[penguicon-general] where was MDLUG?

Tue May 1 16:09:05 CDT 2007

I'm really glad that Rob is a part of this list, he always so constructive and helpful.

--- Rob Landley <rob at landley.net> wrote:

> On Tuesday 01 May 2007 1:50 pm, Jer Lance wrote:
> 
> > > 1) Just because they know you and like you doesn't mean you don't have to
> > > remind them that you exist, especially if something has a specific time.
> > >
> > 
> > Well, that is generally true, although, I'd suggest that it would be a
> > waste of effort to market ourselves to the individuals that were cited
> > above.  Marketing yourself to the LUG that is offering to do LUG
> > wrangling?  To the LUG that attended pretty much in force?  That's
> > what we like to call, in marketing circles, a bloody waste of time and
> > money.
> 
> http://dilbertblog.typepad.com/the_dilbert_blog/2007/04/my_new_favorite.html
> 
> If you look at the message from Dan DeSloover (not you) which I was replying 
> to, you might notice the following:
> 
> > This year I pretty much gave up, and figured that anyone that wanted to 
> > be at the con, already knew about the con and for the most part every 
> > LUG has someone that pushes the con within their own ranks.
> 
> Which is what point 1 of my response was specifically in reply to.
> 
> That said, if they're on our side handing 'em a stack of flyers with the date 
> of the con on it serves both to remind individual members "yeah, it's _this_ 
> weekend" and to give 'em an opportunity to put said flyers to good use if the 
> opportunity presents itself.
> 
> > > 2) The "rule of seven" is that people are so good at filtering out 
> extraneous
> > > noise that until they've encountered a mention of your thing seven times 
> they
> > > won't remember having seen it, let alone make any decision about it.  This 
> is
> > > true even for things they'd really like; they'll put off thinking about it 
> or
> > > not necessarily consider it real/credible.
> > >
> > > So assuming "they already know" is counterproductive.
> > >
> > 
> > See above...
> 
> Why did I take you out of my spam filter again?  I forget...
> 
> > > Go to one of the meetings and make liquid nitrogen ice cream.  Consider it 
> a
> > > convention room party that's not taking place at a convention.
> > >
> > > (The ability to get ~30 liter quantities from a local university would be
> > > really nice for this sort of thing, by the way...)
> > >
> > 
> > I would question the wisdom of going to a LUG that is negative toward
> > Penguicon as a representative of Penguicon to make ice cream.
> 
> And I should care what you think why, exactly?
> 
> I realize that your fondness for straw man arguments makes you assume we'd do 
> this without contacting them and trying to get on their agenda.  Just show up 
> and interrupt whatever they were doing instead of offering to present "why 
> Penguicon is cool" with a built-in sufficient bribe to get them to at least 
> listen to us, if not necessarily change their minds right off.  And for that 
> reason, I clarify the suggestion.  However, it's really tiring trying to 
> converse with someone who deliberately misinterperets everything I say.
> 
> Frustrates the heck out of me...
> 
> > I would even go one step further, and suggest that, instead, we investigate
> > the source of this ill-will and see what can be done about that.
> 
> Then do it.  Nobody's stopping you.
> 
> > I would say that our LUG Wrangler (or, from all appearances,
> > Wranglers) should probably spend their time in that direction...
> > Marketing 101:
> 
> I mentioned marketing since I ran all the marketing for this con the first 
> year and did the national marketing two more years (and still get spam 
> through nationalmarketing at penguicon.org even though I haven't done it for a 
> while now).
> 
> I learned about marketing while covering Coca-Cola for The Motley Fool from 
> 1998-2000 (even attended a board meeting and interviewed one of their vice 
> presidents, along with talking to a number of the company's employees and 
> discussing its strategies with various people)
> 
> http://www.fool.com/portfolios/rulemaker/1999/rulemaker991229.htm
> http://www.fool.com/portfolios/rulemaker/1999/rulemaker990521.htm
> http://google.fool.com/portfolios/rulemaker/2002/rulemaker020102.htm
> 
> I also put this into practice at Penguicon and Linucon and a few other places.  
> Between the two conventions and some other things, I'd estimate I have about 
> three years of practical marketing experience.  This is why I suggested that 
> maybe I should do a panel on it, since most geeks don't even know the 
> difference beween marketing and sales and have a massive aversion to both.
> 
> If you feel you have more to say, then YOU do a panel on it.  (Just don't try 
> to put me on the same panel.)
> 
> > Research THEN Initiative.
> 
> Any why not to do that is here:
> 
> http://www.fool.com/news/foth/2000/foth000731.htm
> http://www.fool.com/news/foth/2000/foth000913.htm
> http://www.fool.com/news/foth/2000/foth000905.htm
> http://www.fool.com/news/foth/2000/foth000918.htm
> http://www.fool.com/news/foth/2000/foth000925.htm
> http://www.fool.com/portfolios/rulemaker/2000/rulemaker000928.htm
> http://www.fool.com/news/foth/2000/foth001002.htm
> 
> And some third party analysis of that:
> http://www.firstmonday.org/issues/issue6_3/doheny/
> 
> We are a first wave organization.  Big time.
> 
> > The other way ends up creating such fabled 
> > misfires as the Intrigue launch campaign (greatest domestic automotive
> > marketing faux paux in history).
> 
> I don't live in detroit, and thus don't really focus on the US automotive 
> industry.  However, I point out that the Edsel is remembered 50 years later 
> as a famous flop.  People who hadn't been born yet when the Edsel happened 
> have heard of it, remember it _as_ a flop, and write fresh articles about its 
> flopness:
> 
> http://www.mondaymemo.net/030414feature.htm
> 
> Be careful throwing around terms like "greatest XXX in history".
> 
> Rob
> _______________________________________________
> penguicon-general mailing list
> penguicon-general at penguicon.org
> http://penguicon.org/mailman/listinfo/penguicon-general
> 

Thanks,
Dan DeSloover
Penguicon 5.0 LUG-Wrangler(and MonroeLUG co-conspirator)
http://www.penguicon.org/