manager had a game-changing suggestion, too: give phonetool icons for people who submit to the list

What’s a phonetool icon?

[duck]

I believe that is their portal/intranet. Each employee has profile there and these would be badges for that area.