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Last modified on 2009-03-13 00:52:38.658854 by Ellen Ko

Guidelines for Google Summer of CodeTM Press Materials

Last updated - March 2009

Since Google Summer of Code launched, it has been exciting for us to see the community of Open Source developers from across the software stack grow. We are delighted that you've participated in Google Summer of Code, and we encourage you to issue your own press release or approach local press to do a story on your participation in the program. We've created this document to help you plan your press materials -- it includes questions to get the creative juices flowing and basic information about the program.

If you do issue a press release, Leslie Hawthorn will need to review it. Please allow five business days for review. Please also let us know if you have any other media outreach plans; you are welcome and encouraged to talk to the press on your own, we just want to know about it so we can showcase the resulting coverage on code.google.com. (Exact deployment strategy TBD, patience please. :)

Questions to Consider

  • Why do you believe Google Summer of Code is a good investment for your project's resources? What have you gained by participating?
  • How does Google Summer of Code help you attract and onboard new developers? Does it help you make your project more approachable to newbies? Force you to get your project's paperwork or other housekeeping in order? Does it cause you to improve your documentation? Etc.
  • What benefits do your users see from code that has been written for your project by your Google Summer of Code< students?
  • How has participating as a student in Google Summer of Code helped improve your skills, both technical and social? Have you gotten a cool internship or your dream job because of your work in the program?

Google Summer of Code Key Messages

Here's what we think are the most important things you should know about Google Summer of Code and why we do it. This program is your own, your key messages are your own, go for it!

  • The Google Summer of Code program benefits everyone: students get an inspiring and meaningful summer job, mentoring organizations get help with their projects and the world gets more Open Source software.
  • Google Summer of Code program demonstrates Google's commitment to the open source community and to education. (you may commence queasiness due to marketing speak now - it's still true :)
  • Google Summer of Codeprogram is part of Google's wide-ranging open source efforts, which include hosting open source projects, writing and releasing code and organizing events, from small scale meetups and hackathons to international user and developer conferences. (see parenthetical above)

Tips for making the press interested in your story

  • Work the local project/developer/student/etc. "makes good" angle - people want to hear stories about someone close by them geographically doing something really cool.
  • Discuss the challenges you encountered while mentoring/working on your project candidly. Discuss your successes equally candidly. This is not just a chance to showcase your work, but also to educate those who have not yet participated in the program.
  • Talk about how you became interested in FOSS development and technology. Talk about how you heard about Google Summer of Code and got involved. People love that stuff.
  • What were the key lessons you learned from working on your project/mentoring? What are your future plans for project, especially in the light of how Google Summer of Code has influenced these future plans?

How to Issue a Press Release

A press release template follows at the end of this document. Feel free to modify, reuse, etc. - these should be your words, not Google's - this is *your* story, not ours.

BTW, the real point of a press release is to drive interest in your story and to get reporters and other folks with news organizations to follow up with you to do a more in-depth story. If you do not have time to accommodate follow up from your release, wait to issue it until such time as you can handle incoming inquiries effectively. Realistically, given tight reporter deadlines, this means you will need to be able to answer within 24 hours.

Getting a quote from Google for your Press Release: Our PR team has been very generous and has decided that it is OK to include a quote from Google in your press releases about Google Summer of Code. Note that the following verbiage is what you are authorized to use. Nothing else. Feel very free not to include this quote - remember it is your story, not ours.

"As we conclude our fifth Google Summer of CodeTM, we are incredibly delighted to see the program continue to grow. By our internal estimates, we calculate that our students and mentors have produced nearly 6 million lines of code." said Leslie Hawthorn, Program Manager for Google Summer of Code. "We feel privileged to give back to the community that has provided us and the entire world with so much useful code."

 

GUIDELINES FOR THE USE OF "GOOGLE" AND "GOOGLE SUMMER OF CODE

  • The phrase Google Summer of Code is a trademark of Google Inc. Correct usage is:
    • First use (this includes the title of a press release if that's what you're doing) - Google Summer of CodeTM
    • All subsequent uses should be called by special formatting in the text, italics is best; e.g. Google Summer of Code
    • You should NOT abbreviate the program name to GSoC or SoC or GSOC or SOC. Sure, we do it on the mailing list. Stuff for the press is to have formal usage as stated in the preceding bullet only
  • Please do not structure your release as a joint release with Google.
    • Other than stating the your participated in a program run by Google Inc., the name Google shouldn't really appear in your press release unless it appears in the phrase Google Summer of Code. (Your story, not ours.)
    • Avoid speculating about Google's business strategy, products, services, etc. in your press release. We've had this happen before, and it was not a good thing. In fact, it made it really hard for our Public Relations department to have a good day. We love our PR people. Don't talk about things that you don't actually know about first hand. Leslie is happy to take a look at your thoughts to make sure that we're keeping our PR people happy and well served.
    • Please avoid statements of the format "Google and [your company] partnered/worked together to [xxxx]."
    • Do not include the Google boilerplate (that's fancy talk for the standard description that is included at the bottom of Google's press releases) or the Google stock ticker symbol (GOOG).
    • Rather than describing your relationship to Google, focus on the Google Summer of Code program and why you have chosen to participate. Remember, this is your story, not ours. (Have we said that enough yet? :)

    • Contact

    Leslie Hawthorn, lhawthorn@google.com

     

    Press Release Templates

     For mentoring Organizations:

    <Mentoring organization> Completes Fifth Annual Google Summer of Code™ Program


    Students from around the world participate in <insert project>

    <Insert City, State – Date> Today <organization> announced that it has completed its fifth Google Summer of Code™ program which has enabled students from around the world to participate in the development of <insert project and brief description>.


    Google Summer of Code is a program that offers student developers stipends to write code for various open source projects. Google has worked to bring together over 1,500 students with over 130 open source projects to create millions of lines of code. This year <x>% of 1000 student participants successfully completed their projects. To see the actual code produced by these students, visit <mentoring organization's site>.


    <Insert quote>


    Summer of Code 2009 students at <organization> included: <Insert names and schools of students>. These students participated in the development of <describe project in more detail>.


    <Insert quote>


    Students interested in applying should read up on the program at code.google.com/soc/ and watch for possible future announcements about the program from Google on the Google Open Source. Blog at http://google-opensource.blogspot.com.


    For Students

      


    <Student> Completes Fifth Annual Google Summer of Code™ Program


    Students from around the world participate in <insert project>


    <Insert City, State – Date> This summer <student name> completed <his/her> fifth Google Summer of Code™ program with the mentoring organization, <insert organization>. Along with <number> other students, <student> participated in the development of <insert project and brief description>.


    Google Summer of Code is a program that offers student developers stipends to write code for various open source projects. Google has worked to bring together over 1,500 students with over 130 open source projects to create millions of lines of code. This year 83% of 1125 student participants successfully completed their projects. To see the actual code produced by <student>, visit <mentoring organization's site>.


    <Insert quote>


    <Describe project in more detail>.


    <Insert quote>


    Students interested in applying to possible future Google Summer of Code programs should read up on the program at code.google.com/soc/ and watch for announcements on the program from Google on the Google Open Source. Blog at http://google-opensource.blogspot.com.