Re: Slashdot and other myths (was Re: Handling developers, "the zone" and other myths)
On Mon, May 27, 2002, Bruce Byfield wrote:I usually give it a quick scan every day, but I don't take it very seriously.
http://books.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=02/04/04/157205&mode=nested&tid=98
reviews a book that supports the notion about the importance of "the zone." Equally interesting are the comments from the techie crowd who read the site, which, with some exceptions, tend to question the whole idea of treating developers specially, as well as the idea of the zone.
The people in my crowd tend to pooh-pooh anything from Slashdot, aside
from the occasional reference to other material and its amusement value.
Does anyone here actually find Slashdot useful for information?
For me, it has two uses, neither of which is intended, I'm sure, by those who run the site:
- Comments on Slashdot are a useful indicator of a particular segment of the open source and free software communites. I'd characterize this segment as young, and, often, either still in school or else not senior programmers.
- If your company has any connection with the open source or free software, landing a story on Slashdot is great publicity. Once a story hits Slashdot, you can almost guarantee that other sites will pick up the story, too. A few news releases and company position papers that I've written (anonymously, or for somebody else) have been Slashdotted, and I've been gratified with the results. Conversely, I've seen stories on Slashdot that have been major embarrassments for companies (fortunately, none that I've been connected with).
However, if marketing and PR aren't part of your job, or if your work doesn't have the connections I've mentioned, then the site probably has less interest. Or maybe I'm just too old for the target audience?
--
Bruce Byfield 604.421.7177 bbyfield -at- axionet -dot- com
"They pout, they pose, they curl their lips,
They miss too many meals
With their implants and injections
Only God knows what is real."
-Garnet Rogers, "Where'd You Get That Little Dress?"
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Check out RoboDemo for tutorials! It makes creating full-motion software
demonstrations and other onscreen support materials easy and intuitive.
Need RoboHelp? Save $100 on RoboHelp Office in May with our mail-in rebate.
Go to http://www.ehelp.com/techwr-l
Free copy of ARTS PDF Tools when you register for the PDF
Conference by May 15. Leading-Edge Practices for Enterprise
& Government, June 3-5, Bethesda,MD. www.PDFConference.com
---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as: archive -at- raycomm -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
Send administrative questions to ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com -dot- Visit http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.
References:
Handling developers, "the zone" and other myths: From: Bruce Byfield
Slashdot and other myths (was Re: Handling developers, "the zone" and other myths): From: Aahz
Previous by Author:
Re: Fog Index, take II
Next by Author:
Re: Fog Index, take II
Previous by Thread:
Slashdot and other myths (was Re: Handling developers, "the zone" and other myths)
Next by Thread:
RE: Slashdot and other myths (was Re: Handling developers, "the zone" and other myths)
Search our Technical Writing Archives & Magazine
Visit TechWhirl's Other Sites
Sponsored Ads