linuxadvoca

Keys to Linux Advocacy within Your Organization

Linux has recently become the “darling” of Wall Street as financiers and venture capitalists (VCs) flock to become investors in open source. Industry giants such as IBM, Hewlett Packard, and Sun Microsystems are aligning themselves as partners with it. Given Linux’s growing public acceptance, Linux advocacy is more important now then it ever was. Advocacy is a powerful phenomenon/venue. Despite recent, favorable exposure, it is time to increase efforts for its advocacy, not lessen them.

Personal Advocacy

Self-propagating advocacy is more effective than traditional marketing because there is nothing comparable to personal recommendations for a product/service. The cascading effect of word-of-mouth testimonials is what advocacy does well – whether in an organizational setting or with an individual. The effect of personal recommendations is exponential. They build credibility as opportunities to have others listen to your story truthfully delivered one-on-one. If you are convinced of Linux’s virtues and value, it shows in your entire being. Your excitement is tangible to others in your voice, eyes, and demeanor. You possess the energy of someone who deeply cares. Let your enthusiasm show when storytelling.

Advocacy differs from mass marketing in its one-to-one focus. This smaller focus is more efficient and less costly than traditional marketing. It derives its power from building trust through personal interaction and relationship built over time. You have the chance to make a difference by becoming the trusted person people will listen to with open minds and ears. Never violate that trust.

The Advocacy Recipe

The ingredients for successful advocacy are:

The facts. Get them correct and straight. Do not “fudge” or stretch the truth. Be the person who tells the truth.

The stories. First-hand stories told by a trusted individual are powerful. Learn to relate your Linux stories by offering hard, first-hand experiences that can not be refuted. Become a beacon of truth. You will stand out in a crowd and people will listen.

· The relationships. Good relationships surpass good marketing. Initially, win friends; eventually, reap converts. Be someone who gives a darn and will go out of your way to help. Earn the credibility others ascribe to you by making friends, speaking the truth, and building relationships.

The qualitative difference. Do not spread fear, uncertainty, and doubt – the FUD factor. Let that be characteristic of your competition. Admitting that Linux can not currently perform a specific function is “OK” since software development moves so rapidly. Refuse to play the “fudge” game by speaking truth. Focus on the positives open source offers such as less downtime rather than repeating the “anything but Microsoft” (ABM) proposition.

How to be an Advocate

Know your goals – both short- and long-term. Realize there is no need to advertise what they are. In the short run, work with what you have and with whomever will listen. Get people talking about Linux and its implications. In the long run, gradually associate Linux with business plans, profits, and a way of doing business. It is no longer a hackers toy.

Know your timeline. Prepare the necessary groundwork for receptivity towards open source. Adoption of it will not be a quick sale or single, big proposal. Invest your available time into getting the proper information out to the people who need it.

Build relationships. You are the face of Linux to those you encounter. Do not be afraid of your limitations; find answers when you do not initially have them. Make the extra effort to find answers. This gets noticed and makes a deep, positive impression.

Get Linux compact discs (CDs) – free or at cost – into the hands of technology users. As a fellow technologist, you are trusted when you give them the tools of the trade. Advocacy is “easier” when potential users have opportunities to “test drive” the technology.

Look for small victories. Solve low priority or unacknowledged problems with open source solutions. The power of open source becomes tangible when it eliminates “status quo” workarounds. For example, Linux has solved bar coding issues, printer queue operations, and electronic messaging availability/retrieval.

Understand your audience. Linux offers operating system stability and flexibility that may be foreign and unknown to them. Their experiences have been strictly a world of system crashes and downtime. Their expectations about operating systems may not comprehend the possibility that open source offers the reality of 24-7 today. The claim of “no support” for open source software is often one where managers are trying to avoid making a mistake, not one where the software is unsupported. Show managers that open source consultants come from respected industry leaders such as Hewlett Packard, IBM, and Sun Microsystems as well as from up-and-coming specialists such as VA Linux and LinuxCare. The “secret weapon” of “official” business card toting technologists refute the misnomer that open source is unsupported. Such prominent expertise helps mitigate management’s fear of risk and uncertainty.

Final Remark

Finally, make a difference by being an advocate wherever you may be in the organizational food chain. No one can get others excited like you can. Start small. Solve a few problems using Linux where corporate standards failed. Tell the truth and avoid FUD. In the end, Linux can change how we do business forever.