For those not subscribed to the marketing ML.  He makes an interesting point that we should keep in mind.  <div class="gmail_quote">---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Mike Feravolo <<a href="mailto:321.784.5553@earthlink.net">321.784.5553@earthlink.net</a>> Date: Tue, Feb 26, 2008 at 7:53 AM Subject: Re: [ubuntu-marketing] Meeting (Danny Piccirillo) To: <a href="mailto:ubuntu-marketing@lists.ubuntu.com">ubuntu-marketing@lists.ubuntu.com</a> Hello: I am not sure that I am going to make it to the Meeting Tonight, since I have a Chamber of Commerce Networking Group which meets on Tuesday Night. I  will leave the log the #ubuntu-meeting channel  so that I can see what's happening. I would like to add an observation which seem to apply across the board in selling Linux as a realistic solution to ordinary people: Most of the marketing effort is focused on the what free software does and not what free software does for them. Free Ubuntu CD's by request in the mail is awesome, so is selling them to OEM's for the cost of making them to distribute with new systems. However, Giving them out unsolicited to windows(r) users or to users of other Linux distros is a waste of money. The Linux users are already using free software and probably have already downloaded a copy of Ubuntu. The windows(r) user is either going to [at best] use it as a coaster or [ at worst] use it as an excuse to be afraid of it and run back to windows(r). Which means you either scaring a away the people that you need to sell to or selling to people that are already sold. I hope that I didn't hurt anyone's feeling here with my own real world observations, since I can only verify them from the last year or two of meeting people face to face at business networking functions in East Orlando and on Cocoa Beach. The bottom line here is printing a nice piece of paper, instead of CD's is more effective and a less expensive way to get the word out that Ubuntu is a great operating system. Mike Feravolo Cocoa Beach, Florida -- ubuntu-marketing mailing list <a href="mailto:ubuntu-marketing@lists.ubuntu.com">ubuntu-marketing@lists.ubuntu.com</a> Modify settings or unsubscribe at: <a href="https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-marketing" target="_blank">https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-marketing</a> </div>