🚀 Behaviour Lab Launch Checklist

Launch Date: 2025-12-02 Version: 1.0.0-stage1 Type: Stage 1 Public Launch

⚡ QUICK LAUNCH (If You're Ready Now)

Minimum viable launch (30 minutes):

Create GitHub Repository

# Create repo at github.com/[username]/behaviour-lab (public)
# Or use GitHub CLI:
gh repo create behaviour-lab --public --description "Programmable Human Behaviour Through Evidence-Based Agent Coordination"

Push All Files

cd ~/Documents/GitHub/behaviour-lab
git init
git add .
git commit -m "Initial release: Stage 1 publication with ethical safeguards"
git branch -M main
git remote add origin git@github.com:[username]/behaviour-lab.git
git push -u origin main

Create Release Tag

git tag -a v1.0.0-stage1 -m "Stage 1: Research Foundation with Ethical Framework"
git push origin v1.0.0-stage1

Enable GitHub Features
- Settings → Features → Enable Discussions
- Settings → Features → Disable Issues (initially, for controlled feedback)
- Add topics: behavior-engineering, priming, nudging, ethics, ai-ethics
DONE! Repository is now public.

Optional but recommended: Continue with full checklist below for announcements and monitoring.

📋 COMPREHENSIVE LAUNCH CHECKLIST

Phase 1: Pre-Launch Verification (15 minutes)

Documents Check:

All .md files have ethical warnings ✅
LICENSE.md is present and correct ✅
README.md has ethical notice at top ✅
No personal info or secrets in any files ✅
All links work (test at least README links)
No TODO placeholders that should be filled

Files to Update:

Add your contact email to:
- LICENSE.md (line: "Contact: [To be added]")
- MISUSE_REPORTING.md (email address)
- CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md (contact info)
- ETHICS_REVIEWERS.md (your contact)
Add your name/attribution where marked "[Author Name]"
Update any [To be determined] or [TBD] placeholders

Final Safety Check:

Reviewed SAFETY_REVIEW.md checklist?
Comfortable with everything being public?
No second thoughts about ethical safeguards?
Ready for community response (positive and negative)?

Phase 2: GitHub Repository Setup (30 minutes)

Create Repository:

Go to github.com/new
Repository name: behaviour-lab
Description: "Programmable Human Behaviour Through Evidence-Based Agent Coordination - Research with Strong Ethical Framework"
Visibility: Public
Initialize: Don't check any boxes (we have our own files)
Click "Create repository"

Configure Repository:

Settings → Features → Discussions: Enable ✅
Settings → Features → Issues: Disable initially (manage feedback via Discussions)
Settings → Features → Projects: Enable (optional)
Settings → Features → Wiki: Disable (docs are in repo)
Settings → Features → Sponsorships: Your choice

Add Topics:

Click gear icon next to "About"
Add topics:
- behavior-engineering
- priming
- nudging
- choice-architecture
- ethics
- ai-ethics
- human-ai-interaction
- research
- open-science

Push Code:

cd ~/Documents/GitHub/behaviour-lab

# Initialize git if not already done
git init

# Add all files
git add .

# Check what will be committed
git status

# Commit
git commit -m "Initial release: Stage 1 publication

- Complete research foundation (priming, nudging, human-AI interaction)
- Strong ethical framework with mandatory requirements
- CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 + Ethical Use Requirements
- Community governance documents
- Working prototype (priming analyzer)

See README.md for ethical use requirements.
This is Stage 1 of 3-stage publication plan."

# Add remote
git remote add origin https://github.com/[username]/behaviour-lab.git

# Push
git branch -M main
git push -u origin main

Create Release:

Go to Releases → Create a new release
Tag: v1.0.0-stage1
Title: "Stage 1: Research Foundation with Ethical Framework"
Description:

# Behaviour Lab v1.0.0 - Stage 1 Release

## 🧠 What This Is

Evidence-based research on behavior engineering (priming, nudging, human-AI interaction) with a strong ethical framework built-in.

## ⚠️ ETHICAL USE ONLY

This work is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 **with mandatory ethical use requirements**.

**By using this work, you agree to use it ONLY for:**
- Defensive awareness (recognizing manipulation)
- Ethical applications (education, therapy, research)
- Beneficial purposes with informed consent

**Prohibited:** Commercial manipulation, exploitation, dark patterns, coercion.

See LICENSE.md for full requirements.

## 📚 What's Included

### Research (140 pages)
- **Priming Foundation** - Evidence-based priming with replication awareness
- **Nudging Techniques Catalog** - Complete evidence-tier classification
- **Human vs. AI Agent Priming** - Novel integration analysis

### Governance (50 pages)
- Strong ethical framework
- Community guidelines
- Misuse reporting system
- Staged publication plan

### Code
- Working priming analyzer prototype (Python)

## 🎯 Stage 1 of 3

This is Stage 1 (Research Foundation). Future stages:
- **Stage 2** (Month 5-6): System design (after peer review)
- **Stage 3** (Month 12+): Implementation details (gated access)

## 🙏 Community Review Welcome

This work underwent internal safety review. We welcome community feedback:
- Open a Discussion for questions or concerns
- See MISUSE_REPORTING.md to report violations
- See CONTRIBUTING.md to help strengthen ethics

## 📖 Key Documents

- **README.md** - Start here
- **LICENSE.md** - Ethical use requirements
- **CONTRIBUTING.md** - How to participate ethically

**Let's build ethical behavior engineering together.** 🚀

Set as latest release: ✅
Publish release

Phase 3: Initial Configuration (15 minutes)

Create Discussion Categories:

Go to Discussions → Categories
Create categories:
- Announcements (maintainers only)
- General (open discussion)
- Ethics & Safety (ethical questions)
- Research (research questions)
- Misuse Reports (for reporting violations)
- Ideas (suggestions and improvements)

Pin First Discussion:

Create pinned discussion in Announcements:

# Welcome to Behaviour Lab 🧠

Thank you for your interest in ethical behavior engineering research.

## ⚠️ Please Read First

1. **README.md** - Project overview and ethical requirements
2. **LICENSE.md** - Mandatory ethical use requirements
3. **CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md** - Community standards

## 🎯 What This Project Is

Evidence-based research on how to ethically influence human behavior through:
- Priming (cognitive, not discredited social priming)
- Nudging (choice architecture)
- Human-AI interaction design

**Strong ethical framework built-in.**

## ❌ What This Is NOT

- A manipulation toolkit
- Dark pattern library
- Commercial exploitation guide

## 💬 How to Participate

- **Questions?** Open a Discussion in General
- **Research ideas?** Use Research category
- **Ethical concerns?** Use Ethics & Safety
- **Observe misuse?** See MISUSE_REPORTING.md
- **Want to contribute?** See CONTRIBUTING.md

## 🙏 Community Values

We prioritize:
1. **Human welfare** above all
2. **Ethical responsibility** in every contribution
3. **Evidence-based** approaches only
4. **Transparency** about methods and tradeoffs
5. **Defensive awareness** - help people recognize manipulation

**Thank you for being part of a responsible community.**

Questions? Ask here!

Add Repository Description:

In "About" section (top right):
- Website: [Your website if any]
- Topics: (already added above)
- Description: Full description with ethical emphasis

Phase 4: Announcement (30-60 minutes)

Create Announcement Post:

Option A: Blog Post (if you have a blog)

Write post using LAUNCH_ANNOUNCEMENT.md template (to be created)
Publish on your blog
Link from GitHub README

Option B: Social Media

Twitter/X thread (template in LAUNCH_ANNOUNCEMENT.md)
LinkedIn post (professional audience)
Mastodon/Bluesky (if you use them)
Reddit (r/MachineLearning, r/psychology with caution)

Option C: Academic Channels

Email relevant mailing lists (with permission)
Post on ResearchGate (if you use it)
Share in relevant Slack/Discord communities

Key Messages:

Evidence-based behavior engineering research
Strong ethical framework (emphasize this!)
Replication-aware (lessons from crisis)
Defensive awareness (recognize manipulation)
Open for community feedback

What NOT to do:

❌ Hype it as "manipulation guide"
❌ Oversell effectiveness
❌ Skip ethical emphasis
❌ Spam multiple channels aggressively

Phase 5: Monitoring Setup (30 minutes)

Set Up Alerts:

GitHub: Watch your own repo (All Activity)
Google Alerts:
- "behaviour-lab" OR "behavior-lab"
- "behaviour lab priming"
- "behaviour lab github"
- Your name + "behaviour lab"

Create Monitoring Dashboard:

Spreadsheet or document to track:
- Stars over time
- Forks (review each one for ethical compliance)
- Discussions (respond within 24-48 hours)
- External mentions (blogs, papers, tweets)
- Misuse reports (hopefully zero!)

Daily Monitoring (First Week):

Weekly Monitoring (Ongoing):

Phase 6: Community Engagement (Ongoing)

First Week Priorities:

Respond to all discussions within 24 hours
Thank early adopters and contributors
Address concerns promptly
Clarify misunderstandings
Be present and engaged

First Month Priorities:

Continue responsive engagement
Start collecting feedback for Stage 2
Monitor for any misuse
Build positive community culture
Recognize valuable contributions

Ongoing Priorities:

Quarterly safety reviews
Update documents based on feedback
Strengthen safeguards as needed
Prepare for Stage 2 (Month 5-6)
Document lessons learned

🎯 Launch Day Schedule

Morning (2-3 hours):

8am: Final file check and updates
9am: Create GitHub repository
9:30am: Push all code
10am: Configure repository settings
10:30am: Create release and discussions

Afternoon (2-3 hours):

12pm: Publish announcements (blog/social)
1pm: Share in relevant communities
2pm: Monitor initial responses
3pm: Respond to early questions
4pm: Set up monitoring dashboard

Evening (1 hour):

6pm: Check all notifications
7pm: End-of-day status update
8pm: Celebrate! 🎉

✅ Success Criteria (First Week)

Positive Indicators:

10+ stars (quality interest)
Positive feedback in discussions
Questions show genuine engagement
No misuse reports
Constructive criticism received
Community members helping each other

Red Flags (Respond Immediately):

🚨 Emergency Response Plan

If something goes wrong:

Scenario 1: Misuse Discovered

Document it (screenshot, archive)
Follow MISUSE_REPORTING.md process
Contact violator if possible
Update safeguards
Community alert if severe

Scenario 2: Media Misrepresentation

Contact journalist/outlet for correction
Post clarification in Discussions
Update README if needed
Learn for future communications

Scenario 3: Community Toxicity

Enforce CODE_OF_CONDUCT immediately
Issue warnings
Ban if necessary
Document publicly (transparency)

Scenario 4: Overwhelming Negative Response

Don't panic
Listen to concerns
Respond thoughtfully
Make changes if warranted
Consider pause if severe

Nuclear Option: Repository Takedown

Only if severe, widespread harm
Document reasoning publicly
Archive content privately
Publish lessons learned

📊 Post-Launch Metrics

Track Weekly:

GitHub stars (growth rate)
Forks (+ ethical compliance check)
Discussions (volume and sentiment)
External mentions (blogs, papers, social)
Misuse reports (hopefully zero)
Contributions (issues, PRs, discussions)

Evaluate Monthly:

Community health (positive/negative ratio)
Safety record (misuse incidents)
Impact (citations, implementations)
Stage 2 readiness (feedback quality)

🎉 You're Ready to Launch!

Everything is in place:

✅ Research is comprehensive (190 pages)
✅ Ethical safeguards are strong
✅ Community governance is ready
✅ Monitoring plan is set
✅ Response protocols are clear

This is how responsible research should be published.

📞 Final Checklist Before Publishing

The Big Questions:

Am I ready for this to be public forever?
- Yes, I'm ready
Have I done everything reasonable to prevent misuse?
- Yes, safeguards are strong
Can I commit to community engagement?
- Yes, I'll be responsive
Do I believe this is net positive for the world?
- Yes, the ethics make it worthwhile
Am I prepared for criticism and feedback?
- Yes, I'll listen and adapt

If all YES → GO AHEAD AND PUBLISH! 🚀

If any NO → Wait, address concerns, then proceed when ready.

Ready? Take a deep breath. You've done the work. Time to share it with the world.

🚀 Go publish. The field needs this ethical framework. 🧠✨

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