[Updated] Before You Begin section (linode#6976)

* [Updated] Linode Writer's Formatting Guide - Before You Begin section

* edited Before You Begin in content.md archetype

* Edits to the Before You Begin section

* Spelling fix

---------

Co-authored-by: Matthew Wildman <matt@wildman.online>

Author: jddocs

archetypes/content.md

@@ -17,10 +17,6 @@ When writing content, please reference the [Linode Writer's Formatting Guide](ht
 
 ## Before You Begin
 
-1.  If you have not already done so, create a Linode account and Compute Instance. See our [Getting Started on the Linode Platform](/docs/products/platform/get-started/) and [Create a Compute Instance](/docs/products/compute/compute-instances/guides/create/) guides.
+In this section, list out any prerequisites necessary for the reader to complete the guide, including: services or products to be created beforehand, hardware and plan requirements, or software that needs to be preinstalled.
 
-1.  Follow our [Setting Up and Securing a Compute Instance](/docs/products/compute/compute-instances/guides/set-up-and-secure/) guide to update your system. You may also wish to set the timezone, configure your hostname, create a limited user account, and harden SSH access.
-
-{{< note >}}
-The steps in this guide require root privileges. Be sure to run the steps below as `root` or with the `sudo` prefix. For more information on privileges, see our [Linux Users and Groups](/docs/guides/linux-users-and-groups/) guide.
-{{< /note >}}
+See: [Linode Writer's Formatting Guide: Before You Begin](http://www.linode.com/docs/guides/linode-writers-formatting-guide/#before-you-begin)

docs/guides/linode-writers-formatting-guide/index.md

@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ description: 'This guide provides formatting and style guidelines for documentat
 authors: ["Linode"]
 contributors: ["Linode"]
 published: 2014-01-15
-modified: 2024-04-18
+modified: 2024-05-29
 keywords: ["style guide", "format", "formatting", "how to write", "write for us", "write for linode", "linode docs", "submissions"]
 license: '[CC BY-ND 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0)'
 aliases: ['/linode-writers-formatting-guide/','/linode-writers-guide/','/style-guide/']
@@ -74,12 +74,24 @@ Introductions should be concise; explain what the goal of the guide is and why.
 
 ### Before You Begin
 
-The *Before You Begin* section is an area for basic prerequisites a reader should know or have completed before proceeding further in your guide. Use the example below and edit as needed:
+The *Before You Begin* section is used to inform the reader of any prerequisites needed to successfully complete the guide. This may include the following:
 
-```file {title="Author Submission"}
+- Specific Akamai services or features that are needed, like Compute Instances, LKE clusters, or Object Storage buckets. This should include any hardware or plan requirements (see [Pricing](https://www.linode.com/pricing/)).
+
+- Setup tasks on Akamai services, such as securing a Compute Instance, creating a limited user, configuring a hostname. Only include tasks that are related to the guide and the guide's objective.
+
+- External requirements, such as a registered domain name or specific local software (such as a PC running Windows 11).
+
+- Software or applications that need to be installed or configured (i.e. LAMP stack, Docker, etc.), making sure to include links to instructions. Only include software that is directly used within the guide, but is not the focus of the guide. If the software needs additional configuration or usage information, it should likely be included in the guide's instructions and not in the *Before You Begin* section.
+
+- Foundational knowledge, like an understanding of technology fundamentals (like container orchestration) or specific software or software stacks (like Kubernetes).
+
+Below is an example *Before You Begin* section. You may copy the example and edit it as needed:
+
+```file {title="Before You Begin"}
 ## Before You Begin
 
-1.  If you have not already done so, create a Linode account and Compute Instance. See our [Getting Started with Linode](/docs/products/platform/get-started/) and [Creating a Compute Instance](/docs/products/compute/compute-instances/guides/create/) guides.
+1.  If you do not already have a virtual machine to use, create a Compute Instance with at least 4 GB of memory. See our [Getting Started with Linode](/docs/products/platform/get-started/) and [Creating a Compute Instance](/docs/products/compute/compute-instances/guides/create/) guides.
 
 1.  Follow our [Setting Up and Securing a Compute Instance](/docs/products/compute/compute-instances/guides/set-up-and-secure/) guide to update your system. You may also wish to set the timezone, configure your hostname, create a limited user account, and harden SSH access.
 ```