About six months ago, there was a bunch of news about how a huge grocery store would be opening a few blocks from my apartment. It’s no Trader Joe’s, but having another option for picking up hard-to-find items can’t hurt. However, after that initial flurry of press releases and articles and interviews, details on the grocery store are nowhere to be found.

Heck, even the website for the people who are developing the property is devoid of updated info. At this point, I’m guessing the project is on indefinite hold due to the economy, or it got cancelled altogether. This type of assumption is exactly what happens when you don’t give people an update: they’ll just assume the worst, and your brand suffers.

So if you’re working on a highly-visible project, or a less-visible one that was announced with a ton of fanfare, it pays to keep interested parties in the loop. Put up a simple website with status updates, or even just provide a forum where people can talk about the project and your team can chime in periodically. Just don’t let the conversation die out. Your chances of a successful launch in the future are much higher when you’ve got an eager fan base to draw from.