Debian Publicity Team
Contents
Task description
- The publicity team moderate news and announcements in all the Debian official resources:
mailing lists of general interest, such as debian-announce and debian-news (but not the the localized -news-$lang mailing lists)
the official blog of the Debian project, Bits from Debian
the micronews website https://micronews.debian.org/
- any official social media of the project
- and any other channels where Debian gets an official online presence.
- The team is also responsible for the maintenance of the News part of the English version of the Debian website (i.e. the content currently located under webwml/english/News/).
- The team is in charge of deciding the most suitable publication venue or venues for announcements and when they are published.
- Team members must word articles in a way that reflects the Debian project's stance on issues rather than their own personal opinion.
- Finally, the Publicity Team is the official Debian contact point for press inquiries and media people outside Debian. When acting in such capacity, members of the team act as a spokesperson of the Debian Project.
Reference: Updating delegation - Press/Publicity/Bits, by the DPL, September 2015
Services handled by the team
Latest News (maintenance of the "News" part of the English version of the Debian website (i.e. the content currently located under webwml/english/News/)).
Moderation of announcement mailing lists of general interest, such as debian-announce and debian-news (but not the the localized -news-$lang mailing lists).
Debian Project News (DPN)
Debian's micronews, micronews.debian.org (its RSS is used as source for @debian profiles in social networks)
Debian News wiki page.
Handle the mail received at press@debian.org
Infrastructure
Salsa Project: http://salsa.debian.org/publicity-team
Unix group: publicity (needed to trigger a partial rebuild on www-master.debian.org, after having committed new announcements)
Files: master.debian.org:/home/publicity/private/ (passwords for external services)
Interacting with the team
Contact points
Email: debian-publicity@lists.debian.org (public list, for general stuff)
Email: press@debian.org (private mail, contact for journalists and media, and announcements that need to be kept in private until released)
IRC: #debian-publicity on irc.debian.org (OFTC)
How to use publicity "services"
Developer information explains how to use press/publicity facilities.
Get involved
Help with the promotion of the Releases
Contribute to Debian Project News
Find a topic for a DPN entry. - Redact a DPN entry.
Detailed info about how to contribute to Debian Project News
Translate announcements and press releases
- Translate draft communications (press releases, DPN editions).
Detailed info about how to translate announcements and press releases
Announcement workflow - Please note that if the announcement to be sent is to be kept private until the release, it should be handled via mail to press@debian.org .
Promote Debian
Contribute with a post to the Debian's blog, bits.debian.org
On release notes and news please mention: popularity-contest and popcon.debian.org, as well as https://www.debian.org/users/
Tracking press coverage
- Look for news from the press and update press coverage pages. You can use these links to gather news about Debian and potential success stories:
Other tasks
- Review draft communications. Verify exactitude, relevance and proper form (language, etc).
- Submit events to the Debian timeline.
Other projects (may require more involvement)
- Contact people, interview and propose drafts of success stories to be published.
- Follow other groups, and ensure those with newsworthy activity are properly covered. Make sure they communicate and do so optimally (going through the publicity group when appropriate).
TODO
Difference between debian-announce and debian-news (see this thread for info: http://lists.debian.org/debian-publicity/2012/02/msg00055.html)
- Improve communication with press people (list of journalists?)
Meetings
See the Meetings page.
Historical communications about publicity
Updating delegation - Press/Publicity/Bits, by the DPL, September 2015
Bits from the Publicity Team, November 2014
Updating the Press Team delegation, by the DPL, January 2014
Bits from Publicity Team (aka: We are alive!), September 2010
Let's resurrect Debian Weekly News (act the second), April 2010
Let's resurrect Debian Weekly News, April 2008
Usual roles
The listing below includes regular contributors also.
DPL-delegated members
- Anupa Ann Joseph (anupa)
Donald Norwood (donald, but <cnote> in IRC))
- Jean-Pierre (jipege)
- Joost van Baal-Ilić (joostvb)
Reference: Updating the Debian Publicity Team delegation() (by the Jonathan Carter, November 2023)
Persons with access to Debian's identi.ca account
All current delegates (stored in private files directory)
- buxy
- Martin 'Joey' Schulze
Neil McGovern
- Cédric Boutillier
Former Publicity & Press Team delegates
- Martin Schulze (IRC nick joey)
Neil McGovern (IRC nick Maulkin)
Alexander Reichle-Schmehl (IRC nick Tolimar)
- Meike Reichle (IRC nick alphascorpii)
Francesca Ciceri (IRC nick ?MadameZou)
- Moray Allan
- Kai Wasserbäch
- Paul Wise
Ana Guerrero Lopez <ana>
Cédric Boutillier <boutil>
- Laura Arjona Reina (larjona)
Other
Press team (old, now redirects here)
Debian & Stuff audiocast (one episode)
Jonathan Carter's Debian Package of the Day and Debian Package Management video series.
?This Week on IRC
Spam Clean: coordinating the cleaning of spam from the debian-publicity mailing list