We need publicity

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This page needs updating to represent our recent events and collaboration with Chris Dayton's Independent Media Initiative
This page is for brainstorming events, presentations, and anything else designed to get the public interested in what we're doing.

"Branding"

For lack of a better word, we need identity that is memorable to others.

  1. We have a name: Makers Local 256. We should use it when we can.
  2. We have a "Logo"

Past Events

Brain storming events

  1. I propose a public meet and greet. A way to fish for like minded people and see who bites. This would make for a prime opportunity to bring in a fair amount of new members, not to mention present our case for needing shop space to a larger audience. Make new local business contacts. --strages 03:50, 2 April 2007 (CDT)
    • What we'll need:
      • Large public space.
        • Is Big Sping Park public?
        • Does it have set hours of operation?
        • Will they allow grilling out within the park?
          • Think largish picnic.
        • Will we need some kind of permit or permission for a largish gathering?
          • We shouldn't, it's a public place, good to check though (freedom to assemble)
        • Will we be able to host one one a month or every couple of months?
      • Multiple ways of getting the word out about the event.
      • Seed projects to show off what we're trying to do.
      • Dedicated and reliable people to help pull it all together.
        • Planners
          • Talking to authority figures, making sure the projects are a go, getting the word out, etc.
        • Confirmed member attendees
          • People to help talk to other people about the projects, cook food, etc.
  2. Host an installfest, since LUNA doesn't do them anymore, and have little workshops.
    • Building a bawls light.
    • Building BEAM bots.
    • Do a talk or two about some of the finer points to dealing with Linux.

Recent Presentations

Proposed Presentations

  1. I want to make a timelapse video of wheeling in, unpacking, and setting up of the photobooth. Have some people use it, taking it down, packing it up, and wheeling it back out. I think this would accurately show the spirite of the design and function of the photobooth without taking up a lot of people's time. These sort of things would be suitable for submitting to Make:Blog, Instructables(with a little more effort), and Digg. --strages 03:57, 2 April 2007 (CDT)
  2. Hosting five minute presentations on anything techie/hackerish/makerish at Make Shop and hsv2600 meetings. The principle being, just about anyone can spare five minutes and you can cram a fair amount of information into a five minute presentation. Gives people a testbed for talk ideas which can be further expanded upon later and helps them with their public speaking skills. --strages 03:57, 2 April 2007 (CDT)

Online

  1. Remember to publish your projects to the blog and send them to hack a day, or make, or other tech blogs to show your work off to the webbernets.
  2. Everyone get an instructables.com account (free) and join group Makers Local 256. You don't have to add an instructable to the site, but the increased number of members in the group will help lend weight to the "Makers Union" concept and encourage others to join in the fray.
  3. Post talks from meetings or photobooth setup vids to Youtube
  4. How about we have a front page similar to Wikipedia? A "Today's Featured Project" section, "In The News" section, etc... recent photos and happenings (the building of the shed, playing with oobleck, cutting the burning bible, etc).

Guerrilla Marketing

  1. Buy tiny (64MB or so) thumbdrives in bulk for cheap. Install an auto-play presentation/demo for the Makers Local 256. Leave thumbdrives in conspicuous places near places of work.
  2. Graffiti, plaster our stickers and logo all over the place.

Word-of-Mouth Marketing

List of people you think would join

Might join

  1. Doogie (IEEE) Omegix 15:08, 10 April 2008 (CDT)

Probably would join

  1. Ande Boyer Omegix 15:08, 10 April 2008 (CDT)
  2. Ben Balser Omegix 15:08, 10 April 2008 (CDT)

Marketing to Organizations

  1. Huntsville Young Professionals
  2. IEEE
    1. Professional Section
    2. Student Branch

Progress

  • 02/17/2007: Outerz0ne 3 talk given to a reasonably filled room. Audience was definitely interested once we got to the project presentation stage of the talk and many talked to Strages after the talk.
  • 06/01/2007: Strages gave a five minute(more like 10) presentation on the Make Shop and what we've managed to do in roughly a year at the local 2600 meeting, ending with a plea for help in finding shop space. Had a couple of new people at the meeting come up and show definite interest afterwards, one being a new Digium employee that recently moved here. Gregabyte did a talk about his Weeble Antenna and Weeble Access Point projects. Jime Shoe did one encompassing several of his projects. Brimstone did one on Secure Productivity.
  • 06/28/2007: Sent an e-mail to the LUNA mailing list explaining who we are and asking the locals if they had or knew of any space they'd be willing to donate or cheaply rent for our cause. No great details, but I expect some curious folk to reply.
  • 07/06/2007: Gave more five minute talks at the local 2600 meeting. Strages did one on the Photobooth project and Tanstaafl did one on Thermite Production.
  • 09/07/2007: Gave more give minute talks at the local 2600 meeting. Strages did one on Multitouch techniques.

Makers Local in the News

Rolodex Of People/Organizations

Please refer to the Marketing Venues wikipage.

Related Information

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