Team0

Matt Griffin (writer) and Cassidy James (designer)

Ideas

1. There are not only 2 options - There aren't just 2 choices when it comes to computers. In fact there are at least 3 good options. Ubuntu should be put on par with Windows and Mac as a viable option for the everyday person. Catalog the many example where people shouldn't limit themselves to only 2 options.

• what would art look like if only 2 colors were available? Black and white.
• what we could only choose between 2 car brands?
• are there only 2 types of shoes available?
• only 2 hair styles?
• games - Space Invaders or Asteroids?

...I think you're getting the point. The examples could go beyond technology into mainstream products (e.g., only 2 lipstick colors). The creative executions should somewhat make the reader feel duped because they've been going on all of these years and only thought there were 2 options. Once people realize that there is definitely another option, guiding them to the Ubuntu trial process is the goal.

Medium options: Use flyers, sticker templates, desktop wallpaper, and twitter topics (e.g., #thethirdoption) to show scenes of each example of what life would be like with only 2 options.

• A neighborhood with only 2 types of cars shown in the driveways
• A store window promoting the two colors of lipsticks that they offer - "red" or "brown"
• A barbershop with a sign showing the two different men's hairstyles that they offer

2. 1001 ways that Ubuntu is great - This is a campaign focused on using Twitter. Get people to post ways that Ubuntu is great. This will increase the volume of messages about Ubuntu and reach new non-enthusiast users. Each message should have a way for the reader to get to the Try Ubuntu page to see for themselves.

Build a website where people can submit tweet-able (character limit) reasons why Ubuntu is great. Review each submission. Translate them into multiple languages. Post the reasons to a single twitter account and encourage the submitter to post using a specific tag. Append each message with "http://bit.ly/TryUbuntu" to encourage viewers to try Ubuntu. The goal is to accumulate lots of reasons to try Ubuntu (which we could use later) and encourage conversations about Ubuntu.

3. Operation Ubuntu - Last year, a few Canonical employees promoted the release of 10.04 by covertly projecting some lightshows around London. Get people to spread the message about Ubuntu by providing resources to build a projector and display "http://bit.ly/TryUbuntu" or something similar with a URL shortener. This URL is good because usage is trackable - http://bit.ly/TryUbuntu+. This could be in partnership with Lifehacker or MAKE Magazine who might host the build instructions and promote Operation Ubuntu to their readers.

It would be good to build a website for Operation Ubuntu with the build instructions, images of the URL text to project, and any tips.

4. Mini-news - Develop a series of very short (1 min) news stories about Ubuntu-related news. Partner with OMGUbuntu to produce the programs. Give the programs to local radio stations around the world (programs can be produced in multiple languages) and ask them to add them to their daily Internet streams. There could be a lot of opportunity in the US. I believe there are royalty laws (royalties for the voice talent) that make it cost prohibitive for advertisers to play most traditional radio advertisements on Internet broadcasts... mattgriffin is checking into this.

5. It's an adventure - Trying something new is an adventure. It's sometimes scary but can be exciting and rewarding to discover something new. There are many people out there that hear about something new and how great it is and want to try it for themselves. It could be a food, a working style, reading a new magazine, traveling to a new destination. The expect that everything isn't going to go as planned but are willing to take the risk because they will meet people and discover things along the way. They are confident that in the end there will be a reward.

These adventurous people are probably the kind to keep a bucket list. They might work in an office at a desk but they have a personal list (possibly secret) that represents their adventurous side. Work with tech blogs to publish articles about using Ubuntu to help accomplish (or just capture) the things on a bucket list. Lots of people tweet about their lists. Here are a few ideas.

• Use Shotwell to capture your photo safari
• Use Pitivi to edit the video from your skydive
• In general, use Software Center to find the desktop apps to chronicle your adventures... like a journal for example.
• Or use Software Center to find tools to help you learn that something new - a language (French, sign language), chess, poker, or to research and document your genealogy

6. "UnclutterYourPC" Day - There's a lot of pain with clutter. It affects the person who has the clutter. It also affects those around the person with clutter. If you have to spend hours and hours trying to remove a virus from your computer, that's time that you could have spent with your family and friends. Promote a twitter tag around uncluttering your PC for a day. Promote tips from blogs like Lifehacker that help unclutter your PC. Many of those tips should be about using Ubuntu and link to ways to try Ubuntu.

Or make it about having a faster PC (rather than unclutter). Unclutter is a rational goal but many don't respond to rational arguments. Focusing on having a faster computer is something more people can identify with. There was a similar Day event for backup - http://www.worldbackupday.net/