Promoting D projects (or internet marketing 101)

[Tom]

clayasaurus wrote:
> Walter Bright wrote:
>> A lot of you are writing useful projects in D, useful code snippets, 
>> insightful commentary, etc. Much of this stuff gets reimplemented over 
>> and over because few are aware of the existence of it. We can stand on 
>> each others shoulders a bit more if we do a little less wheel 
>> reinvention.
>>
>> I've learned a lot about trying to get the word out on the internet 
>> with little to no marketing dollars, no marketing staff, no nothing. I 
>> suspect that most of you are in the same boat <g>, so I thought I'd 
>> share a bit about what I've learned.
>>
>> 1) Make a web page for it. A newsgroup posting here in 
>> digitalmars.D.announce is great for announcing the existence of the 
>> project, but then it scrolls away and gets forgotten. You need a web 
>> page for it to get it noticed in the future. Use dsource.org if you 
>> don't have your own, or the D wiki, etc.
>>
>> 2) Having your stuff findable by Google is THE MOST IMPORTANT thing 
>> you can do. The overwhelming majority of traffic to the Digital Mars 
>> web site is coming from google search results pages. If it isn't 
>> findable by Google, it might as well not exist. I won't get much into 
>> google search engine optimization here, as there are plenty of web 
>> sites on that (findable via google, of course!), but there are a 
>> couple highlights I want to hit.
>>
>> 3) Think about what, if you were looking for your project, you'd type 
>> into the google search box. Then, make sure those keywords are on your 
>> project description web page.
>>
>> 4) Include the phrase "D programming language" somewhere on every D 
>> web page you do. Don't put it in a graphic, put it in text so google 
>> will find it. This phrase helps build "brand" on the internet, and 
>> your D page will show up in google searches on D. Just using "D" by 
>> itself won't work (try it!).
>>
>> 5) Ask me to put a link to your page on 
>> www.digitalmars.com/d/dlinks.html. Send me the exact text to cut & 
>> paste in. Try to get reciprocal links from other relevant D pages. 
>> This will help people find it.
>>
>> 6) Submit links to your project releases to www.betamarker.com. Submit 
>> articles, tutorials, anything of interest to www.dzone.com, 
>> gamedev.net, www.artima.com or even www.digg.com. Let us know so we 
>> can digg them! It doesn't matter if the reference doesn't make it to 
>> the front page, it will still help.
>>
>> 7) Post on the newsgroup comp.programming to reach a more general 
>> audience.
>>
>> 8) People coming across D source code on the internet may not 
>> recognize it for what it is. I think it's probably a good idea to add 
>> the comment:
>>
>>     // written in the D programming language
>>
>> at the top of every published D source code file. I'm going to start 
>> doing that with Phobos source.
>>
>> 9) Take a look at related Wikipedia articles for which a relevant 
>> discussion about or link to your project might be appropriate.
>>
>> 10) In doing the above, be sure you're not spamming. Any links you do 
>> should be of genuine and relevant interest to the readers.
>>
>> 11) Doing this isn't just good for D, it's good for your career. 
>> Recruiters are going to google your name, and if they find all those 
>> cool projects you've done, it can only help.
>>
>> And, of course, I should follow my own advice and turn this posting 
>> into a web page!
> 
> Nice tips!
> 
> You don't seem to mention wikipedia on your web page, though.
> 
> Just thought of this too, submit an article to the D online journal at 
> http://www.tdjonline.com/ , they need more articles :)
> 
> Can we can figure out a use for http://d-programming-language.org/ in 
> the scheme of internet marketing as well? Maybe turn it into a community 
> blog like slashdot where D programmers can register for an account, 
> submit stories, and them comment on them?

That would be nice.

Another thing I would improve (as a kind of marketing strategy) is the 
aesthetics of digitalmars.com. It's very useful but very very very ugly 
(sorry, just my honest opinion). I see it in almost every thing that has 
a lot of success. Having nice images, with all kind of colors and stuff 
sells to the sight. People get attracted to lights and mirrors every 
time. I know that this isn't a trivial task, but it could certainly be done.

Kind regards,
--
Tom;