A question for those running their own OSS projects

[Rob Sutherland]

Madison Kelly wrote:

>
> I've been thinking of that but I always worry it will come off as 
> spam. How would you suggest approaching a message to annouce the first 
> release of a new program on a list like, say, this one and not 
> potentially offend/anger users?
>
Well, putting an URL and a key phrase in a .sig is almost always 
acceptable - and so is
introducing stuff via a question, like, "I'm working on this program 
that raises the dead
and I wondered if anyone knows a good place to sell used coffins?". I'd 
say as long as
you don't post too often and the package has some relationship to the 
list topic you should be
OK or if you ask for input etc.

I agree with others that an article is a good way to do it as well. If 
you put a short, say 2 or 3 paragraphs,
article up on a personal blog and then get a friend to submit it to the 
Newsvac section of Newsforge
that can generate some hits right away and then you can sell a longer 
version of the article to
places like Newsforge etc. I put some links and info on markets for 
software related articles
at http://www.cheapersafer.net/twiki/bin/view/Main/WritingInfo

Rob



-- 
Rob Sutherland - http://www.cheapersafer.com
Business Computer Support and Training

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