ultralight.school

At Ultralight School, we have the special privilege to publish and circulate in an ultralight way, or at least aspire to —

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Here is our waterfall method of publishing, if we have a class, event, or update to share:

( 1 ) First, we add the event to our Google Calendar. Google Calendar is one of the easiest tools to use. It's also one of the most ubiquitous and everyday. If anyone has our Google Calendar installed, they will be the ones to see our event updates first. It's truly an honor to be in the background of one's daily activities!

( 2 ) Second, we add the event to our website, ulralight.school, in some way. There should be a permalink (that is, a unique page on our site) to refer/link to it. Once we create that page, we update the Google Calendar event with it, so people can folow it to learn more.

( 3 ) After that, it's about spreading the info through other means, in other places, so people will see it — generally going from what feels lightest to heaviest.

• Are.na — We post to our favorite social media first! Often we paste a permalink or take a screenshot and put it in our Announcements channel. It's an easy way to check that our link works, in addition to sharing the information. Are.na does not have an algorithmic feed. It's a good place to be.


• Mailing List — We like to send out an email newsletter next. This way, our content reaches people in a place they can truly focus on it, if they want to. Email inboxes typically allow people to mark things as read, sort them into folders, etc. It's a more private and intentional space when compared to other places on the current internet.


• Instagram — We post to our Instagram last. Ideally, there is a significant delay between sharing in our newsletter and posting to Instagram. We might not even post to Instagram sometimes. This way, we prioritize the people who are able to give us their fuller attention in digital ecosystems that they have more agency over, rather than scrolling through an algorithmic feed like Instagram. At the same time, we are on Instagram because that's where people are for some reason.

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Our publishing circulation waterfall is a methodology in progress. We might adjust it as time goes on, but essentially it helps us both be ourselves while still connecting to our audience(s) in ways that work for everyone.

Wishing you light, life, and happiness this summer!