I've had discussions with a few of you about the possibility of
getting together this summer for a day of brainstorming. I'd very
much like to do that, and have had a couple of offers for space we
could use, and maybe mix in a barbeque while we were there. This is
an initial ping to get a sense of who is interested in giving up a
Saturday or Sunday (or alternative proposals) and what we should
cover, with some tentative ideas I have. Once I have some sense of
the numbers, I can canvas the volunteers for locations and
facilities, and then we can figure out who brings the potato salad.
The problem with any get-together like this is that we all have way
too much catching up to do and any one discussion can suffer scope
creep and expand into hours of bringing up the same old grudges. So I
propose we plan it as an UnConference (tm) - speakers but not
audience, moderators to keep the talk going, recorders to preserve it
for posterity, and scheduled topics to ensure our agenda gets covered.
Sessions could be 75 +/- 15 minutes with plenty of time for
schmoozing, networking and calls of nature in between. Attendees are
asked to pay attention and participate, or go elsewhere to engage in
conversation, surfing or horseshoes. All session proposals can be
batted around in the forum and consensus (and ultimately, a Fearless
Leader or Benevolent Dictator) will decide which get picked. If
demand is complex enough, we can plan early-morning or late-evening
sessions for the fringe topics.
Date is completely up in the air and will depend on number of
participants, available facilities and phase of the moon.
WHAT TO DO NOW:
Please respond to the email, anything from "What a dumb idea" to
"Yes! I want to participate and here's my idea for a topic..."
This is a Request for Comments. Please do.
PROPOSED SESSIONS:
1. "We're the Huckawee!" or "What GNHLUG Wants To Be When it Grows Up"
Many organizers have done some soul searching about what the group
is, should be, or could be. Let's toss around some ideas and see if
we can define what we'd like to claim the group is, suitable for
publishing in a brochure or engraving as a Mission Statement. Should
we be advocates? To whom? Of what?
2. The Admiral James Stockdale memorial networking hour ("Who the
Heck am I and what am I doing here?") or "Practice the elevator pitch"
We all have a reason for attending meetings and participating in the
group. Share your agendas, hidden and overt. Talk about your pet
projects, commercial venture or dream project and network with others
sharing the same. Every participant has five minutes to pitch an
idea, give your biography (abridged) or alienate the group.
3. Getting your DotOrg organized - Is 501(c)3 the future for GNHLUG?
Why or Why Not?
We've gotten along just fine with the chaotic informality of being
nothing, owning nothing and reporting to no one. It appeals to the
hacker spirit. But it may limit our access to some opportunities.
Let's discuss what a formal organization could do, and how the
structure of the LUG-and-chapters could work out.
4. "How to Talk Good" or "Slides don't kill people; speakers kill
people"
I've given over 75 presentations at 30 professional conferences and
uncountable user group presentations. Some of them were pretty good.
Here's my twenty-minute pitch on one way to do a presentation: a
quick list of do's and don'ts. Handy if you get called into present
FOSS to the school board or a potential client.
5. "How to Mess Up A User Group" (title stolen from a great set of
notes by Whil Hentzen)
Brainstorming the best use of our limited resources: email lists,
wiki, announcements, speakers, locations. Kick around ideas for
quarterly meetings, greater public presence.
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