How To Land A Spot In The Spotlight – Part II

“She makes a specific point of being sympathetic when a
journalist has difficulty understanding what it is you do —
as was said above, nobody can be an expert in anything, and most
journalists are paid to be reporters, not tech experts.
Unfortunately, the tech community — in general, and by no
means limited to Open Source projects — tends to have a
reputation for lacking patience with the un-technical as well as
having few qualms about hostile reaction. The adage “one bad apple
spoils the bunch” seems particularly appropriate: We know from
experience that the vast majority of those in the Open Source
community are patient, civil, and helpful — sometimes to a
fault — but unfortunately, those who are not seem to have an
uncanny ability to attract the new and un-technical.

“Included within this point is advice about items like FAQ pages
and other documentation. While these types of pages are available
specifically to answer the kind of questions a journalist is likely
to ask, Schindler notes that copying material directly from these
pages or from other articles written about your project is
plagiarism, not journalism. She notes a distinction that may not be
readily apparent: “[W]hat other developers want is
answers…journalists may not want a feature list as much as we
want perceptions, experiences, and opinions.” As she put it: “If I
post a message in your IRC channel asking why you chose an app,
please don’t send me to the FAQ! I want your personal story.””

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