Newsletter 4: Marketing

2002-03-05

Marketing would seem antithetical to Open Source but it isn't. In fact, Open Source is itself a kind of marketing strategy. Yet skeptics abound, as a recent article suggesting Linux could do with marketing indicates. But OpenOffice.org is way ahead of them. Our Marketing Project was created by community members six months ago and is now one of the most active and popular projects and includes people from all corners of the world interested in making OpenOffice.org succeed.

And it needs you. As project co-lead Josh Berkus has signaled to the OpenOffice.org discuss mailing list, the Marketing Project needs people--regular endusers as well as developers--to work together to get the word out about OpenOffice.org, and especially OpenOffice.org 1.0.

Is this a one-time thing? We think not. Rather, it seems that marketing an Open Source project, especially OpenOffice.org, is here to stay. Why? because although we might expect Open Source technology to spread by example, it is only by being coordinated and logical in our endeavors that we can hope to attract governments, corporations, and universities. Otherwise, they may dally with it--but be persuaded by the FUD generated by Redmond, and by the general apprehension over things truly democratic.

So consider helping out as best you can, even if--especially if!--that best is reading over and correcting documents and press releases.

-Louis Suárez-Potts

Community Manager