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Date:      Wed, 13 Sep 2000 08:40:48 -0600
From:      Joe.Warner@smed.com
To:        Michael Lucas <mwlucas@blackhelicopters.org>
Cc:        freebsd-advocacy@freebsd.org, freebsd newbies <freebsd-newbies@freebsd.org>, Ignacio Cristerna <ignacioc@avantel.net>
Subject:   Re: BSD Magazine
Message-ID:  <85256959.0050691C.00@Deimos.smed.com>

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a) contact editors and ask for it.  Politely.

Which editors?  Could you give some examples
of some editors/publishers of sound reputation
that would be good to start with?

Thanks

Joe



|--------+------------------------------>
|        |          Michael Lucas       |
|        |          <mwlucas@blackhelico|
|        |          pters.org>          |
|        |                              |
|        |          09/13/00 08:28 AM   |
|        |                              |
|--------+------------------------------>
  >---------------------------------------------------------|
  |                                                         |
  |       To:     Ignacio Cristerna <ignacioc@avantel.net>  |
  |       cc:     freebsd newbies                           |
  |       <freebsd-newbies@FreeBSD.ORG>,                    |
  |       freebsd-advocacy@FreeBSD.ORG, (bcc: Joe           |
  |       Warner/SMS)                                       |
  |       Subject:     Re: BSD Magazine                     |
  >---------------------------------------------------------|





I actually have some experience in publishing, and working with
publishers.  There's two ways we could make this a reality.

1) Do it ourselves.

This is a pain, and less "legit" looking.  We could put a plan
together and try to get some fancy corporate backing (i.e., BSDi), but
then we need to assemble distributors, handle record-keeping, etc.
It's not a small job.  Doing it single-handedly is a really, *really*
sucky and thankless job.  (I used to work for AGIS; believe me, I know
"sucky".)  With corporate backing it would be a full-time job.

2) Convince a media conglomerate to do it.

Media companies will publish anything that there is a market for.
They need print runs of a good 5,000-10,000 magazines to make it even
vaguely worthwhile.  The editors need to know that they can sell that
many copies of a magazine.

This boils down to, people need to ask for the magazine.  Just like in
software support.  Polite grassroots efforts, and so on.

The editors also need to see articles on the same topic in other
magazines, for cross-pollination.

My summation: if you want to see a BSD magazine, make a two-pronged
effort:

a) contact editors and ask for it.  Politely.

b) sell BSD articles to print magazines

c) Involve the other BSDs in a) and b).  This is a case where numbers
matter big-time, just like counting page views.

I'm giving a talk on b) at BSDCon, and will hopefully make a revised
paper available after the conference.

==ml

On Wed, Sep 13, 2000 at 08:59:34AM -0500, Ignacio Cristerna wrote:
> After seeing all this Linux frenzy, I keep wondering and thinking about
the
> same thing. There are currently 2 Linux magazines that I know of. Is it
too
> much to ask to have a BSD magazine. I think that we should aim for a more
> streamlined format, maybe a PDF or PS file that everyone could print out
or
> a magazine with a few pages. I believe the point would be to create a
sense
> of community and let the rest of the world that we are here, that we are
> have a good "product" to offer.
> Just my 2 centavos.
>
> Greetings to the FreeBSD community (with or without magazine) from
> Monterrey, Mexico.

--
Michael Lucas
mwlucas@blackhelicopters.org
http://www.blackhelicopters.org/~mwlucas/
Big Scary Daemons: http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/q/Big_Scary_Daemons


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