I have a reach of about 10,000 through my RSS feed, email list, mailing list and search engine traffic. I tell you this not to boast, but to share with you how careful I am about the things I talk about on my blog and in my weekly ezine.

Each person has put some trust in my expertise and knowledge. In return, I protect my list by only talking about programs and case studies that will be of value to my audience.

This is a two way relationship. Ted joins my list. I send him information. Ted continues to subscribe to my list because he sees value in what I’m delivering. I continue to send information of value. As long as Ted continues to subscribe, I know he’s finding value.

Of course, there could be a few reasons why Ted doesn’t unsubscribe. I won’t know until I ask him. But until I do, I make sure that what I deliver to Ted is relevant to him and his current situation. Then, I times Ted by 10,000 and that responsibility becomes even bigger.

How much do you respect the trust that your list gives you? What criteria do you use before you share something with your list?