[OT] TV, Internet, and Democracy

[Evan Leibovitch]

JoeHill wrote:
>> What I would really like to see (and, as I'd hoped to point out in another branch of this conversation) is for the various, outspoken,
>> components (alternatively, proponents) of our community working together to find an effective way to advertise our interests and concerns to the general public.
>>     
>
> Ditto!
>   
On that we appear to be in violent agreement. I'd go a step further and
suggest that the necessary advocacy work is not the exclusive domain of
the outspoken -- or even extroverted -- advocates. IMO more work needs
to be done on low-profile work that's less popular because it's less
personally rewarding, but anyone can do it.

For example: there's some important research to be done in finding out
who the right people are in governments (city, regional and Queen's
Park) considered experts (or decision makers) regarding issues of public
IT policy, and especially in education where a number of jurisdictions
around the world are introducing FOSS. Not just elected officials, but
also senior bureaucrats. And then we need to talk to them.

A few months ago, CLUE's Russell McOrmond sent an information package to
each MP educating them on open source, and related policy regarding IT
procurement, "piracy", software patents etc. It would be great to be
able to attempt this at a more local level, but it needs energy and
bodies. This is the kind of work that doesn't get someone mentioned on
Digg or Slashdot, but quietly goes a long way towards elevating FOSS
from novelty to mainstream to preference.

Part of my points deal with the fact that FOSS is out of the
novelty/curiosity phase, which require a change in tactics compared to a
decade ago. While the average person on the street may not know what
Linux is, they likely won't know a lot of other important things about
the workings of computers. People who make it their business to know and
make decisions) about IT are at least aware of Linux, even if that
awareness is negative or just enough to be the source of FUD. That's why
I said that the message -- and the target audience -- is now more about
the answer to "why FOSS" rather than "what is FOSS".

Yes, Microsoft does publicity stunts. But it probably spends far more on
behind-the-scenes lobbyists and PR than on special-event stunts, which
is the part of the balance which we don't do. Folks in the community
such as Colin, Marcel and myself have a great awareness of the value of
PR; but we don't have the cycles to do it ourselves. Spending all one's
advocacy resouces on stunts is very visible (thus what I referred to as
a "feel-good" effect) tactic, but without less-visible gruntwork (and
followup!) its net effects are dubious.

I'm _not_ saying that stunts are bad, just that they're spectacularly
ineffective and inefficient _if_ that tactic is the only dimension to
our advocacy. There's plenty of work to do, it just needs people with
the energy and cycles to keep it going.

- Evan

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