Making an Open Source Project Press-Friendly

blackbearnh writes "Corporations know that part of launching a successful project is projecting the right image to the media. But a lot of open source projects seem to treat the press as an annoyance, if they think about it at all. For a reporter, even finding someone on a project who's willing to talk about it can be a challenge. Esther Schindler over at IT World has a summary of a roundtable discussion that was held at OSCON with pointers about how open source projects can be more reporter-accessible. 'Recognize that we are on deadline, which for most news journalists means posting the article within a couple of hours and for feature authors within a couple of days. If we ask for input, or a quote, or anything to which your project spokesperson (you do have one? yes? please say yes) might want to respond, it generally does mean, "Drop everything and answer us now." If the journalist doesn't give you a deadline ("I need to know by 2pm"), it's okay to ask how long you can take to reach the right developer in Poland, but err on the side of "emergency response." It's unreasonable, I know, but so are our deadlines.'"

Comments

Reporters aren't the only one with deadlines

[dark_requiem]

Simply put, FOSS developers usually fall into one of two categories: hackers coding in their spare time and those who work on FOSS projects as part of their job. Those in the former category likely have day jobs, and are already short on time. They do this as a hobby, and if their spare time is spent coding, they don't necessarily have spare time to devote to commenting for reporters. The latter category is contributing code as part of their job. They likely don't have the authority to comment on the record regarding their work, or they have to get permission from the marketing trolls to do so. Either way, if you're getting a response, it's not likely to be quick.

The lesson here is plan ahead. As soon as you know you're going to be working on a story, start asking for comments. If you wait until the last second, you're likely to not get a reply. Yes, reporters can get short deadlines, but you can't expect volunteers contributing their spare time to jump at your say-so, and you have to allow time to get the corporate wheels rolling in the latter case.

Re:Reporters aren't the only one with deadlines

[turbidostato]

"A lot of reporters aren't given the luxury of oodles of extra time by their assigning editors and those editors expect results, not requests for more time because "they have to get the corporate wheels rolling over there." "

Then it is the reporter the one with a problem, not the happy hacker or the professional developer paid to do different things than attend the press. When somebody has a problem is both good education and proper path to resolve it to take himself the path to its solution, not trying to pass the problem to other that neither ask for them nor will feel the result one way or the other.

Re:Reporters aren't the only one with deadlines

[2muchcoffeeman]

In that case, I have no option but to finish the assigned article as best I can within the deadline given by my editor. That may mean that somebody's getting left out of the article. That is also the nature of the beast.

Re:Reporters aren't the only one with deadlines

[tech10171968]

I have another theory why devs sometimes don't "drop everything" for an interview; if developers are anything like electronic engineering technicians (my specialty) then, when they're in the middle of an issue, they are on this creative and/or logical train of thought. I can tell you from personal experience that the last thing a tech wants is to have that train of thought disturbed; I tend to become rather curt if I'm disturbed in the middle of, say, dealing with some inverse Fourier transform or (especially!!!) troubleshooting a critical system. It's almost like bugging a brain surgeon in the middle of an operation; sometimes you'll stand a good chance of throwing him off track, even if only temporarily. It's not that I'm naturally rude (I usually end up feeling like a real jackass for being rude and wind up apologizing anyway); it's just that the interruption can be annoying if you're in the middle of an intensive task. Don't get me wrong, I'm not justifying the lack of communication. I'm simply stating what I believe (in my experience) to be part of the reason for that lack of communication.

Re:Reporters aren't the only one with deadlines

[centuren]

If you want me to have fuller information, please answer my phone call or e-mail.

E-mail is by far a better option, I think.

Or, as suggested elsewhere, if you don't have time then designate somebody as your press representative and tell him/her to return my phone call when it comes ... and also tell him/her to register with Peter Shankman's Help A Reporter Out [helpareporter.com] initiative.

This isn't a question of helping a company or organization deal be better with the press, it's about making open source projects press-friendly. It's a valid topic because the same rules (and the same advice such as this) don't necessarily apply. Consider the project contributors may all be volunteers contributing coding time as a hobby. If the project is still worth writing something about, that isn't changed by the situation where none of the programmers have decided the limited time they contribute will also include PR tasks.

Or, as suggested in Ms. Schindler's IT World article, create a /press page or section on your Web site like the big companies do.

If functionality comes before user documentation, user documentation will come before press releases. If it's all volunteer time, people will prioritize, and those people will be coders.

There you should have information about what your project is about, why you think it matters, its current status, who to contact for more information, screen shots (please remember that print media require high-resolution versions of screen shots or other images for the printing press), press releases and other mentions in the media.

If you (the reporter) has decided the open source project is news worthy, you should have a basic idea on what it is about and why it matters already. Include questions don't have the answer to in your initial email. Make your own screenshots while you're playing around with the software. To put it bluntly, quoting from a press page and including screenshots from the site hardly seems like the methods of a competent tech reporter.

(That's not the same as an FAQ and I won't quote an FAQ. I want to hear from the people behind the project what they're doing and why they're doing it. People make news stories interesting. There's a human angle to everything.)

FAQs are FAQs. As you say, a reporter should be looking for more. Send your own questions in.

Use plain language, not jargon.

Technical projects require technical descriptions. Good technical reporters won't be phased, since anything new to them should be researched anyway. Don't try to do a report on the project for the masses if you don't understand the basics.

If you translate that page into a foreign language, have someone fluent in the language (preferably it's his/her native language) double-check your work. If it's a bad translation, it reflects badly on you. I've lost count of how many foreign businesses have an English press kit that reads as though a fourth-grader wrote it up and I have no doubt that many businesses from English-speaking countries have non-English press material that is equally poorly translated.

Again, this isn't about businesses. It's about open source projects specifically because they can be fundamentally different than businesses. As a projects is successful purely by merit, translations will come as people who use the software volunteer them (and they may well be translations of the application ages before they are translations of text on the site).

From the first line in the summary: "Corporations know that part of launching a successful project is projecting the right image to the media. But a lot of open source projects seem to treat the press as an annoyance, if they think about it at all."

If your answer is "open source projects should just do what press-friendly corporations do", you're failing to address the differences between the two. It seems a reporter can much more easily cater better to open source projects than the other way around.

It's not an emergency

[harmonise]

It's unreasonable, I know, but so are our deadlines.

Then fix your deadlines. Use proper planning and communication. This "drop everything now and focus on me" attitude doesn't really work well inside of companies and certainly won't work well when you want something from some else outside of your company.

Re:It's not an emergency

[PCM2]

When a reporter is dealing with a company, there is generally an information gatekeeper: either an internal PR department or an outside agency hired for the purpose. Even if you know an employee at a given company personally, usually they are not empowered to talk to the press directly without first consulting with their PR team.

This can be a drag because it means reporters are typically subjected to the usual bland, spoon-fed sing-song about how great and wonderful everything at the company is. But on the plus side it means you have a contact to talk to.

If I shoot an email to Waggener-Edstrom asking about something Microsoft is doing, I will probably get a response back within 24 hours, and often more quickly than that. The PR people will ask me the basic questions: Why do you want to know what you are asking, where is it going to be published, what is your deadline? And from then on, it will be their job to ferret out the right person to answer my questions, and if they deem that the good press I stand to give Microsoft will be valuable enough, they will take it upon themselves to pester that person into answering my questions in a timely fashion.

Obviously, this type of thing is fairly infeasible with many open source projects, why is why it's valuable to have this discussion about how to make open source projects more accessible to the press.

As a member of the press, I certainly can't make you, an open source developer, "drop everything now and focus on me." It will never surprise me in the slightest if you choose to ignore me completely -- a lot of big companies do that, too. But on the other hand, there are a lot of small companies with products already shipping who would absolutely kill for the chance to talk to me, just to get their names in print -- and often, I just don't have time for them.

It's all a matter of perspectives. Does it make sense for your open source project to get some good press coverage? If no, then my press inquiries are no burden to you. If yes, then is it reasonable to complain about the way in which the opportunities to gain press coverage present themselves? It's not like I'm asking you if I can borrow twenty bucks; I'm offering you what you want. If you don't have time or can't be bothered to take me up on my offer, then maybe it's your process that needs to be modified somehow, not mine (or those of the various publications which I may represent).

Just a thought.

annoyance

[backwardMechanic]

it generally does mean, "Drop everything and answer us now."

...and reporters wonder why we're not delighted to hear from them. One of the nice features of the open-source world is that projects become popular because they're good at what they do, rather than by shouting louder than anyone else. In such a world, press attention is less important. Which is fortunate, given the low quality of so much IT reporting (just because you can copy-paste the press release, doesn't mean you should).

Re:annoyance

[osadmin]

One of the nice features of the open-source world is that projects become popular because they're good at what they do

Most Open Source projects aren't around to make the authors money or fame. They're there to get the job done. If they do that job well, like you stated they will gain popularity. That's one of the best features of open source; the best product wins, not the most marketed one.

Re:annoyance

[Anonymous Coward]

"just because you can copy-paste the press release, doesn't mean you should"

If you don't talk to them, what the fuck else are they supposed to do? Make shit up? You'd bitch about that. Ask someone who doesn't know anything? You'd bitch about that. Research something they don't understand, then report it incorrectly? You'd bitch about that.

What the fuck do you nerds want?

Re:annoyance

[greenbird]

If you don't talk to them, what the fuck else are they supposed to do?

I would think they would actually do some research to get their story. You know, reporting. I know that no longer exists in this day and age but one can reminisce about the days when reporters actually did their job.

Make shit up? You'd bitch about that. Ask someone who doesn't know anything? You'd bitch about that.

This is the primary methodology used by the modern reporter. Look it up on Wikipedia, call a few random people and then either make something up based on misinformation or even print the press release almost verbatim.

Research something they don't understand, then report it incorrectly? You'd bitch about that.

Damn. I thought researching something that wasn't well understood was the whole point of reporting. To get the facts about something and then print those facts as a coherent story. I guess in your world reporters only report on things they and everyone else fully understands already?

What the fuck do you nerds want?

Yeah, imagine the nerve of those nerds expecting reporters to actually have to do a little work to get their story. The story should be provided in a clear coherent easily understood format by subject of the story. You know, like a press release. That way the reporter can just change a few words and then print it.

And main stream news organizations wonder why they're failing. They quit doing reporting years ago. I gave up getting on reliable information from them even longer ago.

Usually, poorly communicated in every way

[Futurepower(R)]

Another reason most open-source projects get no press is that they are very poorly communicated in every way. An example is LaTeX. It requires two paragraphs in the Wikipedia article to explain just the name.

Another example is GIMP. One of the meanings of gimp is "cripple".

Another example is UltraVNC. UltraVNC is excellent. The UltraVNC web site is a mess.

The open source experience is often "It's free, but you must spend a very frustrating week learning how to use it." Those who write for publication don't have a week to understand a project, and they don't want to write about something that would frustrate their readers.

Re:Usually, poorly communicated in every way

[curmudgeon99]

Excellent points all. It pertains to a larger geek problem: poor communication skills. How many brilliant developers have you met who send emails that sound like they were written by a 4th grader? Too many...

Re:Usually, poorly communicated in every way

[turbidostato]

"How many brilliant developers have you met who send emails that sound like they were written by a 4th grader? Too many..."

Not a single one. It's true I found a number of bozos that out of their ignorance think they are ununderstood prima donnas that write like 4th graders. But really good professional developers? They all have above-average comunication skills. What of extrange do you find in people able to express difficult concepts in computer languages being able to express simpler concepts in natural languages too?

Re:Usually, poorly communicated in every way

[jgrahn]

Another reason most open-source projects get no press is that they are very poorly communicated in every way. An example is LaTeX. It requires two paragraphs in the Wikipedia article to explain just the name.

It's a word-play on TeX, on which it is based, and it also inherits its purposely silly pronounciation and typography. Surely, that's all that needs to be said? I don't mind that the Wikipedia article provides more background, though.

[...] The open source experience is often "It's free, but you must spend a very frustrating week learning how to use it." Those who write for publication don't have a week to understand a project, and they don't want to write about something that would frustrate their readers

Isn't that the case for every piece of software except maybe Microsoft Word? And should people stop working on advanced software so that the people who read the glossies don't have to be frustrated by articles which don't get written anyway, because the frustrated journalists don't have a week to spare to understand it?

Annoyances...

[giminy]

The summarizer says:

But a lot of open source projects seem to treat the press as an annoyance...

And the press-person says:

'...it generally does mean, "Drop everything and answer us now." If the journalist doesn't give you a deadline ("I need to know by 2pm"), it's okay to ask how long you can take to reach the right developer in Poland, but err on the side of "emergency response." It's unreasonable, I know, but so are our deadlines.'

Wow, I can't imagine why volunteer developers consider the press an annoyance. Maybe the press should cut back on the 30-second deadline and take some time to actually get facts, instead of getting something out the door now, even if it isn't right. I think that journalists with this attitude are probably in the wrong business -- you should be doing research and finding the story, not demanding that a non-storyteller drops what they're doing to give you the story on a silver platter. Software only appears to move quickly...in reality, businesses are slow to adopt new software these days. Taking the time to do thorough research on an open source project will not kill the press, just like waiting a few weeks for a story on a software project will not kill the software project.

Me, I would prefer to read the right story than the first story. I wish that the press' job to make sure that the right story is the first story...but that shall continue to be my wish.

Other press friendly methods

[improfane]

Is anyone else struggling to find the actual article? My CPU and fans went crazy on the actual article.

If you ask me, open source projects need to do these to appeal to the outside world:

• Treat the project like an actual marketable product, look at UltraVNC homepage It's delicious, you'd almost expect that you would have to purchase it. The author is obviously passionate about all these features. The download page even has videos for parts of the product!
• Naturally, put lots of beautiful screenshots and videos
• Advertize open developer chats to get user feedback. Maybe a moderated IRC channel which could then be turned into an interview on the website.
• Create narrated videos with Wink. Take a look at some o
• Using Mozilla's Press Center as a guide, I found the following:
• • A dedicated press email address. You could set up an email address that autosubmits to your bug or issue tracker I reckon.
  • Links to all closely related communities, like Mozillazine, Foxiewire and For the Record. Anything that expresses 'community support' to a journalist will be juicy!
  • There's a list of rewards and awards down the right side. This kind of thing is quoted by magazines, stuff like 'worlds most secure browser', of course you need reviews first.
• User testimonials. Look at OpenVPN.
• Have a section called 'Community' and link to the IRC channel, mailing list and web forums.
• KDE has a section called 'KDE for your business'. It is explicitly trying to sell KDE to users by suggesting success stories of real people
• Impress businessy types makes me go cool.

If you want support from everyday people, you have to sell them the idea.

Re:Other press friendly methods

[Sir_Lewk]

Believe it or not, some of us are in it purely for fun and have little interest wasting time that could be spent coding (having fun) doing things like making "snappy" websites or accomidating pushy reporters.

People seem to think that open source developers are obligated to dedicate their resources doing things to make their projects more "commercial-ish" when they really are not and oftentimes have absolutely no desire to do so.

Re:Other press friendly methods

[Tubal-Cain]

Treat the project like an actual marketable product, look at UltraVNC homepage [uvnc.com] It's delicious, you'd almost expect that you would have to purchase it.

Almost? It triggered that same revulsion I get at malware sites.

No silver platters either

[xzvf]

I think most "journalist" are so busy and have such tight deadlines, that they over rely on people that are paid to speak to the press. Open source, by its nature is a low-cost, high quality grass-roots effort. Even the most successful FOSS companies are tiny and have tighter margins than the for profits. Free software is customer driven (requested not sold) and doesn't have the money or staff to generate press releases or provide a pretty marketing type to spoon feed a story.

FOSS

[jesset77]

Most open source projects get no press because most open source developers do not want arbitrary people to use their software.

Arbitrary people using your software means you will get demands for support from people who "Just Don't Get It".

Re:Pick a reasonable name, for fuck's sake!

[PCM2]

This is a recurring theme and everybody likes to bitch about the names of open source projects. However, as a member of the press, I'd like to chime in -- just this once -- and say that if an open source project made enough of a difference to anybody, I wouldn't care if it was called the GIMP or KBoner, and neither would my editors.

If Megan Fox walked up to you and said, "Hi, my name is Yakspit Cox-Feces," would it make much of a difference to you? If anything, I figure it would make it an even better story...

Re:Pick a reasonable name, for fuck's sake!

[SteveFoerster]

If Megan Fox walked up to you and said, "Hi, my name is Yakspit Cox-Feces," would it make much of a difference to you? If anything, I figure it would make it an even better story...

But that's not her name. In fact, of all the pretty girls out there, she's the one we're talking about, and her name is "Fox".

Just sayin'.

Do your own damn work

[name*censored*]

Why do reporters think they're better than everyone else? No-one else has access to a high-ranking developer just to hold their hands and walk them through a project when that information is already out there (the other users seem to get along fine, or you wouldn't have heard of the project). Just because you're the modern equivalent of the loud-mouthed town gossip, doesn't make you special. Regardless of what journalist screed (the number of articles I've seen of journalists portraying themselves as fantastic heroes and the amount of journalistic fraternity/nepotism makes me sick) and corporate PR departments (they're using you, duh) say, you're not special. No-one gives a flying fuck about your "deadline". Deadlines are your problem and you should take it up with your boss if it's unworkable. There are millions of bored schoolkids with blogs chomping at the bit to take your place. If you're to stand a chance of staying afloat you have to offer something they won't - quality research (which takes time and effort). Remember that you're here to serve us, and you have more to gain than us*, not the other way around. [/rant]

* You may think that reporters are vital for "The Year Of The Linux Desktop", but I'm not buying it. Firstly, large F/OSS projects like mainstream distros do have many, many press avenues, and yet 2009 still isn't YOTLD. Secondly, YOTLD is an utopia us *nixers want where we get all of the good stuff associated with popularity (better hardware vendor support, mainstream acceptance of F/OSS principles, increased interoperability, richer software library, more developers/code contributors/bug fixers) without any of the bad stuff (malware, brainless users, bigger stakes on the developer Ego Wars, more hardware/software support nightmares, more pressure, more "boring bits" and less coding fun, etc). If YOTLD is delivered by reporters (instead of by technical merit and word-of-mouth), it will be because they dumbed it down, and we'd get mostly disadvantage and only a few of the advantages. Basically, YOTLD is a wet dream where society changes to be more computer literate, and most/all of our current IT nightmares die because everyone's using their brain. This is not as unlikely as you think - nowadays everyone's kid is a techno-wiz. Even if "techno-wiz" only means "I can work the myspace and the msn", the perception of ability alone might be enough to overcome their trepidation of computing, and allow them to try new things (ie, Linux).

Your problem not ours

[Secret Rabbit]

Sorry, I don't mean to be rude. But, as has been stated above, Open-source is largely done by volunteers. So, thinking that you can get a response, any response, within a couple hours is profoundly naive/stupid. It's likely that while you send your email to the spokesman while doing your day job, (s)he is at his/her day job working and won't get around to check his/her PERSONAL account for several hours. It's the nature of the beast and ignoring that is... well... naive/stupid.

Honestly, what you're attempting is to get "us" to bend over backwards to solve your problem. And I rather take offense to that. "We" are not your monkeys.

But, tell me, why can't you just say to your boss something like, "The guys that develop this are volunteers and won't be able to get back to us in time because they are at there day jobs right now. How about I figure out who to talk to and send off an email while you get me something else to work on for right now?"