Approaching the Market: Awareness

Creating awareness for your application is an essential step. If nobody knows about your software, you'll have a hard time finding customers. The more traditional methods for garnering mind share are also the most expensive. Buying magazine advertising or space on a store shelf or in one of the large mail order print catalogs can require a small bank loan.

Create Your Own Web Site

From the beginning, Be had always planned on using some form of electronic medium for communicating with customers. Thanks to the Web, we have been able to spread information about our new operating system quite effectively. You should consider creating a web site of your own upon which you can keep the latest information about your products.

Here's a tip for you once your web site is online. Go visit Netcreations Postmaster service. Using their web based forms, you can get your web site information into almost 400 search engines. They've even got a free demo version that allows you to send your information into two dozen of the most popular search sites including Yahoo!, Altavista, and Lycos.

http://www.netcreations.com/postmaster/

Existing Be Related Web Sites

BeWare

Often times, when a BeOS user decides to look for software, the first stop will be to the BeWare area on the Be web site. The BeWare area acts as an on-line catalog of software available for the BeOS. Software in the BeWare listings has been placed into categories such as Audio, Games, Utilities, Video and more. Each entry allows for a link back to a home page about the company and software. The ability to download available software (demonstration copies, time trials, light versions, and full versions) is also included.

Be FTP Site Uploading Guidelines can be found in the BeWare area.

In addition to the BeWare section of our web site, there are a number of other related web sites that promote BeOS software.

BeForever & BeMacOS Central

The BeForever and BeMacOS Central web sites carry the most recent news about anything BeOS related especially information about new software. You'll want to send a note or press release to these sites to start the word of mouth process. These sites are fast becoming a daily stop for BeOS users.

http://www.beforever.com/

http://www.fyi.net/~evgenius/be/

BeDepot

The BeDepot, run by StarCode Software provides commercial and shareware software authors with a turnkey solution for online software distribution that lends itself to many of the steps outlined earlier.

The BeDepot is dedicated to BeOS software only and provides a detailed online catalog that contains marketing collateral, specifications, downloading of demonstration copies, time trials, light versions as well as handling online payment and delivery for commercial versions. In addition, BeDepot maintains a mailing list upon which newly available software is announced.

http://www.bedepot.com/

http://www.starcode.com/

BeSpecific

BeSpecific is a publishing label from Adamation, Inc. Currently, Adamation is shipping their second BeSpecific CD which contains 400MB of software, mostly from the BeWare and other BeOS software sites. The BeSpecific web site also contains a web interface to their BeOS FTP archives in which they carry commercial, shareware, and freeware software. In addition, Adamation is looking for software specializing in multi-media applications intended for commercial distribution to publish under the BeSpecific label. Adamation provides support to bring commercial grade applications to market. This includes distribution and transaction support, quality assurance testing, as well as first line technical support.

http://www.bespecific.com/

http://www.adamation.com/

BeHive

MacUser's BeHive web site is in the process of expanding to include BeOS shareware and freeware. In a simlar fashion to their Mac Download area, BeHive will provide software descriptions, reviews, and easy downloading. Watch this site for more details in the near future.

http://www5.zdnet.com/mac/behive/

Trial Software

Although it might mean extra work, consider making a trial, light, or time trial version of your software available for download. End users, especially in the early BeOS days, will be proactively searching for BeOS software to download and try. Nothing will speak stronger for you than the software itself. If end users are impressed, they'll let all of their BeOS friends know about your software.

Be Evangelism

The Evangelists at Be (Scott Paterson & Michel Hopwood) can also help. We participate in many events throughout the year and we love to show off great applications. Our events include two MacWorlds, various Mac related shows and events (MacFest, MacHack, etc) at which we our happy to include third party applications in our demonstrations. Our Be Demo Tour is an ongoing event and we'd love to keep it fresh by showing new applications.

Be User Groups

Finally, don't forget that there are a fast growing number of Be User Groups throughout the world. You can always browse the latest list on our web site.

http://www.be.com/usergroups/

Approaching the Market Index

• Production
• Awareness
• Decision
• Transaction
• Installation
• Registration
• Updates
• Support