Re: [PLUG] starting up a lug

On 8/16/07, Paul L. Snyder <plsnyder@drexel.edu> wrote:

On August 16, 2007, "Zenko Klapko Jr." <dah_comrade@hotmail.com> wrote:

> Hi All,I've recently moved to Charleston, SC. I'm still very attached to
> Philadelphia, but I want to spread the Linux in SC. I've looked for a lug
> online but haven't found anything recent. What are the steps to forming a
> lug and what are good ways to keep people interested?-Zenko

Here are a few thoughts from my experiences with PLUG and getting PLUG West
off the ground:

(0) Read Rick Moen's "Linux User Group HOWTO" and "Recipe for a Successful
Linux User Group".  Most of what I'm about to say is covered by these
documents, and may be more general.

  http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/User-Group-HOWTO.html
   http://linuxmafia.com/faq/Linux_PR/newlug.html

(1) PLUG West was kicked off as a Linuxbiernacht...just a social
meeting at a local restaurant.  People had been expressing interest
in a LUG in the western Philly suburbs for a long time, and this
was a way of feeling out what the _real_ level of interest was.
Lots of folks came out of the woodwork, and we had an offer for
meeting space and speakers scheduled for the first two months by
the time it was over.

(2) Don't do it for an ego boost.  I've seen LUGs fail because the
organizers were more interested in the _idea_ of founding a LUG
rather than the actual running of it.  Make sure the group belongs
to all its members.  Think of yourself as a facilitator, not an
owner.

(3) Don't mistake technical tasks (setting up web pages, running
mailing lists) for the running of the LUG.  Don't build some stupid
PHP monstrosity and set up a dozen forums that will have three posts
each.

(4) Organization is key: prompt responses to communications,
maintaining schedules, etc.  It doesn't need to be formal, but it
does need to be reliable.

(5) Keep things as informal as possible.  PLUG doesn't charge
membership fees, we aren't incorporated, we don't have formal
membership rolls.  We're just a bunch of folks who like Linux and
get together on a regular basis.

(5) Don't try to run it all yourself, but don't rely on the
half-assed volunteers who think it would be fun to be a
webmaster but lose interest after a few months.  When you find
somebody reliable, exploit them for all they're worth.  The more
good people you have who are bought into keeping the group
running, the better your chances for survival.

(6) Don't dither.  Get input from everyone if you can, but
eventually someone has to make a decision.  Someone has to
decide when and where to meet, what the topics are going to
be, etc.  If you can get a consensus, that's great, but
don't hold out for it.

(7) Be sure you have a good listserv package.  Everyone can get
email, ait's better than hoping everyone will read and post to web
forums.

(8) Get a stable URL and keep the bloody website updated.  When
your group dies, don't leave up a webpage saying "Next Meeting:
July, 2001".

(9) If there are any other groups around with similar technical
interests, don't recreate the wheel.  There were a lot of folks
in the Chester County area who were interested in a LUG; rather
than try to ressurrect the defunct, independent Chester County
LUG with a completely separate infrastructure (web sites, mailing
lists, etc.), PLUG West was formed as  a satellite of the main
PLUG group in the city.  Conceptually, if you attend a meeting of
PLUG West, PLUG Central, or PLUG MontCo, you're a member of PLUG.
This helps fight fragmentation of the community, and the smaller
groups can draw on the energy and experience of the larger.

On the other hand, don't tie a millstone around your neck.  I
don't think that the short-lived CCLUG was helped by its
association with the Exton PC Council (which has meeting topics
like "Having Fun with Windows Media Player").  EPCC charges for
membership and targets a different demographic.

(10) Plan out meetings at least three months in advance.  If you have
scheduled speakers, get them signed up ASAP and keep pushing for more.

Good luck!

Paul

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