Congratuations to Ken and the whole Tux500 crew
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| Author | Content |
|---|---|
| NoDough May 20, 2007 6:18 PM EDT |
Ken, Congratulations to you and the rest of the Tux500 crew. You've pulled off a miraculous task. With the awesome qualifying run by Roberto, Tux has already received far more exposure than we will be able to pay for. With that in mind, I have purchased a Tux500 mug. :-D Please pass my congratulatory salutations on to the rest of the crew. I wish I had the means to make it more worth their while. Cannot wait to see the race! |
| Scott_Ruecker May 20, 2007 7:50 PM EDT |
I turned on the TV minutes after he qualified..What a run!! |
| lcafiero May 20, 2007 10:15 PM EDT |
I want to echo what NoDough said, and doubly so. Congratulations all around -- and thank you, Ken (aka, Helios). I'm not much of a racing fan, but to watch qualifying today was pretty exciting. And I know where I'll be next Sunday (at work, of course, but I'll fight off all the San Francisco Giants fans on the desk expecting a ball game and lock the television on the race). Secondly, as a newspaper copy editor at a Central California daily, I wanted to make a few observations: -- The feature story in the Indy paper was huge, and I'm trying to convince either the sports editor or tech editor here to see if he can get permission to reprint it (bribes and blackmail could be part of the plan if either one balks . . .) -- Several days ago, there was an Associated Press photo of Milka Duno standing in the pits, but what was more photogenic was Roberto (Stephan? -- I don't know when the picture was taken) driving by in the background in the car with Tux on the nose. -- Speaking of Tux on the nose, the AP caught Stephan's crash as the car spun into the wall rear first (or so it appeared from the photo), nose pointing right at the camera. While this is not the kind of exposure the team is shooting for, those papers that ran the photo displayed a good look at logo on the nose -- a minor silver lining in a tragic situation for Stephan (who I hope is healing quickly) and the team. Ken deserves a medal for getting the ball rolling on this project, and with the proper head start for 2008 (which could start as early as next Monday) . . . . |
| Sander_Marechal May 20, 2007 10:25 PM EDT |
Yes, I would be happy with a 2008 tux500 campaign and I would contribute again. With a full year to get the funds we should be able to grab a far larger part of the car. Maybe even the full $350.000. |
| NoDough May 21, 2007 4:17 AM EDT |
Quoting:With a full year to get the funds we should be able to grab a far larger part of the car.Of course, that assumes that the opportunity to sponsor a car will be there next year. Fortune smiled on us this year. Next year may be different. |
| dinotrac May 21, 2007 4:39 AM EDT |
>Fortune smiled on us this year. Next year may be different. Fortune is part dumb luck, part preparation and planning, AND preparation and planning seem to encourage a little extra dumb luck. |
| Sander_Marechal May 21, 2007 5:29 AM EDT |
We don't need a car starting this campaign. If some sort of provision is made in Tux500 as to what will happen to the money when no car can be found, that's good. Then a couple of months before the next Indy500, the project can take whatever amount of donations was made and start shopping for a car. I think finding a car will be a lot easier if a large part of the money has already been collected. |
| NoDough May 21, 2007 5:41 AM EDT |
Dino and Sander, Good thoughts. Ken, what are your thoughts? Are you up for another year? |
| helios May 21, 2007 6:50 AM EDT |
Actually yes. Several things do need to be weighed and taken into consideration however and while this is a not the place to start the discussion in earnest, we can toss around some thoughts and ideas concerning such an effort. And most importantly, this discussion does need to take place. We've ticked off the reasons as to why people need to know about Linux. It is almost sickening to see how many people don't know they have a choice in how they operate their computer. Dell's hot and cold reactions are not helping and if you want my personal opinion, I think we should concentrate on seriously promoting these guys on the LXer list as OUR choice for hardware providers of desktop machines. Dell is too firmly under the thumb of Redmond and in the end, they will react to each jerk of the puppeteer's strings, not us. Linux, as it relates to the community, needs a stable, established and dominant entity to do this. The sums of money and the scope of these projects can be staggering. There needs to be an organization made up of those in the community who can do this and do it well. At least at the top, they will have to offer at least a small salary in exchange for the effort and time put forth. There were many reasons given to opposing Tux500.com and surprisingly, I must agree with many of them. People in Bamberg Germany have no idea how powerful the Indy 500 is in the realm of marketing and advertising. We need to find solid, viable marketing plans that encompasses an effort of more global appeal. Here's the trick. it must put politics and personal bias aside. I have watched as powerful forces in this community sit back and purposefully ignore Tux500.com because they did not personally agree with the idea, scope or project leaders on a personal level. In one case in particular, I know for a fact that a decision to not cover this stemmed from an individual believing I was "getting too big for my britches." I have accumulated what I am calling "Hatemail of helios." It is many of the emails I have received that obviously oppose the project and the reasons for those objections. Once my attorney looks into it, I will either publish the best ones or not depending on his advice. Curious to know the common thread through the majority of them? "Who in the hell do you think YOU are...?" It would appear that ego plays way to much of a part in efforts such as this. We have a tough enough time trying to market a product that has no financial reward for doing so by virtue of it having no real "sticker price". Then you get into the mindset that "if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is." That is wise counsel but like most everything else, there is always an exception. Proving to a cynical public that this is indeed the case will take professional, dedicated, honest and talented people to make this happen. So...You asked my thoughts? There are some of them. Where we go from here depends on who is willing to take us there. Yes, I am willing to play a part in such an effort. But first I have to make sure that those who throw stones at the effort are exposed for any ulterior motive they may have as opposed to the guise of "protecting the community from crooks." h |
| dinotrac May 21, 2007 8:29 AM EDT |
>"Who in the hell do you think YOU are...?" You mean other than somebody who is actually managing to get something done whilst they sit firm upon their lazy cans? |
| hkwint May 21, 2007 9:47 AM EDT |
Quoting:"Who in the hell do you think YOU are...?" Well, there's a good answer to that now: One of the people bringing the -first community sponsored general Linux ad (AFAIK), -first community sponsored Indy 500 car (AFAIK) Next year, you can point back to this year, and people will be less frightened to give money if there are video's and pictures of the successful attempt of last year. |
| hkwint May 21, 2007 9:48 AM EDT |
First, my congratulations to the TUX500 team. I have to admit, and I'm really ashamed, I didn't donate money, even though I planned to. But the d@rn b@st@rds at PayPall needed a fax with a copy of my passport to re-enable my account, because it was blocked. I don't have a fax, so suggested to scan it and send it as a mail. But, they told me they can't open attachments, because of viruses etc. Can somebody please make PayPal aware of Linux? It would be very helpful next year for the people who don't have a creditcard or PayPal to have a SWIFT/IBAN account next year. I would have donated within an hour (internet banking works fast in my country) if a SWIFT/IBAN account would have been available, since I'm a bit afraid to use PayPal, because of all the phishing, and I'm not the only one. Please consider this for next year. A foundation could also help.Quoting:"Who in the hell do you think YOU are...?" Well, there's a good answer to that now: One of the people bringing the -first community sponsored general Linux ad (AFAIK), -first community sponsored Indy 500 car (AFAIK) Next year, you can point back to this year, and people will be less frightened to give money if there are video's and pictures of the successful attempt of last year. Marketing should be far more easy since it will be for an 'established event' next year. Sander: Please, don't make TUX500 last a full year. PP definitely can't handle that! |
| Libervis May 21, 2007 3:45 PM EDT |
First of all, congratulations to Helios, Bob and others! Now.. I have an idea which might very well be unrealistic, but I'll throw it in just in case. We could start working towards forming a GNU/Linux Marketing Association or alliance which would be dedicated to organizing marketing campaigns on behalf of GNU/Linux. Anyone from individuals to supportive corporations could become a member of this association. It would have membership fees that are appropriate to the level of membership. Individuals would have very low fees while corporations would have them a bit bigger. They could be charged annually or every 3 or 6 months, if not monthly. Free Software Foundation has a membership program which gets them quite a bit of funding, and it's only 10 bucks a month. Of course, FSF also has the reputation that makes it desirable for one to be its member and associate, but this is something that, if organized well, could be created for the marketing association as well, I suppose. Anyway, it's out, feel free to chew on it. :) |
| Sander_Marechal May 21, 2007 3:50 PM EDT |
Another idea: Get the hardware guys in. That's where the real money is. You can still have a generic Linux marketing campaign while recommending a few places to "get your Linux kit". Imagine an Indy500 car with the nose & sidepods for generic Linux and the rest filled up with Linux hardware company's logos. Or, a big print ad for Linux with at the bottom a row of manufacturer logos. That could very well make it worth their wile to contribute. Afteral, now there's something it it that directly benefits them :-) |
| dcparris May 21, 2007 3:59 PM EDT |
I feel strongly there should be a general marketing project that sponsors multiple campaigns. |
| tracyanne May 21, 2007 4:40 PM EDT |
Quoting:Now.. I have an idea which might very well be unrealistic, but I'll throw it in just in case. We could start working towards forming a GNU/Linux Marketing Association or alliance which would be dedicated to organizing marketing campaigns on behalf of GNU/Linux. I think this is where we should be heading. |
| numbers May 21, 2007 7:04 PM EDT |
Congratulations on the progress of Tux500! The approx. $15,000.00 is nowhere near the $350,000.00 goal, it is $15K more than if nothing was done. (Does this number include any money from Tux500 merchandise sales?) While i don't follow Indy or any other sports ( I do watch the Tour de France in July) I did make my donation. I also bought a couple of keychains. I am a GNU/Linux user. I have bought a few boxed distros over the years but I have not invested back into the community the money I have saved by not buying MS products. Well, that's not toally true. I have made 2 or 3 small donations this year. I don't have a yearly Linux donation plan. I value the freedom that using FLOSS software gives me. Giving to Tux500 is just another step in the direction of giving back to the FLOSS cummunity other than by programming. |
| tracyanne May 21, 2007 9:05 PM EDT |
Chastain Motorsports on WikiPedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chastain_Motorsports |
| thenixedreport May 22, 2007 1:26 AM EDT |
#77 is going to Indy! Boo ya! Also, I'm seeing some great ideas being thrown around. I created a section on my own forum for those who might be interested in expanding on these ideas and perhaps suggestiong new ones. ;) |
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