Two ideas, and neither need to be done, they are just ideas.
a) do a tour of "groups" and "social networks".
b) additional branding to the name.
c) "releases" that are not "full releases" but "enhancement between releases"
releases. :)
To expand:
a) set up Yahoo groups accounts in various languages. Set up Facebook
accounts similarly. Also Twitter.
The PROBLEM: When these are done there might be a flurry of activity, but
then somebody/or a team of somebodies, will have to commit themselves to the
LONG HAUL of keeping the sites "fresh" with new content, etc. on a regular,
basis with not much "lag" between times so that the person who looked at it
and then went back a while later does not see an "old" site.
But, poco a poco, se va lejos! :)
b) Trisquel is a fine name, but for english speaking people, at least, it has
to be "explained".
3M is known by many folks, as the people who make "Scotch tape" and "yellow
sticky notes". However the name was changed only AFTER the company was a
world wide presence. The name used to be Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing
company.
That name informed the viewer very quickly where the company was and what it
did.
GE: brings good things to life, used to be "General Electric". But again,
the branding was changed after the company was already a world wide player.
So.... the question then is, for Trisquel .......what does the name "mean"?
a) it is "Linux" so that already means it is "free". The problem being what
does "free" mean, a lot of people in Linux STILL think it means "free as in
no cost" but also "free to change(which is better)" so just adding the word
"free" wouldn't do much to make the "brand" stick out.
b) Changing the name completely, as in "Mandrake" to "Mandriva" is not a very
qood idea, to me, at least because the name already has a history.
So the addition of a "term" might be an idea to attract attention when it is
featured in the middle of the Distro Watch page when there is a new release.
So two items again:
c) add a term to the name
d) release more often.
c) "free" is common throughout Linuxdom so what about the "Libre" term. It
means "free" in just about any language but also has the "cache" of "Libre
software".
So a thought might be:
e) NOT:
Trisquel; Libre Linux
but rather:
Trisquel - a Libre Linux.
That might get people who really had not "thought" about it before to
thinking about it..."Hmmmm, what IS Libre anyway?" and it immediaely
associates Trisquel with "Software Libre", etc.
f) Increasing the number of releases. Something that has really occured to
me the last few months is the number of times I see a Linux right smack in
the middle of DistroWatch with a big release and down in the text I see
something like:
"This isn't a major release, but it is a cleanup of some small things that
the community brought up", You will see a better integration of the sound
system with..etc. etc."
So, instead of "storing things up" for a "release" it would be "featured" at
DW four times a year or three times, or whatever, for free and it really
would have a valid reason for being so.
And then, once a year, or whenever, there could be a full bore release.
Just some thoughts.
janus
