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====== Promotion of Linux and FLOSS - brainstorm ======

(FLOSS - free liberal open source software)

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(Please help to improve.)
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===== General =====
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First become more clear about your intentions, target, and (kind of) users you'd like to reach.
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  * Which are your main points of interest, which applications, technics, ...
  * Do you want to promote politics (free software model) additional to technical matters ?
  * Do you intend to reach non-political users ("mainstream") too ?
  * Where and how promote it ?
  * What are your personal capabilities, what is possible with the community, with support only, what is impossible ?
  * Why promote at all ?

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===== Possible reasons for the promotion of Linux =====
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  * You want to spread the idea of the open software model.
  * You want to increase the userbase, because that means more support for both, users and developers.
  * More (professional) users means more digital products are produced with FLOSS (music, software, graphics, ...) thus increasing general acceptance and proving quality.
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===== How to reach the audience =====

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  * Social platforms (twitter, facebook, ..)
  * Forums, web-pages, blogs, IRC, Chat, Messenger-Public-Rooms
  * Linux Magazines, Print media
  * Web-Video (make tutorials, introductions, explain, ..)
  * Radio and Podcast
  * "Mouth-to-mouth" propaganda, conversation
  * Flyer (spread in studios, universities, restaurants, bars, clubs, township administration ...)


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===== Possible reasons to use FLOSS =====
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  * It works for the things you need / like to do and is stable.
  * You consider freedom and independence as important
  * You like the community
  * FLOSS permits better decision, how much and what to support financially
  * You're able to add and contribute in many ways
  * You can't bear the "enter your 16 digit serial number", registration and copy protection stuff anymore
  * You want to be sure, that the application does not disappear, that the file formats are known/open, that your data stays accessible
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===== How can developers support the acceptance =====

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  * make the software intuitive for new users (logical GUI and configuration)
  * add pop-up hints, explain things in context, make keyboard-shortcuts obvious
  * have a good web-page pointing to (community-) support and giving important hints
  * listen to the users and their difficulties, try to improve their experience

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===== Tools for promotion =====
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**Graphic tools**
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  * Inkscape (svg, vector graphics)
  * Gimp (image processing, pixel graphics)
  * Scribus (DTP)
  * Quanta Plus (web-page editor)
  * KompoZer (web-page editor)
  * CSSed (CSS style-sheet editor)
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