[Osmf-talk] false Microsoft "big dollars" rumour

[Kate Chapman]

All,

Honestly, how many times of your seen a news article that is right
about anything you are intimately involved?  Heck has anyone given
"big dollars" to OpenStreetMap really?

I think it is important to balance the importance of being right, but
also not make it appear that OpenStreetMap is a hostile environment
for companies to actually help.  Maybe a more positive approach would
be to list donors/supporters somewhere (if this doesn't already
exist)?

-Kate

On Mon, Apr 9, 2012 at 8:02 PM, Frederik Ramm <frederik at remote.org> wrote:
> Hi,
>
>
> On 04/10/2012 12:11 AM, Steve Coast wrote:
>>>
>>> "OSMF has not received any donations or support, monetary or
>>> otherwise, from Microsoft" (adorned with language that says of
>>> course the community is thankful for their imagery and that of
>>> course were they offer money we'd gladly take it etc etc)
>>
>>
>> That's not the case. Microsoft sponsored SOTM 2011. Microsoft also
>> hosted the OSMF in-person board meeting in, I think, November?
>
>
> Right. But these don't really justify the press speaking of "big dollars".
> So maybe our announcement should be that we haven't received, or been
> promised, anything in 2012.
>
>
>> Responding to every press article is sub-optimal.
>
>
> I agree. I wouldn't have brought up the matter if this had been an isolated
> incident. Sadly, as soon as one of the big players is involved, the press
> seem to be even more careless than they usually are, in their frantic bid to
> be the first to report about "Microsoft's secret weapon" or whatever they
> make up.
>
> A one-paragraph blog posting that explains our relationship with Microsoft
> would really help to clear this up.
>
> Bye
> Frederik
>
>
> --
> Frederik Ramm  ##  eMail frederik at remote.org  ##  N49°00'09" E008°23'33"
>
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