Marketing and Public Relations

As Zach Holman puts it, "Open Source doesn't just market itself". Communication and interaction with the public and other developers is important to help the community grow and make your hard work known to the world!

The following quick reads provide an idea of what is important if you want your software/project to be used:

• Open Source Doesn't Just Market Itself (Zach Holman)
• Marketing open source is made for geeks (Sandro Groganz)
• Open-Source Projects Need More Than Good Code—They Need Marketing (Matt Asay)

We particularly like the emphasis Zach Holman puts on the value of great documentation as marketing!

Social Media is the way to go

The fastest way to disseminate information is to make use of social media. There are lots of different platforms, but usually there isn't a social media expert on hand to juggle them. Two important but "managable" means are blogging and twittering.

The blog

"You have something to say, and blogs provide a place to say it and be heard." (source)

A blog is more informal than a press release. It is "... a discussion or informational site published on the World Wide Web and consisting of discrete entries ("posts") typically displayed in reverse chronological order (the most recent post appears first)." (source)

If you are not aware of the concept of blogging, these helpful links provide background information:

• http://weblogs.about.com/od/startingablog/p/WhatIsABlog.htm
• http://codex.wordpress.org/Introduction_to_Blogging
• http://weblogs.about.com/od/startingablog/tp/Top-Ten-Reasons-to-Blog.htm

How to start blogging?

• http://www.wikihow.com/Start-a-Blog
• http://startbloggingonline.com/
• http://howtomakemyblog.com/10-elements-of-style-of-blog-post-writing/

Which blogging platform is best for me?

• http://thenextweb.com/apps/2013/08/16/best-blogging-services/
• Wordpress (https://en.wordpress.com/) is the number 1 platform.
• Blogger (full-fledged blog) and Tumblr (an interesting fusion between a full-fledged blog and a Twitter feed) are among the top 3 platforms.

Guide for blogging

• Post regularly, but don't post if you have nothing worth posting about.
• If you want to involve others in the project development, get feedback about certain developments, build the community, don't just blog about project results, share your ideas, plans, etc.
• Comment on other peoples' blogs (they normally visit back).

Microblogging with Twitter

"Twitter is an online social networking service that enables users to send and read short 140-character messages called "tweets" (source). There's a lot more to twitter than microblogging, but it's a start.

• http://webtrends.about.com/od/socialnetworking/a/what-is-twitter.htm
• http://www.wikihow.com/Use-Twitter
• http://mashable.com/guidebook/twitter/

Guide for Twitter basics:

1. First create useful content: e.g. blog, newsticker, presentation, etc.
2. Then twitter:
   • 140 characters in a tweet: It should contain a specific point from a longer piece of content, or give an idea of what to learn from content.
   • Use shortened URLS to save characters. There are a number of free link shortener tools available, e.g. http://ow.ly/url/shorten-url or https://bitly.com/
   • Use keywords (#hashtags) to find topics and have your topics be found.
   • Use @usernames to reach users with similar interests to that @username’s followers.
   • Use pictures. Particularly when at an event. http://www.socialquant.net/images-for-twitter/
3. Keeping tabs on tweets
   • Keep it under control with Tweetdeck (https://tweetdeck.twitter.com/). Tweetdeck is a nice tool, which gives you an overview of tweets from those you follow as well as yours, notifications, messages and activities.
   • Twitter analytics (http://analytics.twitter.com) provides basic statistical information about your tweets.

Information dissemination via paper – outdated?

Although most people look for information online these days, there is still a need for printed material. Do you have a new project, software, solution, application? How about a cheat sheet/flyer?

First of all, be clear about who you want to address and what you want to achieve. Is your target group Users? Developers? ...?

Tips for flyers:

• Produce the flyer when the topic is hot, don’t wait for an event.
• Keep the format simple and easy to update, e.g DIN A4 single or double paged.
• Make the flyer available to download online.
• Include QR codes (link to home page /product page, repository, i.e.GitHub or other repository).

Further topics

• managing expectations (openness)

Guide: How should I name my project?

If you worry about a name, you must have figured out all the other issues!

The first thing to consider is: Do I really need a name for a new open source project, or would it not be better to contribute my new code as an extension to an existing and established project?

If it is to be a new project, take a look at related projects and communities within the language or framework you base your code on. Are abbreviations common? Do people use hip or cool names? Check for existing names.

• https://www.google.de/search?q=good+software+project+names (trademarks, …)
• http://www.webdeveloper.com/forum/showthread.php?113873-Great-software-project-names&s=14592899cd3b32c3df12f39bf4616c5e&p=605183#post605183

Tips for naming:

• Find a good name
  • Avoid abbreviations
  • Be visionary and choose a name that fits the overall goal of what your code does, not a specific solution
  • Prefer existing "real world" words - they are a lot easier to remember
• Search for other projects with the same name, also consider trademarks (potentially from completely different applications)
• If a project exists, start from the beginning

This is an opinionated view. What is your experience? Get in touch and contribute!

Further resources

• ...

Logos

t.b.d.