Chris Willis outlines the lessons from his launch at footnote.com – a good list for technology intensive site launches that dovetails nicely with my experience.

The list (go to his site to dive deeper):

1. Make sure it’ll play in Paducah
2. Be a Beta hater
3. Identify the core functionality that defines your story
4. Make sure it works
5. Don’t launch a new site within minutes of a major press release

To paraphrase – understand the market, always improve, know your strengths, test and don’t make changes when you’re launching.  All sound advice that I’m doomed to learn again the hard way.