Musings from a Notebook
you have a website, get your products listed on there too and don't keep it to yourself. You don't need to go overboard on fancy graphics, just ensure the *content* is there - what do you offer, where can people get it, what support do you provide? Register with search engines and ensure websites and magazines are aware of it. Don't announce vapourware, but do remember to make an announcement just prior to release followed by a proper release announcement when things are genuinely available. Always ensure you provide easy support for your products - for the budget developer, set up a list with eGroups and publicise it. Don't forget to subscribe yourself or someone who knows the product well, and keep the list informed. Lists are great for allowing your users to support themselves, as well as getting yourself more in touch with the important people who use your products. eGroups is free too, so you really have no excuse.
I've heard from a few sources that developers aren't submitting review material to people purely on personal grounds. This seems absurd to me, just because you don't like magazine X or website Y doesn't mean your customers don't either. Maybe it's time we had a widely known, open organisation to handle reviews independently. In fact here's an idea for budding website developers, completely open and unpatented... just remember who wrote it first ;-) Take an independent website in which people can post announcements of software and hardware. Developers can publicise their work in an independent environment, and offer people the chance to review their work - so the site would need to maintain a list of potential reviewers, maybe with a "Reviewers Available" and "Products for Review" list. So we have developers posting, dedicated reviewers posting. But we're missing something: everyone else. So, allow anyone else to post reviews, comments on reviews, end even announce products that haven't been announced. For inspiration, take a look at one of the Amazon online bookstores.
I've seen some minor attempts at things like this, but never anything as ambitious or widely accessible in the Amiga community. We do need something like this, particularly since we will shortly be joined by fresh blood with the new Amiga and Phoenix developments - fresh blood all eager to find out what software and hardware is out there. Let's help start build one tool for that future right now.
Here endeth the lesson. :-) Normal service will be resumed for June when I'll be hoping to fill you all in on the latest Phoenix and QNX Neutrino information.
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