Strategy For Open Community Letter
I wanted to share a bit of the strategy for the Open Community Letter that we are working on.
(1) Signatures
We have established a database for collecting signatures, which will be attached with the Open Community Letter. It's important that each person must be verifiable, so we have added some safeguards by collecting informaton that will allow that name to be checked. However, not all the information collected will be delivered with the signature list.
The signature database to be operational since Oct 4th -- one day earlier than planned! It's imperative that we receive as many signatures as possible to create the traction we need.
(2) Site
Right now, my blog is being used to reflect the Open Community Letter effort. The intent, however, is to move it to a more appropriate / community representative web site. Current candidate web sites include the forthcoming CodeFez site and also the BCBdev web site that Harold Howe has been web mastering for all these years. (As of Oct 5, no response from them yet.) Perhaps we could use both. I'm open to other suggestions.
(3) Survey
Mark Jacobs has put up a survey to collect information to help us further make the case for BCB. This can be found at...
http://www.critical.co.uk/surveys/bcbfwd/bcbfwd.htm
We will take the results of this and make it part of our package. I'm asking him to shut down the survey by October 22nd, so that we have time to pull together the results.
(4) Delivery
So what gets delivered to Borland -- and who will get it at Borland? Good questions.
We will deliver the Open Letter. The signatures (collected via the database). Also, we hope to generate a separate document detailing information collected from the survey (this all depends on participation of the survey to be honest). Finally, we hope to provide a pseudo-repository to collect invidual / organization letters (PDF), which will also be delivered.
The Delivery will be accomplished several ways...
(a) Email dump to select members of Borland Management (Open Letter and Signatures)
(b) Announcement of Web site(s) posting of Open Letter, Signatures, Survey Results, and those letters people have written which they are comfortable with sharing.
(c) Snail mail (postal delivery) to select members of Borland Management of the entire package
(5) Target
Borland Management is the target for the Open Letter and the related materials. We will also CC the BCB Development Leadership as well as Developer Relations. There are two addresses we have for Borland, but Corporate is likely the only address we need to send the package to.
(6) Date
Borland's promise to us for an "answer" is December 15th. The proposed date for our delivery of this Open Community Package is currently November 1st. If we get enough traction early, this date could be earlier. Think of it like popping popcorn. You may have set the time on the Microwave, but as soon as you hear the popcorn stop popping, you shut it down and pull the bag out of the machine if there's still a few seconds left on the time. We may very well deliver early on this whole package, but that all depends on the early results of feedback, and if it then starts to level off, then I think we're ready. Keep in mind the earlier we emphasize our desire to the Borland management team (and are able to show our strength), the better our chances of influencing their decision and shaping the future.
(7) Spreading the Word
There is strength in numbers. Now that the signature page is up, we need as many folks adding their name to the list. Word of mouth. Email. Phone Calls. It will take all of us - working together to get the word out!!!
(1) Signatures
We have established a database for collecting signatures, which will be attached with the Open Community Letter. It's important that each person must be verifiable, so we have added some safeguards by collecting informaton that will allow that name to be checked. However, not all the information collected will be delivered with the signature list.
The signature database to be operational since Oct 4th -- one day earlier than planned! It's imperative that we receive as many signatures as possible to create the traction we need.
(2) Site
Right now, my blog is being used to reflect the Open Community Letter effort. The intent, however, is to move it to a more appropriate / community representative web site. Current candidate web sites include the forthcoming CodeFez site and also the BCBdev web site that Harold Howe has been web mastering for all these years. (As of Oct 5, no response from them yet.) Perhaps we could use both. I'm open to other suggestions.
(3) Survey
Mark Jacobs has put up a survey to collect information to help us further make the case for BCB. This can be found at...
http://www.critical.co.uk/surveys/bcbfwd/bcbfwd.htm
We will take the results of this and make it part of our package. I'm asking him to shut down the survey by October 22nd, so that we have time to pull together the results.
(4) Delivery
So what gets delivered to Borland -- and who will get it at Borland? Good questions.
We will deliver the Open Letter. The signatures (collected via the database). Also, we hope to generate a separate document detailing information collected from the survey (this all depends on participation of the survey to be honest). Finally, we hope to provide a pseudo-repository to collect invidual / organization letters (PDF), which will also be delivered.
The Delivery will be accomplished several ways...
(a) Email dump to select members of Borland Management (Open Letter and Signatures)
(b) Announcement of Web site(s) posting of Open Letter, Signatures, Survey Results, and those letters people have written which they are comfortable with sharing.
(c) Snail mail (postal delivery) to select members of Borland Management of the entire package
(5) Target
Borland Management is the target for the Open Letter and the related materials. We will also CC the BCB Development Leadership as well as Developer Relations. There are two addresses we have for Borland, but Corporate is likely the only address we need to send the package to.
(6) Date
Borland's promise to us for an "answer" is December 15th. The proposed date for our delivery of this Open Community Package is currently November 1st. If we get enough traction early, this date could be earlier. Think of it like popping popcorn. You may have set the time on the Microwave, but as soon as you hear the popcorn stop popping, you shut it down and pull the bag out of the machine if there's still a few seconds left on the time. We may very well deliver early on this whole package, but that all depends on the early results of feedback, and if it then starts to level off, then I think we're ready. Keep in mind the earlier we emphasize our desire to the Borland management team (and are able to show our strength), the better our chances of influencing their decision and shaping the future.
(7) Spreading the Word
There is strength in numbers. Now that the signature page is up, we need as many folks adding their name to the list. Word of mouth. Email. Phone Calls. It will take all of us - working together to get the word out!!!
1 Comments:
First of all, I'm sorry for my poor English. But I'm trying to use correct English as long as I can, so plz do not be so angry.
Thank you for your effort as a mania for C++Builder, and as a representative for Korean C++Builder developers. I am the founder and was chairman of Korean developer community BorlandForum.com for 5 years, and now I had retired 2months ago. Although new chairman was elected, but he's very busy in his office, so I decided to undertake this task-community open letter related tasks in Korea.
BorlandForum.com is biggest online community specialized on Borland tools, and was originated from C++Builder community. In BorlandForum.com, there is about 6,000 registered members and much more not registered visitors who using C++Builder.
This number-over 10 thousands of C++Builder developers- means almost all developers in Korea that using C++Builder. I had tried to use this force of number in improvement of C++Builder developers' benefit. So, I think that now is the time to use this force best(and maybe the last time?)
Of course I have big concern in your open letter and any other possible effort, and believe most of Korean C++Builder developers would be alike. ANY kind of trial you do, I want to participate and persuade our developers to do. I have already introduced your borcon blog in our site as a major news, and Korean version of Dr.Bob's BCB dev journal column. In 24 ours I will translate your Open letter & strategy article to Korean and publish in our site. (translating is not so easy task to me)
And I myself am investigating what can I we do more. If you have any idea of good way to use the force of our developers for this event, I will do my best to do it. Give me some good idea if you have, and I'll give any possible idea. We really love C++Builder.
I think this kind of tedious comment should be sent to you via email, but I was not able to find your email address.
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