[OSGeo-Conf] Fwd: FOSS4G 2007

[Arnulf Christl]

On Sat, October 28, 2006 04:46, Tyler Mitchell wrote:
>
> On 27-Oct-06, at 5:35 PM, Frank Warmerdam wrote:
>
>> venka.osgeo wrote:
>>> venka.osgeo wrote:
>>> ...
>>>>> This is exactly the sort of erosion of OSGeo's branding that I'm
>>>>> worried
>>>>> about.
>>>> ...
>>>>
>>>> Can you please clarify what you are exactly worried about.
>>> I think making good use of the FOSS4G brand would
>>> not erode OSGeo's brand.
>>
>> Venka,
>>
>> I think having two "destinations", one osgeo.org, and one
>> foss4g.org, erodes
>> our branding influence.
>
> In a similar way, I feel the same way about the conference name, that
> any other name distracts from OSGeo.  We have a focus in VisCom on
> producing logos, branding, and other nitty gritty stuff to try to
> boast OSGeo.  Adding another 'product' name into the mix is going to
> make it that much harder.  I'd like to see OSGeo be the organisation
> AND the Conference name.  What will the website be?  osgeo.org is as
> simple as it gets.
>
> I also believe that the brand of FOSS4G is not as strong as OSGeo.

I believe differently.

> It has been used as a conference name, but I think the name is not
> what made the conference popular.  It is meaningless to those who are
> on the outside - those who we want to reach out to.

Ah. Is that it? My perception (not as VisCom but as simple, dumb (sorry
Paul :-) OSGeo participator) of FOSS4G is the meeting of the tribes. OSGeo
still only covers a small part of the whole FOSSGIS universe. With FOSS4G
I am explicitly not trying to reach out to Google and Oracle and folks who
do not know about FOSSGIS already. We have said that we will have a
natural upper limit of 1000 people anyway. We ar reaching 10 thousands at
other occasions much more effectively.

> However, with
> OSGeo, it is a name that we are actively promoting all the time.
> FOSS4G isn't being promoted at all, except as a conference.  After we
> reach out in the name of OSGeo to people - they are able to instantly
> make a connection between "OSGeo '07" when they see it because they
> already know about the foundation from our marketing efforts.

Hey, we are going to be able to map a few addresses and make Google
understand how they connect. This is standard business.

> I also think it is unfair for the other conferences and groups that
> we've absorbed to be simply ignored and replaced by FOSS4G.  By

Yes it is. Therefore it would look really bad if they are taken over by
some newcomer business-oriented, funded "OSGeo" organization (I am being
purposely assholy).

> calling it FOSS4G it is saying it is a continuation of a specific
> tradition, and in a way we are, but it is only part of the story.
> For many people even within our communities, FOSS4G is a relatively
> new term.

Good. Hopefully it makes them wonder why it is such a stupid dental thread
and at one point they might get the idea that it actually is a lot
different to what Oracle makes out of the term "Open Source". I would very
much to keep a focus on educating people, removing their ignorance of the
issue and not fall into streamlined OSGeo promotion as yet another Open
Source blabla. I say this fully intentionally in my role as VisCom member.

> We are starting something new and we are tapping into OSGeo resources
> to help make it a success. I think we owe it to OSGeo to keep this
> major outreach event as closely tied to the foundation as possible.
>
> Tyler

Yes. We will make sure that this is going to happen anyway.

Best regards,

-- 
Arnulf Christl
http://www.ccgis.de