[Asterisk-Users] Very Cool.........Asterisk Made Wired Magazine

[Jim Van Meggelen]

Wilson Pickett wrote:
>> I suppose Asterisk is first going to get press as an über-geek's
>> home-brew PBX, but I sometimes wish this weren't so. It is such a
>> legitimate technology that it should be getting press in more
>> industry publications. Ah well, that'll come in good time I guess.
> 
> You're right there, Jim: "if it bleeds, it leads" is the
> motto of TV news, that gives an idea of the press mentality.

LOL! It's a proven fact that fear, uncertainty and disorder attracts
peoples' interest. Bad news sells. But even though I often get angry
about this (In a Don Henley, "Dirty Laundry" kind of way), I have to ask
myself: Is the mentality of the press nothing more than a sensible
response to the interests of their audience? Perhaps they're just doing
what any successful business strives for: provide the customer what they
want. Sad, but too often true.

> I always thought Wired was more of a yuppie lifestyle
> magazine than one to attract phrackers or real hackers.

I agree, but they are somewhat of a cultural barometer; not perhaps if
you know where the real culture is at, but certainly if you're a
wannabe.

> Still, there may be an influx of newbies looking to "spoof
> cid". If this happens, I hope questions will be answered
> without scaring anyone who is really interested away.

Hope springs eternal . . . :-Þ

> With the upward spiral of voIP popularity and buzz, asterisk
> should be talked about in something like PC Magazine where
> suits look at stuff to buiy for their offices. Maybe someone
> should try to gather some soho case studies and offer them to
> a widely-read "serious" computer magazine, "serious" meaning
> one read by people who are either small biz owners or who
> have decisional power for small and mid level business strategy.

I suspect that a big problem there is that said magazines are funded by
their advertisers. As an example of this, many trade magazines have a
free subscription to "qualified" applicants; naturally their customers
are primarily the folks they sell advertising space to. With Asterisk,
it's much more difficult to figure out who's paying for the advertising.
All the ethics in the world don't change the fact that a successful
publication needs to consider the money when making editorial decisions.

It'll be very interesting to see how the mainstream press spins Asterisk
(and whether they'll all spin it the same way). I have a feeling that
those of us who love what it represents would do well do develop a thick
skin. Not everyone who wants to talk about us will be our friends.