<html><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">Bruce,<br><br>Venka used the word "FOSS4G" in 2004 in Bangkok Thailand first time ever on globe, 2 years before the international conference in Lausanne. (Please see attached photo)<br>As a person co-working with Venka (inventor of "FOSS4G") for many years, I know he says that FOSS4G can be used by everybody who promotes "foss4g tools". So there is no restriction in using "FOSS4G" brand as long as promoting foss4g tools.<br>It has been already used by many local chapters, conferences and communities. FOSS4G belongs to wider community, not to just only one "regal organization".<br><br>If you think "FOSS4G" should be used for only "international conference", I would suggest you come up with another naming, instead of FOSS4G.<br><br>Toru Mori<br>OSGeo Japan/ Organizer of FOSS4G 2008-2011 Tokyo/Osaka<br><br>On 2011/11/18, at 14:13, Bruce Bannerman wrote:<br><br><blockquote type="cite">I don’t like the idea of having multiple variants to the FOSS4G name.<br><br>I believe that it weakens and detracts from the value of FOSS4G as **the** international event that brings open source spatial people together in a ‘gathering of the tribes’.<br><br>As a former organiser of FOSS4G-2009, if I was faced with the opportunity to again host the prestigious FOSS4G event, as things stand at present I would not get involved. This is due to the weakening of the brand and confusion in the marketplace. For example, do I go to FOSS4G, FOSS4G.AU, FOSS4G.US, FOSS4G.UK, FOSS4G.ID etc etc? What is the difference between them?<br><br><br>We have colleagues who are trying to organise FOSS4G-2012. All of this discussion is making their job much, much harder than it needs to be. <br><br>Lets get behind them and support their hard work. It is certainly not easy to organise such an event and takes considerable effort and devotion.<br><br><br>By all means hold regional events. These are very important for spreading information.<br><br>But please let’s find a different name.<br><br><br>Bruce Bannerman<br><br><br><br>On 18/11/11 3:38 PM, "Frans Thamura" <<a href="mailto:frans@meruvian.org">frans@meruvian.org</a>> wrote:<br><br>got another idea<br><br>should we buy foss4g.or.id <http://foss4g.or.id> for indonesia, and foss4g.jp <http://foss4g.jp> for japan?<br><br>but i love have a consolidation work together<br><br>F<br><br><br>On Fri, Nov 18, 2011 at 11:38 AM, Frans Thamura <frans@meruvian.org> wrote:<br>> i want to bring FOSS4G to bigger one, all related to GIS.. but based on Open.<br><br>I definitely second this.<br>Without this concept, we would be isolated ourself from whole geospatial ocean.<br><br><br>thx toru-san ..<br><br>that will be honour for me to create FOSS4G Indonesia, i believe can start next year.. :) <br><br>this is bigger scope and better value to conduct it<br><br>but i still get unanswer question regarding to FOSS4G.org, why tokyo and osaka & korea are not in the website.<br><br>which venka said that open to anyone to create local event using FOSS4G name.<br><br>I think that will be cool, if here we can have subdomain, like jp.foss4g.org <http://jp.foss4g.org> or id.foss4g.org <http://id.foss4g.org> (indonesia)<br><br>so all consolidated there..<br><br>any idea for this request<br><br>and i see also foss4g.org <http://foss4g.org> main website need touch to make it better, to bring wave to the world.<br><br>any idea all?<br><br>F <br><br><br>_______________________________________________<br>Discuss mailing list<br>Discuss@lists.osgeo.org<br>http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss<br></blockquote><img id="4a92b06b-25e7-4599-9f88-427602177add" height="426" width="640" apple-width="yes" apple-height="yes" src="cid:24D1C7AD-DE7B-4087-99E7-6DC3B3BCEF87"></body></html>