Since yesterday, quite a few folks have called or e-mailed me to find out just what exactly we at the Linux Foundation have planned for the new Linux.com site. The big question: are we really making this a community-driven site?
Yes, yes we are. And more.
I don't want to go into specifics yet, because we're still finalizing the plans for Linux.com. This is often in twice-daily meetings--but the cool kind where usually someone utters "hey, wouldn't it be cool if we did this?" and the response is almost always positive. To help spark more great ideas at Ideaforge (thanks for those submitted already), I wanted to give a general impression of what sort of tools and information we want to have on Linux.com.
Everything.
The idea is that simple: if people want to know about Linux--how to use it, where to get it, what applications to run on it, which hardware runs with it--then we want to have that information on Linux.com. Until now, Linux.com has been the host of a great news and features site, but we're planning to step beyond that and offer up-to-date tutorials, documentation, and features for every part of the Linux ecosphere.
This distinction should be made clear: Linux.com will no longer be a "traditional" online media outlet. While we may offer our take on major news events from time to time, the main goal of the site will be providing information for all Linux users. Someone who wants to write a quick howto on how to get Skype running on a particular distro might not get the chance on a media site. But on Linux.com, we want it, because that's what our readers will want.
The distinction goes deep: while I will be managing the day-to-day operations of Linux.com, I will not be the "Editor" of the site. My job title will be Community Manager, just as it is on the Linux Development Network and the LF Video site. This is not fancy wordplay. Community is a huge part of what will drive Linux.com forward. It is easy to envision us collecting and displaying this massive repository of howtos and features--because we will. But Linux.com will have much more to offer.
The Linux.com community will be given tools to help foster Linux advocacy and increase communication amongst other community members. As my boss said in her latest blog entry, the Linux community is hardly shy about letting their ideas be known. What we want to do is open up new avenues of communication. Forums are good, but how about other social networking tools, similar to Identi.ca, Pligg, or Facebook, that enable community members to connect with each other in new ways?
Tools to use Linux are also part of our plan. How do you know which distro is best for your home? Your business? You'll be able to find out, and get a direct link to download that distro, too, with links to all sorts of supporting documentation.
Want to migrate your business to Linux? We'll have specialized information on just how to do that. Need a Linux-related job? Why not a job board and career guide to help you meet that goal?
I could go on and on--and I really want to--but revealing all that is coming is not the point of this entry.
The point is to demonstrate how far we want to go with Linux.com. The great team putting this site together is focusing on all of the vast possibilities the Linux.com domain can offer new, veteran, home, and business users of Linux--on whatever platform Linux is used.
So when you visit Ideaforge, keep this in mind. Think big! What do users want? What do developers need? What will make the Linux operating system even better to use?
The choice, as always, is yours.
