The Gentle Art of Deployment

Another cold, rainy day in Memphis. The skies are grey, but my spirit is sunny.  Why? Because another action item for tremulus is completed. The Museum goes out to our backers today, and shall be available to the rest of you after we take care of a few things on our website.  (Presently, we’re having some issues with the forum which are being attended to. Apologies, things should be up to snuff in short order.)

Let me turn a watchful eye to deployment. One of the most important processes in any creative endeavor, it’s the art of getting things out there, and it’s not something we talk about to much. And that’s because it can be a bit dry. I’ll make a meager attempt to make it a bit less dry (though there is the possibility of turning the dirt into mud), so bear with me.

Since this addresses, business stuff, I’m going to make a number list, because number lists make everything better.

1. If this is your first time out, make a punch list. Sure, this can take a bit of time, but a punch list ensures you don’t miss anything (and this is something you can revise and refine as you move forward). Like most things in life, deployment is an iterative process as you work your way to the best practices which are right for you.

Note: It’s okay to look at how other people do this stuff, but, again, everyone is different. That’s why they make various shoe sizes and more than one flavor of ice cream. One size does not fit all.

And, it’s okay to ask other folks. Others in your chosen vocation have gone through the same stuff. We’re all beginners at some point in your life. Just don’t take it personally if they don’t drop everything to answer you. Be polite. Be cool. And don’t take a delay in response (or no response) to heart. Everyone’s trying to earn some scratch and get by.

2. Make sure everything is ready to go before you announce it’s coming out.  Alright. This may seem like a no-brainer, but it happens to the best of us and the rest of us. Get things together ahead of time. Don’t think something’s ready to go before you review it (especially if you haven’t laid eyes on it for awhile). Why, just this morning, I thought The Museum was ready to roll, yet I forgot to update the cover and put in bookmarks. This checklist is a mental checklist, but after the holidays, my mind got a little distracted. Don’t let yourself get distracted. When you’re ready to pull the trigger, you want to make sure the gun is clean and loaded.

3. Have a nice, snazzy blurb written. Don’t do this at the last minute. Don’t do this immediately after you’ve done everything else. You want it to pop. You want it to sing. You don’t want it to sound like late night, drunken karaoke. You want it to be exciting. If you need to give yourself some space from it for a few days or whatever, do so. And get feedback from your team or some people who will drive you to do your best. This is especially essential for the launch of a completely new line of stuff. You can likely get by with something less than stellar if it’s part of an established line, but ask yourself, after all the time you’ve spent on this project, why would you want to do that?

3. Double-check the file one last time before deployment. Just in case you miss anything. Make sure the file is labeled properly. Nothing shows a lack of professionalism like a file labeled ProjectX_version5 (unless you’re sending out files that aren’t final, but that’s a different thing altogether). If it’s for sale, make sure you’ve got a price set on it and product code (whatever code that may be).

4. Upload the file.

5. Get the word out.

These last two points don’t really need much expansion, do they? If you can put a project together, you already know how to upload a file. It’s the 21st century. And, honestly, there’s likely a complete and more technical post to expand point four out into. Something I presently have neither the time nor inclination to address at the moment.  And getting the word out means using all the tools at your disposal–your website, your social media outlets, and the like. You might want to take a deep breath in there somewhere. You’ve just put something new into the world if you’ve gone through all these steps. And that, my friend, is a very cool thing.

Until next time, I bid you, dear reader, adieu!