Re: [gugmasters] How many GUG are they?

[Dave Neary <dneary gnome org>]

Hi,

Frederic Muller wrote:
> Knowing that GUGs need to sign a document with the GNOME Foundation I
> was wondering if we could tap into this resource to extend our marketing
> reach.

GUGs don't *need* to sign the document, but they should if they want to
use the trademark in ways which are licenced in the community trademark
license. Trademarks suck in general, and honestly I'm divided as to
whether the foundation should even bother expending any resources
protecting it.

I don't know how many people have signed that agreement, or even where
email notifications are sent for those that do. I guess we could find out...

> I also feel the GUG concept can be a difficult one to implement for the
> people undertaking it and even with a signed document we're pretty lose
> on how the implementation is done.
> 
> Should we revamp the concept?

Perhaps... I have argued in the past that as a foundation we need to be
providing tools that people can use to promote GNOME, and a place where
people who are doing work can co-operate:
http://www.slideshare.net/nearyd/marketing-gnome-presentation

This presentation was accompanied by some notes:
http://blogs.gnome.org/bolsh/2007/02/25/fosdem/ - the core message was
to get people beyond meta discussions & concentrate on what we have,
what we need centrally, and what we need to encourage people to do in a
distributed way. I realise that saying "Go! Write about GNOME!" isn't
going to make it happen, though - this is where GUGs come in as a local
place where interested parties can go along & slowly work up to getting
involved. Perhaps LinkedIn & Facebook groups have superceded the idea at
this stage... but I am a firm believer in the value of meeting people
face to face as a step to greater engagement.

I still think that most of the things I talked about in that
presentation are true. If we can centralise a contact management system,
but decentralise adding people to it, centralise a calendar, but
decenralise the adding of events, centralise fundraising & decentralise
the spending of those funds, centralise presentation resources, but
recruit & train people into presenting GNOME locally, we have a
potential to motivate a global community of advocates.

Cheers,
Dave.

-- 
Dave Neary
GNOME Foundation member
dneary gnome org