[Techtalk] [OT] HOWTO Encourage Women in Linux

[Dave North]

> Argh, I sent off the HOWTO to the LDP a few hours before this. :) I'll
> see how easy it is to make revisions.

More to come! And, I suspect, more important to come. But if the document
is now set in stone, perhaps there's not much point...?
	Alas, I have had a full plate these last few days, and am
burping as it is ...

> Thanks for the input, Dave.

You're welcome.

> A general question: I want to define very clearly who my intended
> audience is, but several people have said that they think people will
> stop reading once they discover they aren't part of that intended
> audience, or don't fit exactly into my discription.  I don't know
> about you, but I wouldn't stop reading.  Do y'all really think people
> would stop reading in the middle of the "Audience" section?

Yes, I do. In fact, I almost did myself (any excuse to skip a task is
quite good enough for me...)
	Then I reflected that I was reviewing it, not just reading it,
and plugged on.
	But I had really two points: one, I'm not sure you want to define
your target audience in a way that pushes away the non-target. Maybe it
should clarify that, even if you're not in the target, you may well find
usefull stuff here ...?
	The other thing is, the definition confused me, and seemed maybe
overly explicit. Which is just an impression based on the points I made.

	I'm not trying to offer just "technical advice", but rather
things I think might actually be important, particularly in addressing
target audience #1. #2 is your bailiwick!
	However, it's a completely subjective impression. It is also
possible such challenges and gates will push some folks forward, too, who
might otherwise just mosey on.
	What that tells us about the reader, I don't know. It's very hard to
predict motive or action ... so I think we're all just doing our best to
guess, and everyone will react unpredictably anyway.
	As usual.


d