On 25.07.2017 14:56, Max Mehl wrote:
# Daniel Pocock [2017-07-25 14:37 +0200]:
What is the value of 1000 new followers though?
Are people actually switching to free software, or are the followers, shares and likes more like monopoly money which is never converted into anything tangible?
It's a huge potential. Imagine you're giving a talk about Free Software and suddenly 1000 people more come into the (surprisingly spacious) room. Of course, 800 of them could just ignore what you say and watch cat videos instead but you also have the chance of convincing everyone.
Of course it is also worth talking in front of 20 people if they are highly dedicated to what you talk about and contribute to your activities (in this analogy, we do that on GNU Social or Diaspora). But I wouldn't ignore the 1000 people if I can reach out them with considerably low effort.
And yes, just because a user is following us on Twitter this doesn't mean that she'll instantly start using Free Software. But thanks to us, now she may know that FS exists. It's a first step in educating the public which we otherwise couldn't make.
Best, Max
Reaching people isn't the end goal. Just like market share isn't. We are about freedom. What if I asked FSFE to tweet its take on using twitter? Wouldn' the honest tweet be:
"You should not use twitter as it is a walled garden and proprietary software."
Maybe that tweet should never reach 1000 people. Let alone more.