The Lone Mamber — Independent News From The Frontier 20 YEARS · 2005–2025

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28 May 2026 · Frontier Publications

Don't Be a Dick

Bri Bri's Excerpts, Annotated — from The Rise of Negative Marketing, 28 May 2026

Same day as Chief's guestbook rapid-fire on Spread the Joomla Love, Brian Teeman published The Rise of Negative Marketing. Below — his words. Our annotations.

Brian Teeman blog header — The Rise of Negative Marketing, agree or disagree I don't care speech bubble
THE RISE OF NEGATIVE MARKETING — header art still says agree or disagree… I don't care. Joomla logos everywhere. Receipt saved locally.

Source: brian.teeman.net/joomla/998 — published 28 May 2026. Mid–Lone Mamber expose rebuild. Timing — immaculate.

Opening thesis

"Some companies spend more time attacking competitors than explaining why their own products are worth using."

Chief annotates: Aug–Sep 2005 LM spent equal time explaining Joomla (J-Forge, Go Joomla!) and contrasting Miro's captured Foundation. Joomla shipped. Mambo faded.

"The best thing they can say is that they are not the other company"

"That is not confidence. That is insecurity with a marketing department."

Chief annotates: Fork-era Joomla's best pitch was we are not Miro — because Miro owned the trademark. SFLC agreed. OSM formed.

"Orbiting someone else's brand"

"You are no longer leading your market. You are orbiting someone else's brand."

Chief annotates: Bri Bri's Facebook banner orbits OPEN SOURCE BLOGGER OF THE YEAR. Spread the Joomla Love orbits MamboLove. Pot, meet kettle.

"If you are better, show me"

"If your product is so good, why are you spending all your time talking about someone else?"

Chief annotates: J-Forge on Sourceforge Enterprise vs shoddy G-Forge. Security fixes Miro hadn't patched. Show AND tell.

Fear is a lazy marketing strategy

"Users start treating software choices like football teams."

Chief annotates: Ex-Miro staff quit and named names. Forum members worried users would stay on Mambo from lack of understanding. Football teams don't ship 1.0.

What customers actually remember

"Companies that solved their problems without acting like playground bullies."

Chief annotates: Lamont enjoyed the writing. Then — Wikipedia deleted. MamboLove #1 stripped. Guestbook deleted Aug '25.

Don't Be a Dick

"Don't be a dick."

"The strongest brands rarely need to tear everyone else down in order to stand tall."

Chief's closing annotation: Negative marketing is old skool marketing that works. We wrote the playbook in Aug–Sep 2005. Bri Bri wrote the condemnation in May 2026. We wrote the playbook. He lives in the house we helped build. BAAAAAHAHAHA.

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