[Fedora-marketing-list] M-L proposal

[Alex Maier]

On 1/8/07, Chitlesh GOORAH <chitlesh at fedoraproject.org> wrote:
> On 1/8/07, Alex Maier <lxmaier at gmail.com> wrote:
> > +1
>
> I think It's a very bad idea to merge contributors and users.
> The other mailing lists are being merged for a specific reason, core
> and extras are being merged.
> Here, there is a different use of these 2 mailing lists(ambassadors,marketing).

A bit of history here for all who's got a second to read this.

The Marketing list was created originally with the same idea in
mind--to promote (market) Fedora. As the list was just a list, and did
not have a governing body or a mission statement, it eventually became
what it is now--a discussion forum, not a group that was able to
accomplish goals. And that is what it still is.

When the time came, and deeds were asked, the Marketing list was not
able to deliver, and the Ambassadors group was created.

Since then, the Ambassadors went on to accomplish a lot of stuff, and
the Marketing list is still a list.

The question arises, what exactly is the point of the list, if most
Ambassadors are its members and the only people who are empowered to
take any action on whatever is discussed on the Marketing list?

> The ambassadors list is a mailing list intended for committed fedora
> contributors willing to help in marketing fedora and its projects.
> Whereas marketing list is the playground where we should encourage
> fedora users to propose/publish their comments.

Please note that it is almost exactly the same group of people
discussing on both lists. The Ambassadors group is a very open one,
and hurdles to joining are extremely low--I think all interested
parties (those who wish to contribute to Fedora by brainstorming
"marketing" ideas) could be quite easily integrated into the
Ambassadors group.

> Having a separate mailing list for ambassadors makes it a special
> project. People want to join that special group and in the end this
> creates man power for various linux events. Ambassadors list is where
> serious discussions (concerning events) are taken place. If anyone
> pokes in, it will be a real chaos.

No users beyond this point please?

I strongly believe in openness and meritocracy. So far, we have 193
members in the Ambassadors group--pretty much enough people to create
all the chaos you can take. And yet, we're pretty good at organizing
ourselves and policing the few rules we have.

Inviting an additional hundred or two into the group will not make the
project weaker. The Ambassadors are not a "special" force who preach
onto the footfolk. We ARE the footfolk, we ARE the users, and if we
are not ready to talk with the users and on their level, we have no
reason and right to talk to them at all.

> Greg's dream of having Ambassadors spreading the fedora word might
> lose its quality.

Greg had a dream... Oh well, let Greg correct me if I am wrong.

/me bows before Greg