On 2/17/06, Sacha Chua <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Well, we can always rebrand or recycle it for other groups. Targeting
> an article for a specific audience is nice because it makes the target
> group feel warm and fuzzy, and it reassures them that their needs will
> be addressed. I'm all for making a primer specifically for
> journalists, even if it just means adding a couple of
> journalist-specific things such as people to ask if the journalist
> needs a good quote under time pressure.
i don't have problems with that. the issue i'm trying to raise is:
what specifically is in the article that warrants the title to be
called ``for journalists?'' or did i miss that part?
i'm a chemist, and if i see something like ``a linux primer for
chemists,'' other that seeing things like what is linux and all the
intro, i better darn see something like, ``crystallography under
linux, or data analysis under linux, or molecular drawing programs for
linux,'' or something like that.
if you are going to make something target a particular group, it
should address that group's needs and sentiments, shouldn't it?
> I'm also in favor of making primers for biophysicists and other people
> who might want to learn about open source. Sure, they can read the
> general "What is Open Source?" articles scattered all over the
> Internet, but they'd be more attracted to something written
> specifically for them.
which is why for a short article like this, it might as well be a
press release. i'm in favor of writing a primer for biophysicists,
astronomers, and other scientists. but heck, most of them are probably
already using linux or some other unix variant, especially those
involved in computations.
> Think of it this way: there's an O'Reilly book on Perl for
> bioinformatics! How cool is that? =)
that is to be expected. there's a turbo pascal for chemist, a fortran
iv for chemists, a numerical methods for chemists. and chemists who
involved in computation also get in the fortran vs c vs c++ debate..
it's nothing new for a field to publish books when it is applied to
other discipline. the reason there's a perl for bioinformatics is
because they process tons and tons of text data.
> We need something for local flavor. When it comes to press releases,
> the facts are not as important as the people behind them. A primer for
> journalists isn't a static, standalone document. It is an invitation
> to ask more questions. They need to be able to skim through things and
> get a clear idea of the issues (particularly common misconceptions
> like free software = open source = Linux!). Journalists need to feel
a primer does not have to make a political statement. add more meat to
the article, address issues journalists have about linux, foss, plug,
etc, show journalist how they can benefit from linux, what they can
get out of it, how they can use it, tell them ``support'' is available
in the form of a community, etc, etc, then call it a primer. sure we
need local flavor. but why would a journalist want to know whether SM
is using linux or not? unless probably they are writing something
about OS use in the business environment. wouldn't businesses be more
interested in knowing that? right, a journalist might write an article
about which business uses what os to probably promote linux and open
source, but he can't keep on writing the same article over and over.
and isn't a press release also an invitaion to ask more questions?
that's what i would do if i were a journalist.
> appreciate having resources chosen for them by an expert who is
> willing to answer questions and guide them to more resources.
providing a list of contact person is probably one thing that would be
very helpful to anyone reading the article.
> Heck, I might know a bit about Linux but I _still_ find the wealth of
> information on the Internet bewildering. =)
but the better journalist know the good sources from bad ones. and
that's what journalists thrive on: information. but so does everybody.
i know very little about linux, but i don't find information on the
internet bewildering. i find it amazing that a lot of people read a
lot of other crap that other people write. and i'm educated enough to
know the useful from the useless. so, really, for a particular
subject, you might find a whole ton of information, but only a handful
of them are usually useful.
cheers.
--
House: ``But, as the philosopherJagger once said, 'You can't always
get what you want.'''
Cuddy (later in episode): ``Oh, I looked into that philosopher you
quoted-Jagger. And you're right, you can't always get what you want.
But as it turns out, If you try sometimes, you get what you need.''
- House, pilot episode
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