GNHLUG Summer Summit 2005

Attendees:

• RobertAnderson
• HeatherBrodeur
• MattBrodeur
• BruceDawson
• MadDog
• BillMcGonigle
• MattOquist
• GuyPardoe
• TedRoche
• BillSconce
• BenScott
• CaroleSoule

• Notes from MadDog.

These are the minutes I took at the organizational meeting yesterday. (19 August 2005) ... 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 ===========================================================================

Round of Introductions: Who are you, and what do you want to get out of this meeting?

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 - Organizational Structure

• 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 - What Can We Do Better?

• 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.
  • From Ted's Camera (1+MB) GNHLUGSS2005.jpg