On Mon, 23 Apr 2012 13:00:59 +0200 (CEST)
"Patrick Shirkey" <pshirkey@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
On Mon, April 23, 2012 2:06 am, Fernando Lopez-Lezcano wrote:
On 04/22/2012 04:04 AM, Patrick Shirkey wrote:
On Sun, April 22, 2012 12:52 pm, Jeremy Jongepier wrote:
On 04/22/2012 05:13 AM, Patrick Shirkey wrote:
Do other people here have any strong opinions on the usefulness of
advertising in the Linux Audio community?
Yes. I completely adhere to Robin's stance.
You do realise that many of the tools being produced by the Linux
Audio
Community are being used in the advertising industry which makes us
all
complicit in supporting it to start with.
IMO we cannot avoid that fact that advertising and marketing is a
very
crucial component to global industry which enables the corporate
world
to
continue to function. We should seek to manage our own channel and
therefore the message and brand rather than avoid it all together
out of
some ridiculous fear of becoming Evil.
Sorry, it is not ridiculous at all.
The liklihood of the Linux Audio community succumbing to the evils
of the
mighty dollar is pretty ridiculous. We have too many checks and
balances
and are not afraid to call a spade a spade. We are certainly not
beholden
to anyone else's agenda afaict.
We may even make enough money in
the process to pay some of our community members and help them to be
productive and motivated.
Managing our channel? Sorry, I don't quite understand. Do you mean
advertising our message on __other__ sites? What is "our message"?
The message is whatever we want it to be. If the message is that
Linux
Audio is *only* interested in non profit, volunteer or barely
breaking
even financial support from educational institutes then I guess we
have
already defined it and there is nothing more to be done.
There is more to this community than just a bunch of well resourced
academics and semi retired technical experts with enough time on
their
hands to give away everything for free.
If we continue to avoid the whole issue that is exactly what the
"Evil"
marketing companies and corporations would like for us to do so that
they
can have complete control over the message, brand, content and
income
stream...
It would seem to me the issue is not being avoided at all (witness
the
long thread I'm still reading), it is just that not all people in
this
list - which you asked for feedback - agree with your view of the
world
and what linuxaudio.org should/could/must be.
That's fine that people disagree with me. I knew that before I asked
the
list for feedback. I am seeking to find out how far it goes. Has it
been a
conscious choice over the years to avoid the marketing industry as
much as
possible or is it simply due to lack of
expertise/interest/motivation.
One thing I don't understand is why some people think that taking
steps to
make Linux Audio more attractive to advertisers in terms of
providing
access to a professionally run channel for businesses that would
like to
associate their brand with the Linux Audio platform is found to be
so
distasteful.
Are we expected to believe that academia will provide all that we
need and
therefore nothing else shall be required? What of the people who
would
like to earn a living from the platform if possible are they simply
on
their own or are we as a commmunity able to support them in their
goals
too?
Linuxaudio.org currently has (AFAIK) complete control of its brand,
content and message. It is being kindly hosted by vt.edu and run by
volunteers. But of course I don't know the details. Advertising, if
anything, will dilute the control of the brand content and message -
the
way I see it of course, you will disagree. As everything else in the
world, who puts the money eventually controls the message, not the
other
way around.
The Linux Audio Consortium was originally setup to promote and
support
Audio related businesses who seek to work with the Linux platform.
What it
has become is primarily a means of promoting academic research and a
"non
profit" agenda.
If advertising is accepted I presume linuxaudio.org will have to be
hosted somewhere else (out of the .edu domain). Then advertising
becomes
a requirement for the survival of linuxaudio.org. No advertising, no
hosting money. The more linuxaudio.org depends on advertising to
run,
the more it will be subject to control of its message.
That is why I have setup a new domain. linuxaudio.com was already
taken
and would cost $3130 if anyone wants to purchase it. I think the
linux-audio.com domain is actually better suited as it provides a
bit more
distinction so there should be less confusion from members of the
community. When it comes to people from outside looking in then they
probably won't make a distinction. But that is not necessarily a bad
thing
as we can become "greater than the sum of our parts".
--
Patrick Shirkey
Boost Hardware Ltd
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I think you've got it pretty covered with this, Patrick.
I respectfully suggest that the consortium consider a charter of sorts
that advertisers get, outlining the principles of linuxaudio, in terms
of making sure advertising isn't used as a stick to demand development
go in one direction or another, and Fernando's concerns dont come to
pass. He makes a good point, and it should be considered in relation
to further discussions, imho.
I don't think commercial consortiums allow a free for all when it
comes to accepting all ads regardless of style, and the linuxaudio
community is in a unique position that profit doesn't drive decision
making, nor do i think the linuxaudio consortium, replete with common
sense as it is, would allow it.
From the tone of the comments, it seems the majority consider garish,
excessively animated, or obscenely coloured ads to be too much.
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