[FM Discuss] flyer text advice
adam hyde
adam at flossmanuals.net
Mon Apr 21 13:56:45 PDT 2008
hey
On Sun, 2008-04-20 at 22:55 +0530, sophea wrote:
> hiya adam
>
> random brainstorming follows - chuck the chaff
>
> you probably know the sarai publication 'floss is not just good for your teeth'
> http://www.sarai.net/publications/occasional/floss-is-not-just-good-for-teeth
> i think there are some good bits in there that look from the point of
> view of the audience you are talking about - in any case it might be a
> good reference to give for ppl who want to know more.
>
I didnt know about this actually. Its quite interesting - I especially
like the diagram on page four of the four freedoms.
1 Users are allowed to run the software for any purpose
2 Users are able to closely examine and study the software and are able
to freely modify and improve it to fill their needs better
3 Users are able to give copies of the software to other people to whom
the software will be useful
4 Users are able to improve the software and freely distribute their
improvements to the broader public so that they, as a whole, benefit
Its sending me back to Free Software 101, but thats a good thing in this
instance. I think these freedoms can be appealing to new users except
2&4 are for geeks and might put a newbie off a bit. Is it possible, or
advisable to emphasise 1,3 + 'free' as in gratis?
> i think that clear examples of common applications that can be
> replaced is probably the most convincing - maybe give brief case
> scenarios - this way you can include the different reasons people
> might have.
good idea...what about a chart co-relating softwares:
ff - IE
gimp - pshop
inkscape - indesign
openoffice - word
etc...any other substitutions that would appeal to a new user (not on
the OS level ;)?
>
> i don't think it's great to emphasise teh free as in $ too much as
> using free software does usually require someone to enter into a
> relationship with a community at some level - maybe one of the things
> that FM does is bridge that gap between different cultures of use -
> you can read an FM manual without knowing that RTFM doesn't mean 'read
> the floss manual'.
Do you think free software leads to engagement with a community? I am
thinking about FF and OO....I havent ever interacted with these orgs on
any level...i'm a fan of highlighting the community idea for attracting
people, but i think that the communities surrounding these softwares are
specialised and quite small...not that enticing for newbies i think...or
am i wrong about this?
>
> think that a lot of people also don't realise that a lot of things
> they already use are free & open software eg firefox
> or that a lot of big business uses free software - somehow this info
> counters people preconceptions about it as an 'amateur' activity.
>
> if you can present it less as a big switch than as a continuation of
> something they already do and something that people and orgs familiar
> to them are already doing around them - and explain why more and more
> people/businesses/governmets are thinking this way and how FM is there
> to help them join the crowd... maybe?
good idea.
>
> i don't know if feeling like a pirate is such a bad thing - the same
> ppl might be doing their bit for the digital commoning on piratebay.
> possibly emphasise that amount of viruses and bad systems busting
> features of cracks that using dodgy warez tends to lead to - and
> instead of a community for support you can't get any help because you
> hvent registered and the person who you got the thing from is
> anonymous and the site has probably moved. using dodgy software is not
> like watching a lousy copy of a movie if you happen to luck out on a
> download.
also a good point...
Will ponder these more, thanks for the comments :) I'm wondering if
there is a way to bring all these together:
* the 4 freedoms (or maybe emphasise the 2 i mentioned)
* free as in gratis
* use case scenarios
* continuation
* pirate sw can be bad for your health
It seems like a lot for one flyer so I am wondering if perhaps a series
of flyers emphasising different points might be interesting. or we just
have to focus it more in which case some kind of ordering (most -> least
appealing) of these arguments is required...
Any more thoughts from anyone on this?
adam
>
> anyway - that's the 2c that came out when i pressed the button ;)
>
> xs
>
> On 20/04/2008, adam hyde <adam at flossmanuals.net> wrote:
> > hi,
> >
> > I'm just putting together a flyer to explain FLOSS Manuals. It is
> > intended for general use - at conferences, in media spaces, for
> > workshops etc. The target audience is - people that do not know there is
> > such a thing as free software.
> >
> > First on the topic of 'free' and target audience - I tend to think the
> > emphasis should be on the _free_ as in gratis. Licensing is not
> > necessary something that people understand the importance of straight
> > away and it is complex to explain.
> >
> > Its a different rationale than the traditional free vs open source
> > argument. For business 'free' was something they wanted to get rid of as
> > (the argument goes) business people don't want 'free' as they believe
> > you get what you pay for - if you pay nothing you get nothing (esp.
> > relevant with questions regarding warranty etc). However for the desktop
> > home user I think free is a very important word. Free, as in $, is more
> > important (on a first glance) to these users than free as in libre.
> >
> > So, thats the rationale I have for a 'target' demographic - people that
> > do not know about free software and can benefit from :
> > * not feeling like a pirate or
> > * saving money
> >
> > Just to be clear - I'm not arguing that free, as in $, is more important
> > for the rationale of free software itself, but that the $ angle is a
> > stronger marketing position when speaking to people that know nothing
> > (or little) about free software.
> >
> > On the other side of this is the point that 'free software' in these
> > terms can sound like a tacky sales pitch for bad 'special bin'
> > merchandise. So...I am struggling with this line and would appreciate
> > any suggestions on how to walk it.
> >
> > As for the design (Lotte will create a design) - I am imagining
> > something with 4 panels. A front page and 3 fold out panels for
> > read/write/remix. The design will use icons if we can develop some nice
> > explanatory icons for the concepts.
> >
> > So, the first thing to get right is the text. I have made one stab at it
> > (below).
> >
> > I would appreciate any advice on the direction, rationale, and tone of
> > this.
> >
> >
> > ===================
> > * front panel*
> > Did you know there are hundreds of softwares for Mac, Windows and Linux
> > that are made by communities of programmers for you to use – for free.
> >
> > FLOSS Manuals provides free manuals where to get and how to use free
> > software.
> > http://www.flossmanuals.net
> >
> >
> >
> > * proceeding panels*
> > READ
> > http://www.flossmanuals.net/read
> > Learn to use free software for word processing, browsing, audio and
> > video production, image manipulation, file sharing, creating vector
> > graphics, desktop publishing, 3d graphics, creating webpages and more!
> > Read manuals online or download each as a PDF. All manuals are free to
> > use and distribute.
> >
> >
> > WRITE
> > http://www.flossmanuals.net/write
> > If you know something about free software you can contribute to and
> > improve the manuals! You don't need to learn complex wiki syntax –
> > instead you can make changes online as if you were using a word
> > processor. If you have ever wanted to contribute to the world of free
> > software but are not a programmer then contribute to FLOSS Manuals!
> >
> >
> > REMIX
> > http://www.flossmanuals.net/remix
> > Make your own manual for inhouse training, teaching, workshops or self
> > learning. Drag and drop chapters from the manuals using REMIX to create
> > and download a PDF, HTML (in a zip or tar file), or embed the manual in
> > your website with our 'Live Manual' API.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > --
> > Adam Hyde
> > FLOSS Manuals
> >
> > http://www.flossmanuals.net
> > + 31 6 2808 7108
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Discuss mailing list
> > Discuss at lists.flossmanuals.net
> > http://lists.flossmanuals.net/listinfo.cgi/discuss-flossmanuals.net
> >
>
>
--
Adam Hyde
FLOSS Manuals
http://www.flossmanuals.net
+ 31 6 2808 7108
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