[IAEP] [Marketing] idea for consolidated Sugar feedback + a new name for our "users"

[David Farning]

2009/5/26 Sean DALY <sdaly.be at gmail.com>:
> Sugar, to me, represents the courage of starting from scratch to build
> the best learning environment for kids there is. With the associated
> risks - of being different, being in unfamiliar territory, doing
> things in untraditional ways.
>
> I can't bring myself to call my kids "users" of Sugar. Yet, a name for
> their role when they are doing/making Sugar is appropriate... they
> have a place, they have a colored symbol of themselves... a shared
> experience with others who are there to do something very similar.
>
> We find it normal to class people by what they do: "Chess players
> practice openings." "Knitters often prefer purl stitching."
> "Bicyclists often wear bright colors to be more visible." In each of
> these cases, the role of the person is in some way defined by the
> necessary objects - Chess players with a chessboard and pieces (and
> usually another chess player), knitters with needles and yarn,
> bicyclists with their bikes. It's obvious that these labels are
> reductive, but what is gained is that they are precise - they are
> descriptive in a way "users" can't be, it's too generic.
>
> The idea behind "users" is to be all-inclusive, since computers are
> general-purpose data processing machines. I would submit that Sugar is
> a special case because its "users" are children... and I appreciate
> Jonas when he says that we grownups don't need our roles to fit into
> traditional descriptors either. That's outside-the-box thinking in my
> view.
>
> To Eben - on the contrary, I think it's important to publicly
> complement our Activities (capital A since collaborative applications
> specific to Sugar) with Learners (capital L since users with a role
> specific to Sugar). I don't think this nomenclature will confuse
> anyone, but instead clarify Sugar's positioning and differentiation.
> Teachers will understand it right away I think.
>

Sounds reasonable.

david

> Sean
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> On Tue, May 26, 2009 at 9:04 PM, Jonas Smedegaard <dr at jones.dk> wrote:
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>> On Tue, May 26, 2009 at 02:02:40PM -0400, Samuel Klein wrote:
>>>Docs that don't use familiar language can be a turnoff.  'User' is a
>>>familiar nuisance.  'Supporter' might also be apporpriate, since some
>>>people who follow and care about sugar do not use it day to day and
>>>are passing on the opinions of others, or their observation of others.
>>
>> I really like the term "Learners".  It indicates awareness - active
>> participation.  The term "Users" to me is more related to "Consumers"
>> (not the word itself, but its use in my part of the world).
>>
>> I agree that there are others involved in Sugar than Developers and
>> Learners.  But as I see it, the examples raised - Supporters - are not
>> Users either :-P
>>
>> I do not consider myself a Sugar Developer, and not a Sugar Learner.  I
>> consider myself a Sugar Packager and (as representative of Debian) a
>> Sugar Distributor.
>>
>>
>> Oh, and while we are at it: I suggest calling it "Authors" instead of
>> "Developers".  Developers tend to emphasize the techies which is quite
>> unfair especially to a project like Sugar: Authors include both code
>> Programmers, graphics/interface Designers and content
>> Writers/Composers/Illustrators.
>>
>>
>> Authors → Packagers → Distributors → Deployers → Administrators →
>> Learners
>>
>> (arrgh - too long to fit a single line :-( )
>>
>> ...and alongside all of those are Supporters, which includes
>> Fundraisers, Managers and Inspirators.
>>
>>
>> Regards,
>>
>>  - Jonas
>>
>> - --
>> * Jonas Smedegaard - idealist og Internet-arkitekt
>> * Tlf.: +45 40843136  Website: http://dr.jones.dk/
>>
>>  [x] quote me freely  [ ] ask before reusing  [ ] keep private
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