Fwd: [Marketing] OSGeo Marketing Strategy part 2

[Tyler Mitchell]

Forwarding to new list for archives

Begin forwarded message:

> From: Jeroen Ticheler <Jeroen at Ticheler.net>
> Date: October 9, 2007 12:58:49 PM PDT (CA)
> To: viscom-dev at lists.osgeo.org
> Subject: [Marketing] OSGeo Marketing Strategy part 2
> Reply-To: Marketing Discussion List <viscom-dev at lists.osgeo.org>
>
> Hi all,
> Thanks for the supporting messages! I really want this thing to be  
> a successful process with a lot of consensus, so if at any time you  
> feel I am missing the boat or ignoring relevant issues, please let  
> me know immediately!
>
> I had a lunch meeting on the topic again with the marketing/design  
> people I work(ed) with. I tried to explain what I thought were some  
> of the key objectives OSGeo should achieve in the coming year. I'll  
> list those here for comments and further discussion/refinement. We  
> agreed we'll get a first proposal together to assess what is  
> reasonably achievable considering the available budget. I have  
> indicated that in this whole process I need the community support  
> and as such the implementation of the work will be different then  
> when they deal with just me and a small GN community.
>
> Here's what I put up as goals (as I see them, considering what we  
> discussed in Victoria etc...)
>
> - In rough terms we have two groups OSGeo serves. (1) the developer  
> communities of the different projects, and (2) the user broader  
> community of geospatial applications. Both have a business  
> component to them; the first is to have a healthy community and  
> thus product, the second is a good, professional image that helps  
> drive business.
> - We take fairly good care of ourselves for what the developer  
> community concerns
> 	I suggested we do not forget this part of the community, but not  
> focus on it at this stage from the Marketing point of view.
> - We have to transfer a message of trust and professionalism to the  
> user community (the people, businesses and governments that buy the  
> services/ use the tools)
> 	Ingredients:
> 	- Healthy, well established projects that work in a professional  
> manner (PSC, workplans, release strategy, bug reporting and fixing,  
> etc..)
> 	- Intellectual Property issues are closely monitored and have been  
> evaluated for all core projects
> 	- High quality software, use of standards etc...
> 	- Coherence and collaboration between projects
> 	- Support and training from professional companies
> 	- Free and Open Source Software is not just source code, it is  
> about participation and true open collaboration. Hell with fake  
> open source ;-) , OSGeo is about real Free and Open Source  
> Software. Users have to be made aware of this in clear terms.
>
> 	I may have forgotten some things now...
>
> - We have to improve the visual identity that is reflected in the  
> web site, OSGeo journal, articles, flyers and conferences. This  
> goes beyond the OSGeo logo I think. (just to be clear, I will not  
> try to touch the logo because it is very good already!).
>
> Goals:
> 	- Have a message we can deliver to users that is convincing and  
> clear. They have to directly understand the benefits of using OSGeo  
> software over other solutions :-)
> 	- Be able to use the marketing materials to convince potential  
> sponsors of the benefits of joining OSGeo as a sponsor. "This is  
> what you get when you support in OSGeo", "Professionalism and  
> quality that benefits your business".
> 	- Be able to add at least 5 (!?) new, substantial OSGeo and/or  
> project sponsors to the list in the coming year.
> 	- Have a common visual identity (see above) with at least a folded  
> A3 size flyer that gives the key messages/ overview.
> 	- The materials will have to be available for translation by the  
> different local chapters. We have to be able to maintain / update  
> these materials.
>
> OK, I talked for an hour on this, so I for sure miss things in this  
> email, but I think I got the main components.
>
> I have suggested that when we get started, they (Birgit and Ines)  
> join the mailing list to participate in some of the discussion.
>
> Once I have an initial proposal from them, I'll get this back to  
> the list.
> Ciao,
> Jeroen
>
>
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Tyler Mitchell
Executive Director
Open Source Geospatial Foundation
tmitchell at osgeo.org
P: +1-250-277-1621
M: +1-250-303-1831