Greetings,> I'm trying to expand to work better with the existing area LUGs. What suggestions > do the LoCo contacts have for working with already established area > LUGs? Especially in working with other area LUGs that are within the > LoCo region but too far for regular in-person meets? My feelings on this question are, as expected by those in the know, much the same as Rich's. Rich said "What I would suggest, is do not try to merge with a LUG, try not to run like a LUG, and don't try to merge with a LUG. What you want to do is collaborate with them." When I formed the Colorado team (link from http://ubuntu-rocks.org), I took a very specific viewpoint: "The Colorado Local Community Team is not meant to replace our local LUGS but rather enhance their overall experience by having a dedicated place to discuss, contribute, and gain support from local Ubuntu users." I specifically did not want our LoCo to become another LUG, competing for members. I wanted our LoCo to be the focal point for Ubuntu related items. To whit, I've gone to all of the LUGS in our area (that I know of) save 2 (and one of them I'm on the agenda for January) and did something different. I didn't talk about shell scripting. :-) I talked about Ubuntu the project (presentations available off my blog at http://ubuntu-rocks.org), why it's so nifty, and how to become more involved. I've put 80% of the focus on the Ubuntu project, with all of its merits, and 20% on our local team. We are, in some ways, no different than a sports club. We rally around a team. Although we do some Ubuntu projects, participate in install fests, etc.. Everyone asks "what's in it for me? what's the value of your LoCo to me?" That's the question to answer. If you become a LUG you unfortunately (in the USA) become a competitor and are duly ignored most of the time. If you support and offer help to LUGs, you become a rallying point. You become the expert group. Here in Colorado, with the exception of two LUGs, our other LUGs are a bit of Drive (but doable). What we have done is attempt to pick easy to reach central locations for meetings and release parties. We utilize email, wiki, and, rather unsuccessfully, IRC. In our case, we've found that several people from each LUG are staunch Ubuntu supporters. These people often come through when trying to coordinate activities between our LoCo and their LUG. Anyway, my view point of the topic. :-) Joey |
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