[Ubuntu-be] installation cd's & funding: questions

[Mark Van den Borre]

Hi list,

The Belgian locoteam is facing a challenge. One of the main things we
do is provide people with an installation cd, a demonstration and
installation help. It's getting difficult to give everyone who is
interested a copy, given the circumstances[1].

A few possible solutions. If your have more ideas, please tell both
ubuntu-be at lists.ubuntu.com and loco-contacts at lists.ubuntu.com about
them!

* Set even higher standards about whom to give out a copy to.
Reluctant to do so. We already only hand them out to those who have
listened to us for a few minutes
* Find more sponsors to buy pressed CD's or to press a localised
version ourselves. Reluctant to do so. Adds complexity. Needs backing
from a formal organisation (a partner or setting up our own).
* Cut the CD handouts altogether. Reluctant to do so. It's our main
selling point (well... giving point).
* Encourage people to burn their own cd's at our booth. This looks
like the easiest solution & might work best. Needs more burning
equipment, though.

Eager to hear your suggestions!

Mark

[1]
* We participated to 9 fairs during the last 4 months and are planning
a similar run the coming months.
* We buy CD-R's and burn them ourselves to lessen the pressure on
Canonical Shipit.
* Friendly companies & individuals donate the booth rent.
* We happily encourage voluntary donations from booth visitors.
* We pay a non-profit booth rent at fairs on the condition of not
selling any hardware or software.
* Selling cd's, even if it were possible, would not be a pleasant
volunteer experience, especially since a significant part of the
audience have heard they can get Ubuntu for free from shipit. We are
perceived to have privileged access to shipit ("official locoteam")
more than we actually have.
* To this day, we received about 1500 cd's from shipit. Still grateful
for every single one of those. Only this source seems to have dried up
since our latest shipit request for cd's for the upcoming fairs was
denied.
-- 
Mark Van den Borre
Noormannenstraat 113
3000 Leuven, België
+32 486 961726