This is the obligatory rules introductory post. You've heard of the "rules": when to wear white, which buttons to button, how to match your tie, etc. Chances are, part of the reason you're at this site is to find help with some of these rules.
If you've read much of anything about writing style or personal style, you've no doubt run across items not just about the rules, but also about how to break them. It's okay to break the rules as long as you know you're doing it and you've got a reason. But you have to know the rules first.
The importance of the rules will vary depending on your environment and the particular rule at issue. Some rules developed due to practicality and therefore may have practical consequences if they are not followed. For other rules, any practicality was lost long ago and now they persist due only to tradition. The breech of some rules will be easily noticed by many people and will reflect on you personally; it is left to you to decide whether the message it sends is one you intend, or whether you care at all. Other rules may be easily ignored with little or no consequence. Of course, there are regional variations to some rules, and because we are a site focused on the Midwest, our discussion of rules will be centered on the interpretation most recognized by or suited to this region.
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