On 17 October 2011 00:17, Shane Curcuru <a...@shanecurcuru.org> wrote:
> This is a specific issue that is important to understand: > > > On 10/16/2011 5:25 PM, Ian Lynch wrote: > >> On 16 October 2011 21:42, Alexandro Colorado<j...@openoffice.org> wrote: >> >> On Sun, Oct 16, 2011 at 3:31 PM, Ross Gardler<rgardler@** >>> opendirective.com <rgard...@opendirective.com> >>> >>>> wrote: >>>> >>> >>> Just a meta-observation. Generally it is better to define things >>>> that need to be done >>>> >>> >>> >> One thing I think needs doing is to get some promotional videos on You >> tube >> and get them further promoted through the community. If they get a lot of >> hits we can even earn from advertising as well as getting the word out. I >> am >> pretty busy at the moment but if there is a lull I'll take a look at what >> is >> on You Tube OOo related. >> > ...snip... > > When you say "...we can even earn from advertising...", what specifically > are you thinking of? > I have made a couple of videos promoting FOSS and other projects. I got notified by Google that if I'm willing to let people advertise around them they will pay - obviously it depends on whether the videos get viewed a lot or not. > > I think this is an area where the ASF's rules and best practices differ > significantly from how OOo has been run in the past, so it would be good to > start a serious conversation on this before too long. > Given the Apache rules I'd see this as an activity outside the scope of Apache but that could be reported in terms of outcomes within it. Apache would have no money coming in so it would not affect the legal side of things at all. It could be simply me doing it and making a donation to a marketing fund held entirely outside Apache but that paid for say Google Ads - effectively Google Ads with AOO would be fuelling Google Ads associated with AOO :-) It's just an idea at the moment, nothing more. We could just do promtional videos without the ads, but to me that's missing an opportunity. In terms of official project actions, all official fundraising at the ASF is > handled via fundraising@, and the ASF does not accept targeted donations, > only donations to the Foundation as a whole. Which is why I proposed having the fundraising part entirely outside Apache. It could be a separate not for profit called eg Friends of OpenOffice (FOO) or something. > Projects are certainly welcome to get the word out about the ASF and about > their work - we love our projects that do the extra work to clearly > articulate their software and their ideas to the world. But any fundraising > activities by projects need to be for the ASF overall, and cannot be just > for the project. > I fully understand this which is why I'm not proposing making the fundraising bit part of Apache. However, I don't see any legal reason why marketing volunteers in the PPMC could not voluntarily take part in something outside Apache while still taking an interest in Apache. Keep the finance outside but transparent. If there is a mechanism preferred for keeping funding in the general Apache pot then do it that way. > Thinking about it another way: why does the AOOo project need to make > money? Really - what needs does the AOOo project have that the ASF is not > / does not appear to be handling? > Why does anyone need money? Marketing costs money to even seed things like T-shirts, travel to conferences etc. In the past we have even struggled to take CDs to shows for the sake of small amounts of money. If you are saying Apache is awash with funds and can finance all these things directly..... The mechanism for getting the money into the project is not so important, but money is a resource, just like volunteers so the more of it we have the better. -- Ian Ofqual Accredited IT Qualifications (The Schools ITQ) www.theINGOTs.org +44 (0)1827 305940 The Learning Machine Limited, Reg Office, 36 Ashby Road, Tamworth, Staffordshire, B79 8AQ. Reg No: 05560797, Registered in England and Wales.
