# Working with ARIA — Tips, Templates & Best Practices

> Your guide to getting the most out of Symph's AI agent.

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## 🗣️ How to Communicate

### The Basics
- **Tag me** — `@ARIA` in any Discord channel I'm in
- **Reply to my messages** — I'll see the full thread context
- **DM me** — For private or sensitive requests
- Talk naturally — no special commands or syntax needed

### What Makes a Great Request

| ❌ Vague | ✅ Specific |
|----------|------------|
| "Make a website" | "Build a landing page for [product] with pricing, testimonials, and a signup form" |
| "Do some research" | "Find 5 competitors to [product] in the PH market, compare pricing and features" |
| "Write something" | "Write a cold outreach email for [persona] highlighting [value prop], keep it under 150 words" |
| "Fix the app" | "The login button on [app URL] returns a blank screen — check the console errors" |

### Golden Rules
1. **One task per message** for complex work (I can juggle, but clarity > speed)
2. **Include context** — product name, target audience, constraints, examples
3. **State the goal, not just the task** — "I want to impress investors" helps me tailor the output
4. **Set expectations** — "Quick draft is fine" vs. "This needs to be polished"

---

## 📝 Request Templates

### Research Request
```
@ARIA Research [topic/company/market]

Context: [Why you need this — pitch prep, competitor analysis, etc.]
Focus on: [Specific angles — pricing, features, market size, etc.]
Format: [Bullet summary / detailed report / comparison table]
Deadline: [If time-sensitive]
```

### Build Request
```
@ARIA Build [what you need]

Product: [Name/slug if it exists]
Features: [List the must-haves]
Design: [Any brand guidelines, color preferences, reference sites]
Users: [Who's using this — internal team, customers, public?]
Priority: [MVP fast vs. polished]
```

### Content/Copy Request
```
@ARIA Write [type of content]

Audience: [Who's reading this]
Tone: [Professional, casual, persuasive, technical]
Length: [Word count or "keep it short"]
Key points: [What MUST be included]
Examples: [Links to style references if any]
```

### Strategy/Analysis Request
```
@ARIA Analyze [what you need analyzed]

Context: [Background info]
Question: [The specific thing you want answered]
Output: [Recommendations, pros/cons list, decision matrix, etc.]
```

### Quick Task
```
@ARIA [Just say what you need — no template required for simple stuff]
```

---

## 🔄 How to Give Feedback

Feedback is how I improve permanently. I log every correction.

### Be Direct
- ✅ "No — the tone is too formal. Make it casual, like texting a friend."
- ✅ "Wrong approach. Use [X] instead of [Y]."
- ✅ "This is 80% there. Fix the intro — it's too long."
- ❌ "Hmm, it's okay I guess..." (I can't improve from vague)

### Correction Phrases I Respond Well To
- "Actually, I meant..."
- "That's wrong — the correct [thing] is..."
- "Redo this but [specific change]"
- "I prefer [X] over [Y] — remember that"
- "Too [long/short/formal/vague] — adjust"

### Preferences Stick
Tell me once and I'll remember for future sessions:
- "I prefer bullet points over paragraphs"
- "Always use metric units"
- "Don't give me options — just pick the best one"
- "I like seeing your reasoning before the answer"

---

## ⚡ What I Can Do

### Instant (Seconds)
- Answer questions, look things up
- Web search and summarize
- Quick calculations, conversions
- Draft short messages or emails
- React with emoji to acknowledge

### Fast (Minutes)
- Write documents, copy, strategy
- Research competitors or markets
- Create templates and frameworks
- Code snippets and debugging
- File management and organization

### Big Jobs (10-30 min, runs in background)
- Build full web applications
- Deep market research with reports
- Complete product discovery pipeline
- Design brand guidelines with assets
- Multi-step automation workflows

*For big jobs, I'll spawn a sub-agent and ping you when it's done. You don't need to wait.*

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## 🤝 Alignment Tips

### Start of a Project
1. Tell me the **goal** and **who it's for**
2. Share any **constraints** (budget, timeline, tech stack)
3. Point me to **references** (sites, docs, competitors you like)
4. I'll create a plan → **you approve before I build**

### During a Project
- I check in between phases — don't worry about me going rogue
- Say **"checkpoint"** and I'll commit and push all work to GitHub
- Say **"status"** and I'll tell you where things stand
- If priorities shift, just tell me — I adapt fast

### Ongoing
- I maintain a profile for you — your preferences, style, past corrections
- The more we work together, the less you need to explain
- I review my own learnings regularly to keep improving

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## 🚫 What I Won't Do Without Asking

- Send emails or public posts on your behalf
- Delete important files (I use trash, not rm)
- Make irreversible changes to production systems
- Share private information in group chats
- Spend money or create paid accounts

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## 💡 Pro Tips

1. **"Just do it"** — If you trust my judgment on something, say so. I'll move faster.
2. **"Give me options"** — If you want choices instead of one answer, ask.
3. **"Explain your thinking"** — I'll show my reasoning process.
4. **"Remember this"** — I'll explicitly save it to my memory files.
5. **"What do you think?"** — I have opinions. I'll share them honestly.
6. **Tag me in interesting convos** — Even if you don't need something, I learn from context.

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## 📬 Where to Find Me

| Channel | Best For |
|---------|----------|
| Discord (tag `@ARIA`) | General requests, team collaboration |
| Discord DM | Private or sensitive requests |
| #suggestions | Ideas and feature discussions |
| #aria | I post notifications and job completions here |

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*Last updated: February 2026*
*This guide evolves as we work together. Got suggestions? Just tell me.*
