Reapproval time

[Melissa Draper]

On Sun, 2010-03-07 at 12:55 +1100, Ferdinand Lehnard wrote:
> Dear Melissa,
> 
> not being a team member yet I am looking to spread the word. Talking
> with teachers, parents and friends about Ubuntu, installing Ubuntu for
> friends to have a trial etc., help them as good as I can with
> troubleshooting, that's the way I try to win people for UBUNTU. Also
> for professional applications as far as suitable, we plan in next
> future to install embedded Ubuntu or other LINUX OS on industrial
> tablet PCs.
> 
> Well I have some criticism, first, I have to say that for a long time
> the home page was looking deserted. There were still news from 2007 or
> 2008 on - even we had already 2009.

Various people have gained enough trust to get access to the website, as
you can probably tell by the people who've published news items there in
the past. When it was really active was when there were regular
meetings, until those got drowned out of existence.

> After that I didn't had a look on the web page for a longer time, just
> recently I was coming back and had seen some improvement. The
> membership application seems still to be difficult. I am still not
> sure whether I did it right, because I did not heard anything anymore
> from the Ubuntu team, the membership is still pending. I launched the
> application on the Ubuntu Australia Launchpad, but there I stay for
> now more or less 3 month as pending. A previous membership application
> end 2007 just disappeared. Is it because my email address is ending
> with .web.de which suggest I am from Germany? Yes I am from Germany,
> but living and working in Australia since more than 3 years now. I
> just kept my private email, because all my international friends knows
> it and I am too lazy to change everything around. You all are locked
> up with your job and it's hard find time for other things, may be
> that's the reason that it takes such long for membership approvals.
> But it is a kind of respect to give the applicants a short notice that
> the approval is received and/or in process and that it will take some
> time.

As I've previously stated, I generally don't do stuff with the launchpad
team. If when you submitted the application in 2009 there was no info
about where you are in your profile, then you probably just got left in
the queue. I really can't answer beyond that.

> In regard to Trade Shows, Expos, demos etc. there should be some
> general marketing plan in place. That also will give the local teams
> here in Australia a kind of guideline and help to make their work more
> efficient. Whom we want to target, governmental and community
> authorities, educational institutions, students, elderly people,
> professionals or private users in general or whom else?

There is no definitive "marketing plan" handed to us on a platter, no.
We're supposed to forge that locally based on what we know of the local
audience. This isn't a professional group. It is a 100% volunteer-run
group.

> Depending on each individual user group we have to start to work out
> the needs that people have and compare it with what we can offer. Out
> of that we can start to work on marketing strategies. In my opinion we
> have to tailor first a general marketing strategy and than fork it to
> reach the different user groups with different approaches. We can not
> just put them all in one pot, we have to see their individual
> requirements.

If you want to draw up an action plan, feel free. That's the kind of
thing folks should be contributing to the team. However remember that
you're dealing with volunteers.

> A further, for me very important aspect is, to be not just focused on
> Ubuntu, sorry to say it, that is for the most of the users just an
> alternative OS system to get the PC running, what people really want
> that are the applications which are going with the respective OS
> system. Coming from the MS world, they are not used that there is a
> bundle of user packages bundled with the OS. Even UBUNTU is free, we
> have to see it as a product we have to sell and act accordingly.

We focus on Ubuntu because that's what the project we are involved with
is.

Other projects, like Open Office, GIMP, etc, have their own communities.
Feel free to participate in those communities alongside Ubuntu, but
don't expect us, the Ubuntu team, to run around gushing about another
project.

> Seeing it from the professional point of view, if you are able to
> present aside the already achieved results a marketing plan, with
> goals, scheduled achievements and supporting activities it should be
> fine.

Looking from a professional point of view is all fine and dandy, but you
have to realise that the LoCo Team are local community volunteers. The
key word is volunteers. Hard and fast meetings, micromanaging, deadlines
etc are not compatible with how most volunteer groups work.

> I am not sure whether you already have a Australian marketing team or
> not. I am looking to contribute with marketing ideas and support. I
> would appreciate if you could inform me in regard to the contact of
> the Australian Marketing team.

There is no "Australian Marketing team" as such. There is this team, the
Australian Local Community Team. We don't have a budget of any kind. We
do what events and activities people have time and resource to do. That
is all we can do.

> Sorry, that I could not really give an answer you are looking for, but
> take it as an input, 
> 
> Ferdi
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Melissa Draper <melissa at meldraweb.com>
> To: ubuntu-au at lists.ubuntu.com
> Subject: Reapproval time
> Date: Sat, 06 Mar 2010 21:23:35 +1100
> 
> Greetings,
> 
> Apparently some time next month (TBA) the team will be going through an
> approval process with the LoCo Council. 
> 
> Since we've not had proper meetings for a while and I've not been the
> type to micromanage, you all tend do your thing under the auspices of
> the team without any documentation.
> 
> So this thread is your invitation to note what you've done as a
> participant of this team.
> 
> While "converted acquaintance/friend/relative to ubuntu" are good
> things, they're really not useful here. Trade shows, expos, talks,
> demos, etc are the kinds of things I'm guessing that the LoCo Council
> will be looking for.
> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> Melissa Draper
> 
> w: http://meldraweb.com & http://geekosophical.net
> p: +61 4 0472 2736
> 
> 


-- 
Melissa Draper

w: http://meldraweb.com & http://geekosophical.net
p: +61 4 0472 2736