Re: A Meeting with a Mission

["Patrick Wagstrom" <patrick wagstrom net>]

On 8/6/07, Sriram Ramkrishna <sri aracnet com> wrote:

> If this team is acting as an agent for GNOME on merchandising, then we
> need to keep the board informed regularly, and of course, when we get to
> the business end of things, ask the board to approve any agreements and
> sign any contracts. Beyond that, I don't see trademark issues being that
> important.

It's good to know all the same from the onset.  Feel free to take it out of the agenda.

I'd disagree.  There still are many ways that the marketing team can work with merchandising GNOME that need to be addressed.  For example, collecting designs, letting people know about standard presentations, providing references to successful user groups, advertising that we do this, etc.  As someone who has been trying to figure out how to do a "simple" thing like sell t-shirts at a conference, I can we need people on the marketing team to look at these issues.

Besides, KDE has a decent amount of swag you can order online.  The number of Windows t-shirts you see folks wearing is appalling.  At work you see people wearing Google shirts all the time even though they're a competitor.  Finally, let's face it, your hipster apple shirt just isn't as hip anymore now that they've partnered with the same company that delivers your data directly to the NSA.  If I'm going to wear a t-shirt on it it should serve one of three purposes: 1. be very witty and make me look smart, 2. attract fair members of the opposite sex, 3. proclaim truths about something I'm passionate about. Doing one of these is not that hard, two gets complicated, and if you can do all three, well then, you'd be a hero.  GNOME needs more heroes.  (yes, this paragraph is mainly in jest, but you get the picture)

--Patrick