John notes that Linux International is going to become an end-user organization (defines end-users as someone who uses vendors, which most vendors don't really)
some items from past BOFs:
- marketing todo:
- target markets (as well is who is not a target)
- what we do well
New markets we could think about targeting:
- value added resellers/integrators/consultants: people who say, these are the tools that can solve your problem
- we have a fairly compelling argument there, especially as gtk gets more and more cross-platforms
talking points:
- ease of use
- open standards -- big news with massachusetts move
need to define well and communicate to people in public eye (trade shows etc): mission statement: many of us who are in the core have internalized this; it would be good to have this more explicit so that all volunteers on the booth/whatever are on the same page not just about the mechanics but on the goals/vision. vision statement: customers competitors [how do we continue to understand/compete while remaining positive/not explicitly comparing to competitors?]
would be nice if we finished the checklist for app developers to really get everyone on the same page Better yet, get a complete cookbook published. some discussion of the needs and requirements for a developer cookbook- Greg K. feels you need to start big and aim for $110K+ in funding (first round) to get the thing underway/done. Some disagreement as to whether or not this is the right way to start.
guerrila marketing: focus on creating content that local groups can leverage to translate/print/distribute themselves instead of centralizing the costs of manufacture/distribution
Governments, for instance, are most interested in saving money and ensuring long-term compatibility, need to create material that emphasizes these kinds of talking points
booth in a box: need to warn murray about customs/shipping very early, make sure to get people ready
maybe better to create a single place to download materials for print.
brainstorm about using gnomemeeting to communicate between mini-booths if networking allows that Plan for different ways to show off gnome in case networking doesn't work.
greg argues that investment in the web site has very high payoff as compared with trade shows; don't think anyone disagrees :/
academics are more reluctant to advise gratis -- maybe go to the grads/undergrads. create a marketing plan as a contest?
can play up the cute
ISVs want:
- momentum
- support
- value
TODO:
- need to explicitize the mission/vision statement so that volunteers are on the same page in terms of goals as well as methods
make http://live.gnome.org/ConferenceAndShowHowTo really good so that it can aggregate lessons learned from previous events (power, cds needed, wardrobe, timeliness, show off cool apps as much as possible, shift scheduling, etc.)
- add VARs/consultants to the target markets; make explicit some of the talking points for them
- have board talk to partners about hosting mini-GNOME booths in the partner booths at big conferences (mainly LWE)- show them how our cool/killer apps can drive traffic to their booths. 'This is what mightbe coming down the road for vendor X since they use GNOME'.
- talk to X or others about synergistic .org booths in the smaller shows
make the marketing TODO more plan/roadmap-y: http://www.google.com/search?q=marketing+plan; indentify blockers and so on for others
- need to publicize success stories. Greg pushes us to scratch- make sure it is more than surface deep. Find out who made money off of this- get them to do a formal success story thing within their marketing apparatus. Maddog suggests getting video out of some of these if we can. Play up the school angle- people love kids and warmth.