GNHLUG Summer Summit 2005
Attendees:
Ted,
These are the minutes I took at the organizational meeting yesterday. Before
sending them out to the discuss list, as I did with the notes from last
Thursday, I think some people may wish to comment on them, add to them, etc.
so I suggest that Ben put these up on the Wiki as a beginning move so people
can comment on them, flush them out, etc.
I also added Heather and Matt Brodeur and Greg Rundlett to the cc: list, since
they were either prominently mentioned in the minutes or attended, or both.
Finally, I think we need to figure out how this meeting is going to be a
"Quantum Leap", bringing the groups further along then they have been before,
"righting what once went wrong", instead of just going being another small blip
along the way.
md
===============================================================================
Who are We?
"only a user"
likes to use it
needs "household support"
"come for dinner anyway"
"something to gather every month"
good at organizing
only found out by meeting thursday night
group and user base has changed
"No time anymore, but keep running meetings"
typical meeting chair complaint
No joint meetings
bouncing meetings between locations bad
late notices bad
not a lot of students coming to UNH meetings
core group of six or seven people, mostly older
not aligned on topic
always meet - consistency huge..core group "just comes"
How to advertise to tech people
almost impossible
Different Groups
What should an ideal user group should be?
end users, developers, sysadmins, all?
Dartmouth group
What was successful, what has not been
Software Freedom Day
Software Freedom International - Matt
September 10th - 200 registered teams
80-90 teams to receive CDs
Windows apps plus Ubuntu Live!
More Intros
Attributions for who does what in group are needed...connection information
GNHLUG produce its own license plate?
"Cash in Gate's environment"
Rather pay money than downloads
Wants to see Linux grow
Wants cross-platform software
Ring or star topology to groups?
Too much on organizer's plates
More Summits
Frustration of leadership
"volunteers will always let us down" [Ed. Note: perception rather than fact]
Paul Lussier - wanted to come
Paul's thoughts
Can you define "working better"?
Many people feel it is fine
Those who have grand schemes
Most others have no time or desire for visions
Work with them for years
"Leisure computer users"
Different ones
Various attendees:
Desire but no technical skills
Skills, but want to drink beer
Memphis - Djs
Address and directions for meeting on wiki pages
What Are We When We Grow Up
Sysadmins meeting after work and having beer
"Do you have the answer to this?"
Fraternal organization?
Where do we go for beer?
Support group
Answers in email
RTFM or "Have you ever heard of Google"?
World Domination is great...
but I am busy this week
What Are We?
Changing
GNHLUG - was all of NH and....
Norther Mass
Vermont
Maine
Littleton
Geographical and SIG pieces of puzzle
Geographical vs Interest
Python meeting
reach out to windows users?
need publicity coordinator
22 people show up
Other SIGs?
Should we be a "complete schitzophrenic"?
Less kernel stuff, less installation now
Troubleshooting fest
Installation - Fringe Elements
General Installation becoming "ho-hum", but:
Raid/LVM
Beowulf systems
What happens when it is done
Could be done in a computer lab
We Are A Free Software Group
Essentially based around Linux
BSD?
Bring them down from Dartmouth
Really good speakers
Video or audio - Publish slides and audio as part of web site
Podcast
Slides
Searchable
Open course plan
Past Events Page
Presentations
Tell speakers ahead of time it is going to happen
Get copies of slides at end of talk
Get microphone to record their talk
Always "GNHLUG should" - not "We"
"Yup, we agree, so when are you going to do it?"
"Let's think about what works"
Mailing lists
Awaiting moderator approval - announce list
GNHLUG Site
Updated twiki to find mailing lists easier
Should we update Wiki
Ben should head up Wiki
Approach MV for 1u Cabinet
Identity- GNHLUG
Manadnoc - Am I GNHLUG?
Need Chapter identity?
Automating input into Wiki site - email based?
Afterward putting meeting stuff into Wiki site
Australian site that says: "Is answer here, if not come back and put it in"
Ben and Bruce to look into co-locating own box
What Do We Want to Be?
GNHLUG is all groups
Quarterly ("GNHLUG") meetings are all together
When do we want them
A goal
"Unified group"
"A really good speaker"
Too many quarterly meetings?
Concord
Nashua too far south
One announcement list
Needs for Meetings
Place
Time
Projector
Speaker
Moderated
GNHLUG List
Ben volunteering to lead overall group
GNHLUG - infrastructure and framework for FOSS
Fraternal org - drinking beer
Support organization
Educational aspect
learn
teach
Advocacy
Schools
What Does GNHLUG Add?
Intersection of New Hampshire and Linux
We supply:
communications
centralization
speakers
Allow this to happen
create infrastructure to pull stuff together
New user nights
Don't re-invent the wheel
SIGs
What Do We Want To Be?
Types
Suits
Geeks
Hobbyists
Levels
Beginner
Experts
More on Wiki
Business Cards on Wiki
Organizational - BrochureWare
glabels FOSS program
Carry them everywhere
GNHLUG.org
No one can steal money because we have no money
Register as non-for-profit
Neighborhood associations
Expenses paid, not salaries
Have to have formal structure
Have to have officers
Have to do auditing
Money Flow
Services that we get
Out of pocket
Process money in some way, shape or form
Small group become formal?
Running afoul of law
Get BLU's bylaws
Novell bought Tally systems
Tax ID number - Secretary of State
Non-interest bearing
Money Flow - Continued
Bank Account
Moved to form a committee to look into incorporation
bylaws
articles
Mail that we voted to form a committee to look at forming the committee
How To Mess Up A Group
Lots of un-coordinate mailing lists
Org, Announce, Discuss, Jobs
Updating Twiki is disruptive
Audience Targeting of Web Site
Newbie
Programmer
Systems Admin
Content oriented editors - Newbie
Angels?
How To Work A Group
Face Time
Angels for other things
Contingency Plans
Are we prepared to put on things
Strive to put things two weeks in advance
Heather
Publicity out
Greg Rundlett
Someone from each of chapters to be accountable
How to Make a Group Work
Primary and Alternate for each chapter
Greet Speaker
Have a room
Whole group help in finding speakers
268 subscribed members on mailing list
One thursday in the month is a floating meeting
Chair responsible for getting speakers, room, etc. to Heather
Attracting New Users
Business cards, put them out
Wear Penguins
Places to list:
Radio Shack, Best Buys
New meeting places:
CompUSA. Barns and Noble
Framework for advertising
Non-Linux users
List of user groups
Linux Journal
Add good respondents to Wiki
Gnhlug
O'Reilly
Guidelines for mailing lists
Don't re-invent the wheel (unless necessary)(TM)
Heather needs:
Two names from each group and contact information
DotProject
MS Project but on Web
Calendar - more automated?
Other Tools (Video or Audio conferencing)
Goals, Directions and Visions
One day Linux events
Chapter Chairs get together once per quarter
Before or after quarterly meetings
Face time important
TWiki be updated before October 9th
Need abstracts and minutes on front page of web site from speakers
Training for new leaders - Once per year
Speaker notes
We Will Be Glad to Help
"Talk to"
"We have done in past..."
An enabling
A place to hang stuff - history
Write stuff down - help other groups
"How to run a user group"
"I would like this topic to be discussed at the next meeting"
- Group Photos - see bottom of page for links to attachments.