[ug-discuss] OpenSolaris User Group Growth

[Jim Grisanzio]

Stefan Parvu wrote:
> Hi Jim,
> 
> 
>>I wanted to start a discussion about things Sun could do to help grow 
>>the UG Community. There are about 50 OpenSolaris User Groups right now,
>>http://opensolaris.org/os/community/os_user_groups/osug-leaders/ so 
>>congratulations for a job well done over these first two years! Now how 
>>do we get to 75? 100? 150? There is a growing interest at Sun to help 
>>out, which is excellent.
> 
> 
> How I see the things:
> 
> 1). Education/Schools
> 
> Basically in my opinion we should focus on education and schools|universities.
> The user groups can grow if we are present there where the young generation 
> is learning: schools and universities. This has an important role for OpenSolaris and for 
> future jobs related with (Open)Solaris market 
> 
>  - each local group should engage work, maybe as well with help from Sun Marketing, 
> to target their own schools, universities
> 
>  - each local group should 'market' OpenSolaris to different events organized by students
> or universities. Sponsor maybe some of them
> 
>  - expand as well to other events hosted by schools and in
> cooperation with other companies


Cool. I like the idea of engaging universities. There are programs doing 
that now (campus evangelists and ambassadors) but perhaps we can 
collaborate with them with regard to the OpenSolaris User Group Community:

   http://opensolaris.org/os/community/edu/campus_evangelists/
   http://opensolaris.org/os/project/os_user_groups_amb/

I'd like to start listing *all* the OpenSolaris User Groups on one page 
so they are easier to find and everyone will know all the groups that 
are out there.



> 2). Hardware/Software shops
> 
> Even this might sound a bit of Sun Marketing approach I do
> consider important to see OpenSolaris, there were people are getting their
> computer gear from: hardware and software shops.
> 
>  - in how many shops have you seen any adds about OpenSolaris ?
> 
>  - how many shops are promoting OpenSolaris packages ? Easy to
> redistribute  software packs with OpenSolaris ?
> 
>  - events organized by the soft/hdw shops ?
> 
>  - local groups should get involved with shops and possible start promoting to them OpenSolaris.
> Maybe as well Sun Marketing could help on this too, since Sun is a big sponsor for 
> OpenSolaris.

You are talking about advertisements here?


Jim
-- 
Jim Grisanzio, Sr. Program Manager, OpenSolaris Engineering
http://blogs.sun.com/jimgris