This document provides guidance on how to get started with open data initiatives. It recommends choosing existing data sets to publish that are easy to share and do not have privacy or security issues. It also suggests applying an open license, making the data available in a common format through an API or database dump, and ensuring the data is discoverable by linking to it from your website and open data registries. Key principles include keeping it simple, engaging stakeholders early, addressing common concerns, and making open formats part of IT projects.