Re: [Fsfe-uk] affs strategy [long]

[MJ Ray]

Richard Smedley <address@hidden> wrote:
> We need to think about who we should be approaching and 
> how. And we need to think about those two things in the
> light of having clear aims and objectives.

I think who to approach is going to differ depending on the issue, but there
definitely are some people that we should make ourselves known to in
general.  For the issue-based ones, we need the advice of the working groups
on that campaign.

I thought about what you wrote a bit earlier today and I'd like to suggest
that the campaigns are run as "mini-AFFS", possibly with their own mailing
lists, working with a co-ordinator who is appointed by and gives reports to
the committee.  Of course, this is the sort of general thing that will need
deciding at a meeting, most likely.  Hopefully campaigns can move by
consensus most of the time, just like I hope most issues for the org as a
whole are decided.

> [public image limited]
> To a certain extent we cannot control our image - we are a group of
> straightforward and honest hackers, not spin doctors. Nevertheless each
> time we contact the media, or a govt department, we present ourselves in a
> certain way.

If you want to be a spin doctor, try adapting the ideas from "Linuxmanship"
to advocating Free Software.  Having a "Key Messages" (urgh) type of page on
the site may be a good idea.  I think we need to do some work on the web
site, as you suggest.  Probably we need to fix a time to get enough of us in
the IRC channel and write a lot of it then.  First up, I'd like to see that
logo replaced by a more permanent vector-based development on the theme and
a general HTML template system introduced to ease maintenance.  As soon as
the financial setup is complete (letter on Tuesday said "up to 14 days"
which is not good), I can help with that if needed.

> [alliances]

I think these are issues mostly for campaigns, but any formal alliances need
to be agreed more generally.  We need to be careful about aligning ourselves
with particular companies involved in aspects of Free Software.  We should
probably avoid anything beyond minor sponsorship from the mainstream
suppliers (eg Red Hat, SuSE...) and definitely anything that would interfere
with supporting groups like Debian.

> [our community]
> The community of Free Software users and developers in the
> UK is fragmented. We need to act as resource centre and 
> voice (where accepted) for that community in order to 
> build it up.

Rather, I think we need to support that community in linking up and finding
their voice.  We should attempt to amplify rather than direct.  Initially,
that is going to mean working on the beliefs of a smallish group of people,
but as we get more members, it will become more representative of the
thoughtful views, I hope.  Probably naïve.

> Do we also intend to host/support developers' meetings? Launch a
> directory?

Support rather than host, I suspect, but it will depend what people bring to
us.  A directory may be a good move, but I've not researched current
offerings at all yet.

> Should we have an affs-announce list [...]

Yes, and it should be generated from the web site's update process.

> Web presence - our front page should be aimed at the people at whom we are
> lobbying. Front page links should go to press info; FS info; community
> - for our membership; education; directory; business resources...

Yes, apart from some "membership" links, it probably needs to be aimed at
conversion/evangelism as much as recruitment.

-- 
MJR ,----------------------------------------------------
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