(poll) What kind of meeting do you want?

[Ray Payne]

I'm new to the list and have yet to make it to a meeting, so take this as
being as uninformed an opinion as possible.  I have no idea of what exactly
to expect at the meetings, but I know I'd definitely be interested in
tutorial type meetings.  I would also hope that there is a social aspect to
the meetings so I don't feel more inclined to just put in a CBT CD when I'm
debating the drive downtown.

As for the topic of membership dues, there is always an issue to start
charging people for something that use to be free.  Either people tend to
resist the change, or they want to know exactly why the money is needed now
and where it's going.  I've seen other organizations work where there is a
donation system in place with a recommended donation amount instead of a
membership.  Without knowing the demographics of the group I can't say if
that should work or not in this case.  I know I'd have no issue making
donations to attend meetings that were aiding in my learning, or helping
cover the costs of supporting a group that I'm getting other forms of
benefit from.

Ray

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-tlug-lxSQFCZeNF4 at public.gmane.org [mailto:owner-tlug-lxSQFCZeNF4 at public.gmane.org]On Behalf Of William
Park
Sent: Thursday, April 21, 2005 3:53 PM
To: TLUG-lxSQFCZeNF4 at public.gmane.org
Subject: [TLUG]: (poll) What kind of meeting do you want?


One recurring theme during Linux World Trade Show was "What does TLUG do
for me?"  This was a difficult question to answer.  There are things
that TLUG does, of course, such as
    - presentation by speaker
    - beer
    - Q&A during the meeting and on mailing list
But, definitely, not worth $20 membership.  People truly don't give
shit about the laundry list of expenses.  "Your expense is your
business.  What do I get for $20?" is people's bottom line.

Social component of TLUG meetings works only for core people, and even
this works only up to certain size.  This is why TLUG has not grown,
considering Toronto's population and increasing Linux awareness.  I got
the feeling that everyone at the show sensed that Linux explosion is
about to happen, and were trying to position themselves.

We also need to get our acts together.  With that in mind, I would like
some feedback as to what we can do to bring new people in to TLUG.

1.  I've been chewing the idea of tutorial-style meeting for some time.
    The collective experience and knowledge of TLUG members are pretty
    impressive.  There are some things that each person knows quite
    well.  And, it would be nice to see if we can arrange some kind of
    "tutorial" for the benefit of others.

    A narrowly focused subtopic would be better suited.  For example,
    Python is too big to chew in one sitting, but Python interface to
    PostgreSQL might be narrow enough for single tutorial, ie.
	- modules you use,
	- parameters available,
	- syntax, and sample usages

    So, do you prefer short tutorials on various topics?

2.  What do you think of collecting $1 from all attendees of the
    meeting, instead of $20 annual membership?  They do that in
    churches (I've heard), so I shouldn't be accused of being a Hun
    anti-christ or something.

--
William Park <opengeometry-FFYn/CNdgSA at public.gmane.org>, Toronto, Canada
Slackware Linux -- because it works.
--
The Toronto Linux Users Group.      Meetings: http://tlug.ss.org
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--
The Toronto Linux Users Group.      Meetings: http://tlug.ss.org
TLUG requests: Linux topics, No HTML, wrap text below 80 columns
How to UNSUBSCRIBE: http://tlug.ss.org/subscribe.shtml