Peru and Microsoft announcement

[Samuel Klein]

Hi Pia,

On Tue, Sep 16, 2008 at 5:57 PM, Pia Waugh <greebo at pipka.org> wrote:

> <quote who="Edward Cherlin">
>> This would be even more useful as the basis for an article or
>> editorial in one or more of the computer magazines or Web sites, or a
>> fact-filled press release. All of the media people I have talked with
>> say they would like to hear from OLPC.
>>
>> We don't have to frame it as us vs. them. We can just announce the
>> state of current deployments, and discuss plans for future deployments
>> and G1G1, including whatever can be said in public about the Microsoft
>> trials. Everybody wants to know what's up with the Amazon deal, too.

We could have a formulaic "please check out our latest public
announcements" email, and a list that media orgs can sign up to to
receive regular pointers to longer announcements.  Something between
the sporadic Press Release and the detailed weekly community-news
blurbs.


> I believe there is an internal newsletter, why doesn't OLPC have a monthly
> public news feed that is on the main website that talks about stuff
> happening which would give the world (and community trying to support OLPC)
> the information we all need :) The amount of times I've had people both from
> the FOSS community and the general community ask me what is going on is
> crazy, and damaging. And I'm not even on the inside, I'm just involved with
> some regional projects!

As mentioned elsewhere, we have a community-news list
(http://lists.laptop.org/listinfo/community-news),  but it only goes
out to some 2000 people.  It might be valuable to have a list for
shorter, more specific announcements that includes a regular link to
the community-news archive, and any major essays or press pieces,
which we can broadcast to a much larger audience.

> If it is any help, Im sure there are many people in the community who would
> be happy to help (including me) with something like this, with keeping the
> general public and community informed in a more public fashion. There is
> generally a lot of good will towards the project around the world but real
> and positive public information is key to maintaining that good will.

This is a good point.  For instance, it would be useful to post and
wikify the community-news archives on the wiki (this would both give
them much higher google rank and help highlight red-links for a number
of efforts, deployments, or concepts that deserve public descriptions
but don't have their own page yet on our wiki).

SJ