increasing the reach of fedora-marketing

[David Nielsen]

man, 29 10 2007 kl. 07:08 -0400, skrev Lisa Hoover:
> Hi,
> 
> This is a really interesting discussion and I see a lot of good ideas
> here. I'm a technology journalist so perhaps I can shed some light on
> what might work and what may not.
> 
> In my opinion, the *number one* thing a group can do to get their
> message out is to forge a one-on-one relationship with journalists. If
> you see someone reporting on Fedora somewhere, don't hesitate to drop
> them an email saying something like, "I saw your review of F8 and
> thought you'd like to know we've just put up some new information here
> about XYZ." Many journalists have official or unofficial "beats" based
> on topics they follow closely, are enthused about, or just happen to
> know a lot about and will leap on new information -- if they know
> about it.
> 
> Two-way communication is, of course, important. Simply throwing a link
> at a journalist won't work as well as making sure there's someone
> available to answer questions and offer quotes. Red Hat and Fedora are
> terrific about this, by the way, and it's fairly easy to connect with
> someone to get follow-up information. I only bring it up to suggest
> that 20 people randomly emailing journalists may not bring results as
> good as a coordinated effort that includes a go-to person for more
> info. It looks like you're already working with Leigh on this. Great!
> 
> Speaking of quotes: Yes, it's true that some outlets cut and paste
> from press releases, however most do not. For some, it's against
> editorial policy, for others it's a personal preference. Therefore, I
> heartily disagree with the notion that by making it "easier for the
> cut'n'paste journalists to publish information on Fedora, we will
> greatly increase the amount of publicity Fedora gets." The "easiest"
> way to increase publicity is to make the story accessible to the
> journalist. We need to know, at a minimum, what's happening, why it's
> important, and where to get additional information to put it into
> context. Hand that information to a journalist along with contact info
> for someone willing to quickly answer a couple of follow-up questions
> and your chances of getting publicity skyrocket.
> 
> Of *course* I understand that that's a tall order. I know it's not
> realistic to expect availability like that from a group of volunteers,
> no matter how dedicated they are (and, again, I think Fedora does an
> *excellent job already of being available to answer reporters'
> questions). My point is that, yes, being first on the Internet with
> news is important but many news Web sites nowadays simply aggregate or
> compile "breaking news" feeds on a section of their front page so as
> not to bother with the whole "cut and paste so we can be among the
> first only to find out everyone else has the *exact same story" issue.
> The bottom line? Journalists faced with writing a story that F8 has
> been released will be asking themselves, "What can I say that hasn't
> already been said?" Believe me when I tell you, we are open to ideas.
> 
> Nicu's suggestion to contact the media with backstory information like
> Iced Tea is a great one. For example, I read (here or on another
> Fedora list) recently that some were disappointed that reviewers
> didn't talk more about spins and suggested it might be a lack of
> training or information. This is exactly the kind of information I'd
> like to have as a tech journalist: an under-reported "feature" of F8
> that brings something new to the table and that readers need to be
> schooled in to know how to use.
> 
> Anyway, I never meant for this to be quite so long. I think this team
> is doing a great job. You're all very dedicated and I wish  you the
> best of luck in getting the word out about Fedora. If you've got any
> questions, just give me a shout.

So it seems like we need a person who knows masters journalism and knows
how the industry works to lead us in our glorious quest.. it sounds we
need you, so take this as unofficial, unfair and uncalled for peer
pressure to volunteer your talents. :)

- David
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