A short list of things I want out of TLUG

Sy sy1235-Re5JQEeQqe8AvxtiuMwx3w at public.gmane.org
Sat Apr 23 03:42:10 UTC 2005


Because I view the messages regarding organization, meeting topics,
fundraising, group goals and whatnot as being a sign of a greater
possibility, I would like to beg the audience for a -- ok, for
realistically a good hour -- with this post/thread.  I'm nervous as
hell posting like this, so please make criticism constructive so I can
learn..


Now I know that the first thing a guy like me does when something
important is being discussed is _write too damned much_, but all of
this boils down to a very simple idea:  By expressing a short list of
my needs, I can help everyone understand what I like and need as a
member of the community.

Then, when a structure forms, I can take my simple little list, and
compare it.. to determine if my needs are met.  There's no need for me
to worry about greater specifics, just my simple needs.  If my needs
are not met, then I do my best to discuss that particular point in
favour of my needs.  That discussion should lead to my changing my
opinion or helping others understand and work with mine.. or towards a
good compromise.

Compromise becomes straightforward (but maybe not easy) when everyone
knows concisely what they actually want.  I think this short list may
be a good tool for others to effectively communicate their own needs.

With my short list of needs, I can realise that I don't need to care
too much about discussing things that don't really matter to me.  To
help the signal:noise, I'll be applying this idea right after this
post.  =)




In my ignorance I have to ask what the benefits of formal organization
are.  Allow me to brainstorm a little, and do correct me when I'm
wrong, although s:n may be better served by just your own short list
if you understand the jist of things.

I think I understand some of it.. viewing things sortof like a
"primative" society versus whatever..

There would be more organization towards the benefit of
decision-making for the collective, for example.  A small community
can make decisions amongst themselves, where a larger one would have
difficulty reaching a concensus.  So for tlug to grow larger and still
be able to make effective group decisions, structure should form..
right?

Ok, but what decisions need to be made?

It seems appropriate to have some structure to be able to interact
with the greater world, if only to have people appointed for the task
of "face time" necessary for, say, interaction with larger
corporations.  I don't know that a big company would be comfortable
dealing with a random delegate who cannot speak on behalf of their
peers.

So the structure would alleviate the need for wide-scale concensus,
allowing for a sort of generally agreed-upon charter which the
structure follows on behalf of members.  So in my example, we vote for
people who do the "face time".  We do this because it's good for
rubbing elbows with corporate entities.  We want to rub elbows.. well
I would say that this brings various random benefits, like career
opportunities or benefits to the greater enthusiast community.

So structure would help a larger society form which can operate
without the need to have the large collective decisions.  The charter
concept, when generally agreed upon, allows members to step away from
the nitty gritty decisions and benefit without being bogged down by
the constant pull for concensus.

Well, I'm not explaining it very well.. but we all understand some of
the benefits for ourselves.. after all, we are a part of a society
with traits that had to evolve along some of these lines.

--

In my opinion, I don't particularly care if structure exists or not,
and generally speaking I wouldn't be aware of it.  I empathise with
the lack of enthusiasm some have shared with the idea.  Why mess with
a good thing, why bother with the effort, who let that guy be in
charge, dude where's my car.

The socialness will exist outside of the structure.  It's an
inevitability.  I don't think we lose out on that underculture because
of a structure.

The question is, is there a greater value in the various designs?

Frankly, I'm shocked there isn't a little corporation floating amongst
you.  It's not like computers are new.  It's not like you're new to
computers.  Hell, some of you have been playing with this crap for
longer than I've been eating solid food!  I figured it was logical for
a tlug to have some significant firepower in its arsenal.

We appear to have some elders looking to gel things together for
future benefit.  I don't see much of a problem with trying.  The
question should now be.. how?

My gut tells me that the best thing to do is look at the models which
others have used.  My brain tells me to learn from others and adapt
their models to our needs.  What I really want to do is kidnap some
organizers from other groups..  =)

That's the kind of work that's suited for the various elders.  If you
all want to step down and leave a structure in your place, then the
structure needs to do the job right.

--

For the rest of us.  I propose something kinda simple.  In no order,
what are the five most selfish things you want out of a "Toronto Linux
User Group", and what are their dependancies?  Again, all you should
really care about in the greater politics of all of this is your
selfish short list.  I'll begin with mine:

1) To be introduced to new software and methods.
2) To spend some time out of the house, breathing fresh air and
meeting interesting new people.
3) To be motivated and enlightened by wiser people.
4) To make friends such that I may one day could lean on them for
technical advice and support.
5) To give back to society at large.

This is enough to give everyone else an idea of what you as a person
want.  If you want to elaborate, go ahead.

Now I can look at my five items and ask myself.. what do they depend on?

1) Finding people from varied walks of life who all have various preferences.
2) Various social clubs.
3) Finding smart people isn't hard.  Finding a situation where such a
person is willing to contribute specifically to my improvement isn't
so easy.
4) Meeting people of the specific variety and skillsets is bloody hard.
5) Mentoring, inventing/designing, writing, freedomfighting.  This
one's hard to define.

Then I can further ask myself how can I get those dependancies
fulfilled?  I'd be willing to bet that a good structure would help me
fulfill my goals.

1) A basic semi-formed usergroup which has enough people in it and is
active enough for me to find it would have people who could introduce
me to new software and methods, but only if they were prompted with
things like presentations or topical discussion.  That'd be you all.

2) Socialness is everywhere, it just involves a little legwork.  A
well-organized usergroup practically hands this on a silver platter..
it just takes buying some beer and shouting over the music at the bar.

3) Paying for higher education, going to lectures and online study
provide some means to be further-wisened by my betters.  Hey,
usergroups are lots cheaper and in some cases can have _vastly_
superior expertise and life experience to higher education.

4) Pay for support, endlessly scour google, newsgroups, forums,
mailing lists and irc channels.  Waste lots of life, lose more hair. 
Or find a usergroup, contribute enough and in turn I can sometimes get
a little supportive pat on the head and a point in the right
direction.

5) This is where a more structured group comes in handy.  I can give a
little by helping a random newbie.  I can give a lot by aligning
myself with a cool project.  Have you ever gotten the feeling that you
can do more?  It keeps me up at night sometimes.  =/  One thing I need
is to see some semblance of written structure from which more
Enlightened plotting and planning can come.


So by outlining my short list, I am able to communicate myself so that
the budding structure can understand and hopefully appreciate and work
towards my goals.  This way, I can welcome our new insect overlords..
uh, I can welcome structure because it could effectively address my
needs.

s'ok?


Regards,
Sy

---

$ apt-get install tlug-sy

error: cannot open lock file //var/lib/rpm/RPMLOCK in exclusive mode
error: cannot open Packages database in 
E: could not open RPM database
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