After my last article, Open Source and Business , I, like many, have questions. I was asked to share my views and experiences as I move. Therefore, I decided to start a series of articles on creating a business in the open source market. Since in Russia this market is not as well developed as abroad, I think that this issue is worth attention.

Thanks to the commentary by AllySanders , I learned a little from this guide, but most of the book “Guide to Profit from Free and Open Projects,” John Andrews, is not designed for Russia and difficult to apply to our environment. Therefore, let's consider and analyze all aspects of this business.

So...

In the book of John Andrews correctly states that first and foremost - We must believe!

“ Open source software is great. And when you do something that benefits and is free, everyone loves you. As an open source developer, you know that this is true! It should be so. But how do we make food from this good on our plates? "

First you need to decide on the idea. Ideas are different and each person has his own one. We all think that we will be our project better or otherwise than others. That our idea will in any way eclipse all competitors or even that these competitors do not and never will. Not! Nothing but healthy competition allows many companies to go up. When two companies compete with each other, they make big breaks to the surface.
There are several ways to find ideas. Here are some of them:
1. Borrow it from companies and developers of other countries;
2. It’s a long time to dig through the Internet in search of an idea, it only turns out that it’s not yours, but you are sure that your product will be better and more perfect;
3. Sit among friends or your team / colleagues / colleagues and brainstorm. Catch one and look at it from all sides;
4. For some, ideas come unexpectedly, without even thinking about it. Many believe that they win, but my IMHO suggests that this is not always the case;
5. etc.
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I chose the first path, because I believe that a well-developed business model can be made to work in any environment, of course, we need to rework it, but the core, the foundation, remains the same.
Well, everything is clear with the idea, but where to start? First of all, with the profit, as mentioned above, the project is a project, but there is something that is necessary. Consider getting financial help ...

What we have

The idea of ​​ideas, but how do we put it into life?
You can find sponsors. There are so many venture projects and business angels. The next question will be the main one for your potential sponsors: “ What benefits can I get from your project? »And if there is no answer to this question, do not waste your time searching for sponsors, look for other ways.
Another question that immediately pops up:
“ How to keep others from copying what we do?” "I mean, all that will be is Open Source, right?
No Just after creating an open project, all forces should be put into the implementation of good marketing. Who he is "cooler", he and affairs.

Having estimated my resources, I decided to work without financing. One of the sponsors / investors can always be interested in the project. Therefore, at this stage, everyone chooses his own path.

Go...

Gathered with thoughts, ideas and go!
For a start, you definitely need a website. Without it, in our time, nowhere. Domain, preferably, the second level and the name - as short as possible. Short domain - the probability of better memorization by users. The name of course should reflect your idea, your company or the scope of your project. There are many articles about how to choose a successful name for the project. Starting with selection using a generator, ending with the analysis of the names of successful companies and the creation of their own.

In my case, everything was easier, because I have a lot of domains and there are a couple of suitable for my project. Just by doing quite the opposite, I gave the name of the project the name of the domain that I liked and was successful for this project. Then I took care of the hosting and without hesitation I took to start a virtual dedicated server ( VPS / VDS ). Of course, in the future I plan to switch to a full-fledged server, but at the initial stage it will only draw extra money from your wallet, while giving useful, but not always necessary resources.

Now you need to think about what will be on your site!
Here are the most necessary components that will find their application:
- Forum . And how do you want? Where is the feedback from users? How will the community, which will further gather around your project, write and discuss the product (s)?
- Wiki . Here, mainly post user guides and tips. You can also post there working documentation, although I do not agree with that. I understand that the project is Open Source, but it is not always necessary to share the secrets of creation and implementation. This can play a role in the future in competition.
- Bug Tracker (Error Management System). With this, I think it is clear ?! It is advisable to make an open registration, for end users, because the more errors you find and correct, the less they will remain in the code.
- Developer's blog . Here you will write your thoughts and plans for the next step of the project. People will read, comment and make you understand what they want.
- Newsletter . Do not forget that for some people are so busy that they are distracted only by what interested them. Keep the news brief in the newsletter with a link to the full version, which will provide an opportunity to track the necessary moments in the life of the project.

After you have done all of the above, you can proceed to the next step ...

Today I finish, because he just stopped here. If you like it, then I will continue this series of articles and share my experiences and problems that I encountered.

Sincerely , DarwinTenk Darwin Tenk