Marketing category

On "what is Ubuntu" section of Ubuntu.com, all what you see is text and one or 2 pictures presenting Ubuntu, Kubuntu, or Xubentu, ext...

That's not sufficient!

Clearly better, posting video presentations -along with text and pics- that explain briefly how the system works, most of Linux advantages, Ubuntu principles, showing how the system is too simple to handle.. ext.. in a very attractive way!

Just think "commercial", the idea is to seduce new users!

Every release lots of new programs get added to the repositories. A lot of these go unnoticed to most users. Please make a webpage that shows off all new programs that are added, either when they are added in the development release or all at once at release time. This should include screenshots, a short description/review and an apturl link to easily install the program.

A basic version of this could even be produced by an automated program. A more advanced version including reviews would require more effort.

When searching on the web for ubuntu videos, you'll generally find youtube video's done by amateur, showing the outstanding and useless effects of compiz, but never the benefits of using Ubuntu.

What I'd like to see is some official video done by canonical, showing ubuntu is use. There should be different videos explaining how to install and use ubuntu, show the main features of the OS, and the new ones.

For example, Apple already do this for every new release of their OS.

http://www.apple.com/macosx/guidedtour/

I think it's a very good idea of them, and there should be something like that for Ubuntu.

Ubuntu has to reach the masses. Get Ubuntu reviews on major websites/Magazines/TV shows.

A Windows user will believe a reliable source more than their best friend who uses Linux when it comes to IT.

We need a bigger community.

Better Marketing => More Users => Bigger Community => Better Testing => Better Ubuntu => Better Ubuntu experience for us all.

Many people using Windows simply buy a new computer when their old one gets too slow due to virusses for example. They throw away the old computer because they think it is broken or outdated, but in fact it is just their operating system that is broken.

What about a marketing campaign to get people to put Ubuntu on such "landfill computers"?

Important questions for this *draft* brainstorm idea:
* How can we prevent that people start to associate Linux with old computers and Window with new computers?

* Can we get help from organisations like Greenpeace?

* How can we highlight to these people that their computer they wanted to throw away is running fast again because of the power of Linux compared to the garbage of Windows? Maybe this is a good slogan?: "Don't throw away your whole computer when only the installed operating system is garbage! Replace your OS by the more powerful Ubuntu and the environment will love you...and so does your wallet!"

* How can we get these people to also consider Ubuntu for their new computers?

* What is the impact of throwing away a computer on the environment instead of keeping it in use?

* What about the Ubuntu community installing Ubuntu for free when people bring their old computer to the landfil? Maybe these people will return home happily with a "new" Ubuntu computer! I'm sure these happy people will tell their friends about the "lead-into-gold tranformation" experience they had!

This idea was inspired by: http://www.workswithu.com/2008/09/10/ubuntu-saves-compaq-presario-2100-from-dea th-and-windows/

[....]

There have been rumors floating around of HP making their own Linux OS to bypass Windows Vista because of it's bad reputation, and to compete with Apple. Well, if we were to...say, let them use Ubuntu as their new OS for their computers. Not give it to them, but let them use it, and make their software for it.

This will make Ubuntu Linux sky rocket in popularity, potentially. Make let them make their own flavor of it "Hpubuntu" or something, and make copies of their software for it. But it's an idea so don't kill me for it.

Each siw month I put on my blog an ad to promote Ubuntu. But I'm French and my public is French too so I put ad in English...

So why not create a special part on the Ubuntu website to help web master to make ads or take ads for there website, in different languages like Mozilla Firefox with his web site : http://www.spreadfirefox.com/

If Ubuntu gets more commercialized (installed by default by OEM's, more people paying for support etc) I think this will be good. So people know which dists to expect support for, and don't start blame Canonical if their linux mint for instance is not working out alright.

I don't particularly need or want to purchase commercial support for Ubuntu.

However, I do want to support Ubuntu and Canonical in any way that I can, so I tend to buy and collect stuff from https://shop.canonical.com/.

I would really like to order official Ubuntu install media, autographed by my favorite Ubuntu developers :-)

Yet another way to differentiate the rock star Ubuntu Community from the proprietary software world!

Currently, the different Ubuntu variants, loco teams and other sites use different CMS software to run their sites. Often, pieces of code and software is introduced to make the sites more appealing and functional to its users.

It would be great if many of the existing Launchpad.net features would be created as widgets that could be included on websites and blogs. This would result in a decrease of duplication, and an increase in functionality on Ubuntu related websites.

Some new functionality could also be built into Launchpad that could assist loco's and other similar types of teams.

Another way for Ubuntu to create revenue is by supplying an online service (.ubuntu?) with annual fee:
http://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/13788/
(Trinix's idea).

A simple way to increase the visibility of such offering is to bundle it with Ubuntu's netbook remix:
http://www.canonical.com/projects/ubuntu/nbr
For free, for one year, and than offer the option to continue the subscription.

Since netbooks and cloud computing are a perfect match, mixing them together may provide Canonical with a stable revenue source.

Discussion:
http://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/13792/

Display a list of people donating money somewhere along the donations page. Maybe this could also attract companies to donate money, as it will be a way of advertising for them. Also, people donating a certain amount of money could get something (like an ubuntu-badge or so)

Sharing ubuntu is already quite easier, however, there are still ways to make it even easier, even for the biggest dummies. I propose we add a "share ubuntu button" that has 2 options:

1) Order the latest copy of Ubuntu on CD free for a friend, which would either redirect to the shipit website or send a link to shipit to friends.
2) Download the latest ubuntu from the website automatically, and burn it on CD. This one click operation means people don't even need to know how to burn iso's or do anything, it is all automatic.

And since CD burning tools and tools like wget are already built into ubuntu, so technically its easy to code, and it would be a very small binary.

Microsoft just came out with a new ad to compete against the "I'm a Mac" ads.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkZdkHylJ3w

It would be cool if we could organise a community based come back ad where different users upload a short clip of them saying what they use their PC for and we edit it together similar to the Microsoft ad. The ad would point out that not all PCs are based on Windows and demonstrate all the different ways that Linux can be used and by all the different kids of people.

It would be great if there was a team that provides support to Loco teams in terms of:

* A howto repository for events/programs/promotional artwork/stationery/etc
* Themes for planets, content management systems, etc
* Software that is used within the loco team to organise software distribution and advocacy (like the Freedom Toaster)

Currently there is a loco-contact list for announcements and communication, but I believe that it would be beneficial for a team to exist that would do development and support for all LOCO teams, and for a platform to exist for greater collaboration among loco teams.

The idea is to have a simple fund to which people could donate. The fund should be used exclusively to pay open source developers or documenters.[1] To get paid, the developers/documenters (henceforth just "developers") must develop and enhance open source projects against some sort of viable metric.

The projects to be tackled should be voted on by members of the charity. A member of the charity is one who is a member of the charity website. In this way, "mere mortals" could have a vote on what ideas developers are to work.

There should be no special disposition given to those who give money to the charity.[2] People could give money earmarked in one of two ways: directly payable to any developer for the charity, or to be used to build an endowment.[3]
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[1] Absolutely no one else should receive money from the charity fund. No administrator, no board member, no hosting provider, no one. Only developers.

[2] This is expected to weed out those trying to influence the charity through money, and to garner more (smaller) donations from a range of people

[3] The idea behind the endowment is to make the charity self-sustaining and growing. Thus, part of the proceeds should be reinvested into the endowment itself, and the rest should be dispersed to developers.

I guess, a Partner repo is one of the killer-feature of Ubuntu. It's good to see Zimbra hitting the repo, I also would expect IBM Lotus Symphony to come soon (there is a beta already).
But there are some other apps that are needed, too.
For example, Skype.
Skype is being used by lots of users world-wide. And having an opportunity to install it with a click is a nice feature. Besides, Ubuntu team could make Skype work out-of-box flawlessly with Ubuntu if it were on the repos.
Other examples are Adobe Reader, Adobe AIR (when the port is finally ready) and others.
I guess, those apps should be made easily accessible.

Recognize "ubuntu eee" as a derivative. 'Ubuntu eee' for the eeepc of Asus is really a linux for humans.

Easy, fast and reliable. Even my mom can compute with this os. I love it.

They have automaticaly set the wlan driver for the eeepc and the default Ubuntu doesn't. So they really have something to offer.

The Ubuntu eee project really can contribute to your efforts of making Ubuntu popular, because many people want to buy or have a eeepc.

It is so much better than that Xandros os that was installed on my eeepc 900.

I cannot help but think that Ubuntu is becoming more like Vista with all its choices.

Now I know we cannot simplify all the packages we do by rolling them into one, but we could simplify things a little.

We could put everything under the Ubuntu banner and not have Kubuntu, Edubuntu, Remix and all the other names which do more to confuse than to clarify.

If we called everything just Ubuntu, that would simplify things in the minds of people everywhere.

When they come to download the ISO they could then be given a page of options, such as:

- Gnome Desktop This is for users who want the flagship version using the Gnome Desktop.

- KDE Desktop. This is for those who want a desktop leaning more towards their Windows experience.

- Reduced desktop. This is for people who have an old computer and would prefer a reduced subset which would give them increased speed.

- Educational - This is aimed at schools and children.

And so on. Naturally people with better knowledge of the other sub-sets would do a better job of wording the above.

But this way would show, in peoples eyes, there is only one program instead of the present umpteen programs, which make us look more like Microsoft Vista with all its choices.

Mind you, I don't expect this to attract too many points as people using Kubuntu and the other derivatives will be passionate about hanging on to their version. But I chose Ubuntu as it is the only word that is real and not made up. I used to speak Zulu fifty years ago and as far as I can remember, there is no such word as Kubuntu and Edubuntu on this language. But Ubuntu is a well known and used word in both Zulu and Xhosa.

[....]

As you know newspapers use to sell MS windows and office courses.

It is time to distribute a DVD Ubuntu version with newspapers that has video courses for the OS and main programs for everybody as Openoffice, Thunderbird/Evolution, Firefox, Pidgin, Transmission/ Deluge, Gimp, Xsane/scan2pdf, and others.

As I teaches OSs is with exercises and helping to solve them.
If each exercise is written in PDF and solved in videos, perhaps with links inside the pdf it should teach people even better tahn actual MS courses.

Most programs are cross plattform, if people do not change to Ubuntu, at least they will move to use those programs in the windows versions. After that, change to Ubuntu - or other linux - is only a step, the DVD/s must have links to teh windows versions of that programs.

It will be free for the newspapers, and for ubuntu, but many buyers should buy it.

Of course the ubuntu must be DVD live for people to try it.