On Fri, Jan 03, 2003 at 01:02:49PM -0500, Michael Grundy wrote: > So my idea (finally, I know, I'm windy) is > (taking some ideas from some successful lugs) to format something like this > > 1) Welcome - Hi this is what we're doing tonight > 2) First presentation - More user oriented > 3) Second presentation - More technical > 4) Announcements / Job Offers / Job Seekers > 5) Split off into discussion groups (e.g. install problems, user problems, > gear talk, kernel talk...) > 6) Donuts - A guy can dream, can't he?
I'm trying to figure out how that fits into a 2 hr block... (plus the
logistics of getting 2 speakers for a meeting, keeping their talks short
enough to allow for them, and keeping things interesting enough for new
comers to want to hang arround till the mingling phase). From my
experience with existing LUGs they go a little more like this:
1) Welcome - opening remarks, announcements, etc. (10 - 15 minutes)
2) Presentation - user oriented (30 - 60 minutes)
3) Chill out and mingle (the rest of the 2 hr block)
4) (optional) hit a pub/restaurant/pool hall for those interested in more
discussions and mingling.
This is a Linux Users Group, and really needs to be focused on Users, IMNSHO.
There will be a lot of users showing up that may also be developers, in
which case they can spin off to do more development related things.
The biggest thing is that Linux Developers know how to find other Linux
Developers in their area of expertise (via mailing lists and such). People
just getting started with Linux in the area don't really have anywhere to
turn to right now. MHVLUG should be that for them.
I've got no problems with a developer oriented meeting happening other days
of the month once we get momentum, but we need to focus on getting a stable
user group first (i.e. functional enough with enough regulars that elections
of officiers actually makes sense), otherwise it just ends up all over the
floor. As founder/interim dictator of this group, I'm going to put my foot
down a bit on this front.
Plus there are other forums for deep technical talks, local college CS
Colloquia, IBM Technical Vitality Seminars (for the IBMers on the list),
Linux World, Ottawa Linux Symposium etc. And in my experience with the
Seminars at IBM, the general ones (like "What is the Linux Technology
Center?") draw over a hundred, while the specific ones (like the last
webservices talk I went to) get 7 or 8 people, if you are lucky.
So lets focus on establishing the Users Group first, and make sure we have
enough Users to have more specific developer talks. Getting you or me to
the meetings is a no brainer, but getting someone in the comunity who just
bought a SuSE box set and wants to learn a few things about Linux is going
to be a bit more difficult. And we need to make sure we create an
environment where they feel included from the onset.
-Sean
--
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Sean Dague [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://dague.net
There is no silver bullet. Plus, werewolves make better neighbors than
zombies, and they tend to keep the vampire population down.
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