Comments on Python Redesign

[Dave Kuhlman]

Alex Martelli wrote:

> Lulu of the Lotus-Eaters wrote:
> 
>> "Tim Parkin" <tim.parkin at pollenationinternet.com> wrote
>> previously:
>> |Please could we move this discussion to one of the appropriate
>> |lists as
>> |well.  I suggest python-marketing to begin with.
>> 
>> A marketing list is just not an appropriate forum for discussing
>> redesigning the main python website.  The page www.python.org
>> just simply should not be driven primarily, or even
>> significantly, by "marketing" issues... it's us developers who
>> use it, in the overwhelming majority.
> 
> So, you're asserting that the target audience of the site IS and
> SHOULD BE
> "developers".  Surprise, surprise: this assertion IS "a marketing
> issue". Marketing BEGINS with the identification of target
> audiences and the products and services that will best meet the
> target audiences' need.
> 

We're not, I believe, arguing about the target audience for
Python.  We're arguing about the target audience for
http://www.python.org.

Further more, saying that the choice of a target audience or that
the choice of the service and product to be provided is a
marketing issue begs the question.  It just assumes that marketing
should take over decisions about the direction of a company or a
site.

> Many techies think of "marketing" as a dirty word because it's so
> often
> misused as an inappropriate synonym for "selling".  Using words
> properly, marketing is a perfectly legitimate and important
> activity: identify who you're addressing, address their needs
> through appropriate products and services, communicate to them
> that your products and services do address their needs, listen to
> their feedback and adjust your products and services to meet their
> needs even better, look for other audiences that might get their
> needs met by your products and services possibily with some
> modifications.

These are all good suggestions for a Python promotion site or for a
site for a company that sells Python services.

No one is arguing that marketing and sales are illegitimate.
David Mertz has already offered to sell "Python in a box with
extras" for $299, possibly even for less if you say, "Guido sent
me".  But, please don't do it at http://www.python.org.

I am on the side of those who say that the marketing and
promotion should not be done at the Python home page,
http://www.python.org.  It does not seem to be the main focus at
http://www.perl.org/ nor at http://java.sun.com/.  What promotion
is done at those sites (and the current Python home site) is done
through helping developers and not through paid endorsements etc.
The Java site, by the way, looks like they copied www.python.org,
then polished it and edited it for Java.

Dave

-- 
Dave Kuhlman
http://www.rexx.com/~dkuhlman
dkuhlman at rexx.com