[osol-mktg] Re: Re: perceptions of OpenSolaris

[Richard L. Hamilton]

I guess the question is, if you announce new developments as they happen,
do you build respect over time, or do you build up people's filters against
listening after awhile?  OTOH, does waiting for a certain level of goodies
to announce increase the impact, or just look like PR grandstanding or
holding back on information?

If I were to engage in clueless speculation, I'd think most people, and press
folks in particular would like to be kept regularly informed (or at least
want you to think that's what they wanted), provided it (a) wasn't just
self-serving stuff (so they can feel they're fulfilling their role as skeptic or
watchdog), and (b) (given human nature) that doing so didn't increase their workload too much.

So if you put out progress reports, by all means point out how much you've
improved, but also point out the roadmap and how much remains to
be done; acknowledge known shortcomings before someone else tries
to make a story out of them.  And choose some middle road, neither
announcing what might be of limited interest to their audience, nor merely
every once-every-long-interval, but rather bounded by both a maximum
interval and minimum amount or significance of accomplishment.  That way,
there's  always enough substance, and yet you're putting out something just
often enough that nobody will think you're slacking off.

But FWIW, I know nothing about PR, and less than I should about human
nature...
 
 
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