Re: [ubuntu-uk] [marketing] A lesson in marketing - Congo condoms - Ted5 minute video
On Thu, 2011-09-22 at 22:15 +0100, alan c wrote: On 22/09/11 18:06, paul sutton wrote: If a friend complains their computer has a virus, ask what is a virus?,and say you use Ubuntu and never have that issue, offer to dual boot their computer or at least boot a live cd and recover that essential file, they a) leave happy, b) get a good impression of how ubuntu (or any linux) is a good thing, and c) hopefully ask for it to be installed. The timescales in such a situation can be quite long. I am in contact with a lot of Windows users at perpetual novice level, and if they know me they seem to regard my knowledge with some awe (which is touching because as Ubuntu users go I am on the novice side of experienced). However, people -simply- -do- -not- -believe- what I say and what others say, about, say Ubuntu. I have a friend who I worked with before we both retired some years ago. He was/is a mathematician and engineer. He was senior to me in technical matters. It took literally *several* years, until his XP laptop ground to a halt, before he was prepared to accept my help to make a dual boot machine. He now uses only the Ubuntu os. The turning point was a conversation, when I (again) (tactfully) mentioned the Ubuntu alternative. He suddenly said 'I HATE' Windows! He said he had another friend who was saying the *opposite* to what I was saying. That if he could not do Windows, then Linux was NOT for him (the 'L' word again) He trusted us both. And had a conflict of direction. His existing XP at least was familiar. So, we live in a situation where only complete desperation will prompt users to risk change. Then they need a lot of hand holding because at every turn they are faced with a Windows user prompting them to stay in the club. This is more than a monopoly of retail supply, there is a long term effect, fed I guess from Microsoft and their very skillful marketing people. There is psychology and emotional issues. Part of the effect arises from users being and feeling unable to understand or control what happens. They get to feel helpless. Things go wrong as they try to go through hoops, and they get frightened. And stay frightened. They get so un confident that it really takes an exceptional friend and exceptional situation to prompt a change. -- alan cocks Ubuntu user I have managed one convert and one potential convert in the last two weeks by using the try it on an old machine approach. The first person is a member of a computer club where I help out. He had an old Acer laptop that originally had Vista on it, and ran so slow that it was almost unusable. 48 hours after installing 10.04 he sent me an email saying he was delighted with the revitalised machine and asked for me to put Ubuntu on his desktop and also on his Win7 net book, which he says runs too slow. The second potential convert is a young work colleague who is attempting his own install of 11.04 this weekend. I will have to wait until Monday to find out how successful he was. I hope that they will tell others about their experiences and encourage them to give Ubuntu a try. I also have a spare laptop running 11.04 that I offer to loan to people who express an interest in Ubuntu so that they can try it at full speed with no perceived risk to their own machines. I find that Windows users do not fully trust the live CD concept; to them a CD = Install Software. It helps to get past their initial fears. Barry T -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] [marketing] A lesson in marketing - Congo condoms -Ted5 minute video
As someone who made the switch under a year ago, I can testify the amount you learn. I used to know little to nothing, but not - not an expert, but I know a substantial amount, learning for some people can be the switching point. Nick -- -Original Message- From: Barry Titterton barry.titter...@mail.adsl4less.com Sender: ubuntu-uk-boun...@lists.ubuntu.com Date: Fri, 23 Sep 2011 22:55:23 To: UK Ubuntu Talkubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com Reply-To: UK Ubuntu Talk ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com Subject: Re: [ubuntu-uk] [marketing] A lesson in marketing - Congo condoms - Ted5 minute video On Thu, 2011-09-22 at 22:15 +0100, alan c wrote: On 22/09/11 18:06, paul sutton wrote: If a friend complains their computer has a virus, ask what is a virus?,and say you use Ubuntu and never have that issue, offer to dual boot their computer or at least boot a live cd and recover that essential file, they a) leave happy, b) get a good impression of how ubuntu (or any linux) is a good thing, and c) hopefully ask for it to be installed. The timescales in such a situation can be quite long. I am in contact with a lot of Windows users at perpetual novice level, and if they know me they seem to regard my knowledge with some awe (which is touching because as Ubuntu users go I am on the novice side of experienced). However, people -simply- -do- -not- -believe- what I say and what others say, about, say Ubuntu. I have a friend who I worked with before we both retired some years ago. He was/is a mathematician and engineer. He was senior to me in technical matters. It took literally *several* years, until his XP laptop ground to a halt, before he was prepared to accept my help to make a dual boot machine. He now uses only the Ubuntu os. The turning point was a conversation, when I (again) (tactfully) mentioned the Ubuntu alternative. He suddenly said 'I HATE' Windows! He said he had another friend who was saying the *opposite* to what I was saying. That if he could not do Windows, then Linux was NOT for him (the 'L' word again) He trusted us both. And had a conflict of direction. His existing XP at least was familiar. So, we live in a situation where only complete desperation will prompt users to risk change. Then they need a lot of hand holding because at every turn they are faced with a Windows user prompting them to stay in the club. This is more than a monopoly of retail supply, there is a long term effect, fed I guess from Microsoft and their very skillful marketing people. There is psychology and emotional issues. Part of the effect arises from users being and feeling unable to understand or control what happens. They get to feel helpless. Things go wrong as they try to go through hoops, and they get frightened. And stay frightened. They get so un confident that it really takes an exceptional friend and exceptional situation to prompt a change. -- alan cocks Ubuntu user I have managed one convert and one potential convert in the last two weeks by using the try it on an old machine approach. The first person is a member of a computer club where I help out. He had an old Acer laptop that originally had Vista on it, and ran so slow that it was almost unusable. 48 hours after installing 10.04 he sent me an email saying he was delighted with the revitalised machine and asked for me to put Ubuntu on his desktop and also on his Win7 net book, which he says runs too slow. The second potential convert is a young work colleague who is attempting his own install of 11.04 this weekend. I will have to wait until Monday to find out how successful he was. I hope that they will tell others about their experiences and encourage them to give Ubuntu a try. I also have a spare laptop running 11.04 that I offer to loan to people who express an interest in Ubuntu so that they can try it at full speed with no perceived risk to their own machines. I find that Windows users do not fully trust the live CD concept; to them a CD = Install Software. It helps to get past their initial fears. Barry T -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/ -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] [marketing] A lesson in marketing - Congo condoms - Ted5 minute video
A nice analogy, if not a bit dirty-minded, but we won't judge ;). The problem with Linux is that we always take it, take the patent infringements, take the lies, the barrage that Microsoft put upon us. Microsoft said that Linux infringes on its patents and tells that around, when in fact - it didn't. It used that as a marketing tool to stop it from getting share. I'm pretty sure they attempted to sue, but it was declared non-copyrightable code. Linus Torvalds should sue the living hell off of Microsoft for all they've done. That is, if my information is all correct, and that they would lose in court, as I am not a lawyer/solicitor etc, so I do not know. Please feel free to correct me and tell me any legal standings between them :). Nick. -- -Original Message- From: alan c aecl...@candt.waitrose.com Sender: ubuntu-uk-boun...@lists.ubuntu.com Date: Thu, 22 Sep 2011 12:01:41 To: British Ubuntu Talkubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com Reply-To: UK Ubuntu Talk ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com Subject: [ubuntu-uk] [marketing] A lesson in marketing - Congo condoms - Ted 5 minute video When something (sex) is a must have, then even the valuable life saving benefits of condoms need a real world marketing strategy. I found it fascinating to translate some of this situation towards FLOSS marketing. One nice difference of course, is that condoms actually are available there, in the shops, unlike Ubuntu PCs! Amy Lockwood: Selling condoms in the Congo http://bit.ly/qxTHCP -- alan cocks Ubuntu user -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/ -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] [marketing] A lesson in marketing - Congo condoms - Ted5 minute video
A nice analogy, if not a bit dirty-minded, but we won't judge ;). The problem with Linux is that we always take it, take the patent infringements, take the lies, the barrage that Microsoft put upon us. Microsoft said that Linux infringes on its patents and tells that around, when in fact - it didn't. It used that as a marketing tool to stop it from getting share. I'm pretty sure they attempted to sue, but it was declared non-copyrightable code. Linus Torvalds should sue the living hell off of Microsoft for all they've done. That is, if my information is all correct, and that they would lose in court, as I am not a lawyer/solicitor etc, so I do not know. Please feel free to correct me and tell me any legal standings between them :). Nick. -- -Original Message- From: alan c aecl...@candt.waitrose.com Sender: ubuntu-uk-boun...@lists.ubuntu.com Date: Thu, 22 Sep 2011 12:01:41 To: British Ubuntu Talkubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com Reply-To: UK Ubuntu Talk ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com Subject: [ubuntu-uk] [marketing] A lesson in marketing - Congo condoms - Ted 5 minute video When something (sex) is a must have, then even the valuable life saving benefits of condoms need a real world marketing strategy. I found it fascinating to translate some of this situation towards FLOSS marketing. One nice difference of course, is that condoms actually are available there, in the shops, unlike Ubuntu PCs! Amy Lockwood: Selling condoms in the Congo http://bit.ly/qxTHCP -- alan cocks Ubuntu user -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/ -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] [marketing] A lesson in marketing - Congo condoms - Ted5 minute video
On 22/09/11 12:31, thegeeksquad...@ymail.com wrote: A nice analogy, if not a bit dirty-minded, but we won't judge ;). The problem with Linux is that we always take it, take the patent infringements, take the lies, the barrage that Microsoft put upon us. Microsoft said that Linux infringes on its patents and tells that around, when in fact - it didn't. It used that as a marketing tool to stop it from getting share. I'm pretty sure they attempted to sue, but it was declared non-copyrightable code. Linus Torvalds should sue the living hell off of Microsoft for all they've done. While that may sound a good solution, I am sure Linus would think his time would be better spent at the computer making Linux better, court cases may be a solution but they are expensive and time consuming, the cost of a lawyer can buy new hardware and other bits and pieces to help with the development process which will make Linux work on more hardware and systems. The best thing we can do as a community is to ignore the FUD and use what money we do have to create something that is world class and then market this in the best way we can, word of mouth really helps. If a friend complains their computer has a virus, ask what is a virus?,and say you use Ubuntu and never have that issue, offer to dual boot their computer or at least boot a live cd and recover that essential file, they a) leave happy, b) get a good impression of how ubuntu (or any linux) is a good thing, and c) hopefully ask for it to be installed. Paul -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] [marketing] A lesson in marketing - Congo condoms - Ted5 minute video
On 22/09/11 18:06, paul sutton wrote: If a friend complains their computer has a virus, ask what is a virus?,and say you use Ubuntu and never have that issue, offer to dual boot their computer or at least boot a live cd and recover that essential file, they a) leave happy, b) get a good impression of how ubuntu (or any linux) is a good thing, and c) hopefully ask for it to be installed. The timescales in such a situation can be quite long. I am in contact with a lot of Windows users at perpetual novice level, and if they know me they seem to regard my knowledge with some awe (which is touching because as Ubuntu users go I am on the novice side of experienced). However, people -simply- -do- -not- -believe- what I say and what others say, about, say Ubuntu. I have a friend who I worked with before we both retired some years ago. He was/is a mathematician and engineer. He was senior to me in technical matters. It took literally *several* years, until his XP laptop ground to a halt, before he was prepared to accept my help to make a dual boot machine. He now uses only the Ubuntu os. The turning point was a conversation, when I (again) (tactfully) mentioned the Ubuntu alternative. He suddenly said 'I HATE' Windows! He said he had another friend who was saying the *opposite* to what I was saying. That if he could not do Windows, then Linux was NOT for him (the 'L' word again) He trusted us both. And had a conflict of direction. His existing XP at least was familiar. So, we live in a situation where only complete desperation will prompt users to risk change. Then they need a lot of hand holding because at every turn they are faced with a Windows user prompting them to stay in the club. This is more than a monopoly of retail supply, there is a long term effect, fed I guess from Microsoft and their very skillful marketing people. There is psychology and emotional issues. Part of the effect arises from users being and feeling unable to understand or control what happens. They get to feel helpless. Things go wrong as they try to go through hoops, and they get frightened. And stay frightened. They get so un confident that it really takes an exceptional friend and exceptional situation to prompt a change. -- alan cocks Ubuntu user -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
