On 7/25/05, Jon Phillips <jon@...235...> wrote:
Apart from being (IMHO) a bit too wordy, the 0.41 press release made a very major error: it spoke about "planning for the 0.42 release", which left many people who read it quickly confused as to which version _this_ is. I saw it reported on some sites as 0.42 apparently because of that.
Ok, why don't you write the first draft. I'll re-edit.
As I wrote, my draft for _informal_ announcement is the first section of http://www.inkscape.org/cgi-bin/wiki.pl?ReleaseNotes. As for the formal one, I can't write it and I never claimed to. I just explained a couple of points that I didn't like about the 0.41 one.
Also, I have received in the past emails from magazines and press outlets that complain about lack of third person and the too personalized nature of Inkscape press releases and is one of the major reasons that I have professionalized past releases -- it works. Also, third person formal/professional releases is the standard. If you want to be picked up seriously by magazines, news agencies, and other agencies and be heard, this is the standard format.
OK, no problem, I was just wondering. If they specifically request this format, of course we should provide it.
Other people, companies, press outlets, etc, are not in our community and will not understand some of our community jargon.
There's no community jargon in my "In brief". Just standard graphic terms describing what we have in store. If you are into computer graphics at all, you won't have any problems understanding most of it. And if an Inkscape-only term is used, it is because it describes an Inkscape-only feature, not because it sounds cool or catchy.
, I don't think we need to write a separate "informal" one as we did last time.
I disagree. I think this is part of our project growing...informal for local community and formal for formal press contacts.
Sure. Note that I didn't say we don't _need_ the informal one. I just said we don't need to _write_ it because it's largely written.
Realistically, the professional should be the primary release, but I think the dual strategy is a good compromise.
OK, let's not call any of them "primary". Each one is primary for its audience :)
All people? That is a lot of people. I agree about not rewriting the prose. But please, look at professional PR from apple, etc, and see that the press release is not a bullet point list, but an overview...a press release is to send out as an announcement.
What you say is true about the formal announcement, for situations where it is required. But I don't think it's applicable to what you called the informal announcement which has its uses as well. That one, luckily, does not need to imitate a corporate entity in any way.