[Fsfe-ie] I complained to RTE about including Vista release on the 9o'clock news

[Janet Hawtin]

Hi folks

If free software is to be associated with great community values and
with good software which people can use, that is the message we need
to send.

Imagine if the message sent did not suggest that the journalists were
bad or uninformed but gave them the information about great community
and software which could be used as a counterpoint story.

Imagine if it was a cooperative farmer sending in a complaint that the
news folk know nothing about crop rotation in response to an article
which a commercial supplier had sent with nice pictures and good copy.

We have a lot to offer. Sometimes it is easy to forget to offer it in
a way which is news palatable. Short interesting facts and images
which would be interesting to non computer folk.  Take a mob to see
happy feet and give out software or someone is bound to be doing
computer recycling and giving to folks - nice human interest stuff. We
need to offer the alternative.

I do it too. In fact I am a shocker at having a good rant. But I am
trying to reform =) Sometimes advocacy and passion are hard to unpack
to the point that
we make best impact. I am trying to test things on my mum. If she
doesnt get it then I am still wide of the mark, or speaking in a fossy
way which wont make an impression on folks who dont get crop rotation.

Pia Waugh once said when we were talking about penguin designs that we
do not make evil penguins. She is great at doing good press stuff on
foss.
This is Pia's personal blog but follow the posts down for some great interviews.
http://pipka.org/blog/
She did one in a newspaper with sword which was nifty but I havent found it.
http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;1585810409;pp;1

Cheers

Janet