ubuntu-advertising team mailing list archive

[Jan Stedehouder <j.stedehouder@xxxxxxxxx>]

Hi everyone,

I've been monitoring the ongoings for our new group here in the last week
and I am worried we are rapidly moving into the wrong direction. First, it
is great we have a 100+ team members already. It shows there is a solid
interest in our community to expand Ubuntu in the field of advertising.
However, over the last couple of days I see two main topics:

1. How quick can we plan another IRC meeting and be disappointed about it,
and
2. How many scripts for new commercials can we come up with in the shortest
of time.

Okay, I might be exagerating a bit, but considering Jason's statement in a
previous message implying he is already considering calling it quits we run
the risk of running into brick walls before ever taking of properly.

Jason, I don't think it is wise making statements like this after a
forthnight. Starting something new requires leadership and leadership
requires stamina. One thing I think we should do  (instead of planning the
next meeting ASAP or creating logos and scripts) is to design the proper
framework. Communications 101. What is the message we want to bring out? For
which target audiences? Which communications channels are best to reach
those audiences? And then, only then, we start thinking about how to frame
that message via products, and create a roadmap to get that message out. At
this point we have no framework to judge to the suggestions for products
other that personal preference.

Am I willing to pull my load in this area? Yes I am, provided we go for
quality first. That focus on quality served me well as a writer of various
Ubuntu-related books and as editor for the Dutch Open Source Yearbook. In
March 2011 I'll be hosting a free PR-training for FOSS-organizations in the
Netherlands, for a group of people that want to promote their organizations
and activities in the best way possible (where financial means come at a
premium). It's no problem to make this training available to our team as
well.

So, my request is: please slow down a bit. Ubuntu 11.04 won't be out in five
months. We can take some time to find the proper direction. If one
IRC-meeting isn't to enough or if IRC isn't the proper channel of
communication to reach the 100+ choose something else. To put it bluntly: if
we can't find a way to communicate with 100 interested people, we will never
find a way to communicate to the masses.

Kindest regards

--------------------------------------
Jan Stedehouder
Stavenissestraat 18
3086 RG Rotterdam
06 - 44 357 105