TLUG's value to community ???

[Sy]

> What is GTALUG's value to community?  What service do we provide?  What
> do "our community" get from us?

I know I've been incognito for a while (and for really excellent
reasons), but I'd like to add a quick comment to this.  It appears to
be that the only service which GTALUG is presently particularly
concerned about is the collective which it represents.

That is to say that GTALUG is all about GTALUG participants.  It's a
support group, a think tank, a shared hobby.  Although there have been
obvious murmers to extend its reach, there has not appeared to me to
be any other reason for its existance.

I would say that this GTALUG thing is young, and just beginning to
stand.  I feel this is especially true because of the existance of any
scrap of doubt as to why it exists.


This leaves a great opportunity for just about anyone to step up and
say "I am about helping convert Windows castaways to Linux", and for
sufficiant others to agree to form some kind of purpose to the body at
large.

Again, I think GTALUG is about its people, and there are a few common
trends in them but no manifesto.


Perhaps there should be a writing contest of some kind?

* Submit a written manifesto describing the value and purpose of the group.
* Define activities which focus the group towards those means.
* Outline a timeline of activities and expected outcomes.
...

Something like this is indeed possible, of course, and may even be
successful.  Heck, there could even be a general assembly to vote on a
manifesto.

However, I will say that as one of the Ruby usergroup members, it has
been exceedingly successful because of a resistance to this concept in
preference for "we have meetings to unwind and help oneanother".

Is such a relaxed concept applicable to GTALUG?  Of course not, the
membership is too big!  It does, however, exist in small pockets of
membership.. for example in the form of exec meetings, linuxcaffe
meetings or the after-meeting-meeting at the pub.

I think some kind of written "purpose" would be useful at least for
me, because it would give me an understanding of what I can do to
help, and why.  Without strong leadership, I'd just keep surfing the
wave of apathy.
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