Communicating freely
Thoughts on how we can all talk a little easier, and how that can make life better.
One small step for the FSFE, many steps for Shane
Tonight was a rather long one for little old me. I decided to get all proactive, guerrilla, and viral. I took lots of FSFE leaflets, put them together into nice little packs, and walked two kilometers to the student residences of the University of Birmingham in the UK. My goal? To put information about the FSFE and the fellowship through as many doors near the schools of politics and computer science as I could.
This strange little mission was motivated by conversations I have had with people as I tour local LUGs. Many people don’t really know what the FSFE does, or what we want to accomplish. I figured that it’s important to meet that ignorance head-on, and to get our message out to one demographic that is relatively sure to be interested. Students…you have to love them!
There was another motive. I had loads of little fellowship leaflets talking about the laptops we are giving away during April, and I wanted to get that message out to people before the deadline passed. Success. Almost all the leaflets are now gone. A handful have been retained for the Birmingham Perl Mongers meeting on Wednesday where I will wax lyrical about FSFE stuff.
Ah. My feet hurt. My back hurts. It was raining. But in my tiny, tiny, tiny way I did something that might mean more people will learn about Free Software. That is a good thing. Sometimes all the discourse and planning in the world is not as important as getting out there, and pro-actively spreading the important word.
Oh. Hey. FSFE Office guys. I need more leaflets. Lots more.