4 + 1 ways to celebrate the Software Freedom Day

With the Software Freedom Day fast approaching, the Free Software Foundation and communities across the world are planning their activities and are preparing to celebrate and promote Free Software in their region. Joining your local community and partaking to its activities is strongly suggested; however, here are some ideas for individual promotion of Free Software:

• Spread the word. Mention it to your family, your friends, your colleagues, your classmates. You may be surprised by how many people may begin to care after they actually hear about a new idea. You will find that the “people don’t care about this kind of stuff” is a common misconception; many people do care and will often seek ways to help.
• Make a T-shirt. Select a logo of your favorite Free Software application or organization and print it on a T-shirt. Wear it in public. Some will see. Some will be curious. Some will care.
• Promote it in your virtual community. Blog it, digg it, twit it, post it on Facebook. If you play a game, talk about it in the game. If you run a game, announce it to your players. For example, here is the announcement planned for an online game I’m currently coding for:

  Today we celebrate the Software Freedom Day; we celebrate the freedom in our
  virtual world, a world made possible by Free Software. Our code is built on
  Free Software and has been powered by and running on Free Software for 17 years
  now. Our thanks to those who allowed us to revive and enjoy Dragonlance for
  all this time.

• Use it as a chance to get involved in activities related to software freedom. You don’t need to be a programmer to help; you can help with translations, bug reports, or even activities not related to software at all: map your neighborhood using OpenStreetMap, upload your art to the Open Clip Art Library, publish your digital content under an appropriate Creative Commons License.

Maybe the most important thing you can do that day is learn more about Software Freedom and reflect on how it applies to you and your community. Checkout The Free Software Definition, learn Why Schools Should Use Exclusively Free Software and understand why Your Freedom Needs Free Software. Don’t take these at face value; think about them, and form your own opinion. Then act.

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