[Linux-aus] Linux Magazine (http://linmagau.org/)

[Pia Smith]

Hi all,

My 2c worth :) (speaking as non-committee for most of this email :) )

On Wed, 2003-04-16 at 16:39, Jonathan Oxer wrote:
> On Wed, 2003-04-16 at 16:15, David Lloyd wrote:
> 
> > I wonder if people think that we could somehow provide some assistance
> > in setting up a paper edition of the Linux Magazine (URL in subject), or
> > indeed if this is a good idea at all?
> 
> I for one would very much like to see that happen, but I'm not sure what
> assistance you mean specifically. Or was the question very open-ended
> specifically to see if anyone had some ideas?

I think it'd be great, so long as the community contributed. The only
problem with this kind of venture is the risk of not getting content. We
certainly don't want it to start parroting other magazines.

Having said this after several chats with Kim, I believe the linmagau
team are pretty dedicated to getting interesting, different info and I
think it'd be a great thing to get it hard copied.

I think it'd be great to get local news out there in another form. We'd
have to keep costs down, but it could be sent en masse to LUGs and other
interested parties for sale to members, or could organise posting it to
members (throwing in ideas here).

> Perhaps this is something worthy of consideration for financial
> assistance according to previous discussions, although that could raise
> all sorts of issues if the magazine were set up in a commercial way.
> Personally I think it would be cool to see it set up as a non-profit
> organisation, run as a proper business but with revenue going back into
> furthering the interests of the magazine and Linux in general rather
> than just generating a profit. With an enterprise like that there are
> significant commercial arrangements that need to be entered into, such
> as paying a printer and a distributor, so there would need to be *some*
> kind of entity with a cheque book that could do that. At the moment it
> seems like it's just Kim doing it all with limited resources, but
> ideally it should be some kind of a legal entity with all that entails.

I suppose we simply need numbers. And a proposal that meets the
requirements of the Grant Program (which I'll put up in linux.org.au
today). 

> I see the way to achieve that is:
> 
> 1. Everyone that knows about it to support it by submitting content and
> telling all their friends about it.
> 2. A structure such as a non-profit org being put in place to handle the
> commercial aspects of it.
> 3. Discussion with printers and distributors to determine what is
> required to get a print version happening.
> 4. Signing up paying advertisers to got some revenue in.
> 5. Possibly some financial input from LA to help kick start things.
> 6. Go to print.

Sounds so simple ;) We could very likely get some sponsorship, but we
need to ask how much advertising we are willing to tolerate in the
magazine. We don't want to end up with 60% funding adds content :)

> If necessary there could be some arrangement with LA that said in effect
> that LA would kick in $X to start with, which would be repaid once $Y
> sales had been made.

It sounds very worthy. Kim if you could start getting some numbers and
such, get them to the committee and we'll discuss it :)

Thanks all!
Pia