mediasalt

I’ve worked on dozens of different projects. In a given week, I’m normally managing or actively working on about 8 different things; because my job duties largely revolve around new media, I’m constantly evaluating new tools and approaches to take in sharing the Gospel and reaching our community.

In the midst of this brave new world, you have to develop a process to evaluate whether certain projects are worth undertaking or not. Along with a lot of prayer, I operate by three rules that have helped me navigate the murky waters of the “next big thing.” Here’s my trifecta:

1. Are we doing it because it’s cool, or because it would have impact? This is the first filter in my evaluation process. It seems like every day we stumble on some new piece of web technology that is just amazing in concept. It can be really tempting to try to adopt these new tools on the “cool-factor” alone, but I have to force myself to consider its utility and fit for our audience. Sometimes, it’s a great idea. Most of the time, it’s not.
2. Is it sustainable? If you’re like us, you may not have tremendous staff resources dedicated to your online efforts. Before embarking on a new endeavor, especially something that requires constant updating or moderation, I always put some serious thought into the time I can devote to it after the launch. Generating content and moderating discussion can take some serious time; it’s a good idea to think through the details of the maintenance behind a project before you move forward with it.
3. Can we do it well? This may have the most weight in making a final decision for me. Simply put, I hate doing something half-way. If I can’t put my all into a project or pull it off with excellence, I’d rather not do it at all. Granted, sometimes we don’t have the luxury of extra time to polish a project, but I think it reflects poorly on everybody when your audience can tell something was rushed or thrown together.

Those three rules have proven invaluable to me over the last few years. What rules to you try to operate by in your line of work?