NFLUG MISSION STATEMENT

[Dennis J. Eberl]

James Simmons wrote:

> > Thanks again. We need a Meeting Planning Committee of something
> > to get our nflug list straightened out and coordinate our efforts on what
> > is to presented, when, and by whom.
>
> In the past it was the group that decided what was presented. This is a
> good way to handle things.

I partially agree. A lot of newbies will just go along with anything. And often
people come up with half baked ideas (or no ideas).

I would say the membership ALWAYS has the final say on what will be
presented, but it is naive to expect anything to GET DONE.

> Understand I had my reasons for pushing the
> firewall presentation. Just like at edge I would get in trouble for this.

You aren't in trouble with anybody, least of all me. I like and respect you
and think you Bob and John are to be commended for taking the bit in
your teeth and running with the idea. I also thought we had a great
meeting and I thoroughly enjoyed your presentation. I am looking for-
ward to the "rules" part next meeting. Please don't be discouraged.

What I am objecting to is the haphazardness of it all. And, as I have
expressed elsewhere,  I think it left a lot of folks in the dust.

I don't think we should split into groups at meetings and I don't
think the meetings should be dumbed down as it were. I liked your
suggestion about an entirely separate meeting focusing on the
needs of newbies (the "install fest") on an entirely separate day.
It should not be a substitute for a regular meeting. Also, I think
Bob suggested we have more "unstructured" time at the regularly
scheduled meeting for one-on-one assistance, installs, basic
instruction, X Windows gotchas, etc.

We'll work this out. We have the makings of a terrific, active,
helpful, and fun group that is one of the last "computer clubs"
that has a real reason to exist.

> My boss would ask me why are doing that? I would say because I can then do
> ... and then from there do ... which means we can do .....

Yes, you have a good, creative mind, and, no, you didn't do anything wrong.
Please don't apologize. I am the one with the temper who usually needs to
apologize. Hey! Me and Blinky as LUG Apologists. Can we have big gold
medals hung around our necks by ribbons.

On the other hand, forget I suggested putting anything around our necks.

> So I should
> make my reasons clear to the group why. The reason was Alt Press needs a
> firewall machine as do computer for kids. So I figured why not turn this
> into a meeting.

Your thinking seems right on to me. We aren't talking either or here. Bernie
and Bob Meyer spent a lot of time up at Alt after the meeting. Bernie actually
replaced a fan in their server's power supply, I put a dab of thermal compound
on their virgin heatsink, we put the covers back on the server and one other
computer so they would cool properly, and we . . .  almost . . . convinced Joe
Schmidbauer to leave the !@#$%%@ covers on! Hello, Joseph. Bob established
the fact that Alt indeed does have full T1 access. A good time was had by all.

> Yes it more advance but every now and then you have to
> dazzle the crowd. I hoped people walked aways saying wow thats neat.
> Someday I will be able to do that. As for some meetings what is talked
> about will be based on the situation. Take this firewall as a example. If
> someone from corel came down to talk to us then well we would do that for
> the next meeting.
>
> > I was frankly insulted by not being invited to the meeting you, James,
> > and John had.

Yup, gee, my little feeling got hurt, but I survived.

> Then speak up.

Arf, arf, aaaaaaaaarf ! ?

> You knew that we where going to do firewalls. Do you think
> we be insane enough to do it on the fly of our pants?

Insane? Heeheehee. No, only Blinky and I would do that . . .

> No way. You also
> know that well will finish up firewalls this next meeting. So if you want
> to work with us then say something. The same goes for anyone one else on
> the list.

Naw, screw you guys.

But if you need some handouts, you know where to come. Seriously. A picture
helps.

> > I had been posting regularly to the
> > list about the need to walk newbies through command line stuff,
> > which is something I had planned to do, but gave up on the minute
> > I walked into the meeting.
>
> The reality is one not every memeber is a newbie.

Yes, I think I addressed that somewhere. I agree.

> Yes we only have a few
> memebers who are gurus

Are those the guys in the turbans?

> but we have alot of memebers that have been using
> linux for a year or 2. This means they understand the basics. Perhaps
> another thing to place on the join.html page.

I suggested this at some point on the list but got no response. At least, I
think I posted something about it to the list. I subsequently changed the
text entry box on the membership form page from "Comments:" to
"I Am Interested in Linux Because:" and made it a mandatory field.

We have no right to insist people give us their addresses and phone
numbers. I don't care, but one member we have never heard from
again had a fit over his name showing up where it could be seen when
I was doing the mailings and not using blind copy.

We do have a right (or better, "duty") to find out what people want
from the group, what level they're at, etc. A lot of people don't like
free form expression, which is what we have at the moment with
the text box. I would love to do a form with check boxes and radio
buttons that members could just click. I think we'd get a lot more
useful information that way with the result that members would
be better served.

Ok, don't all mail me you suggestions at once now.  <-- "Dennis is a sarcastic
SOB, but he feeds me well." -- Blinky

> Advance and average users
> would get bored very quickly if it was all newbie meetings.

I never suggested that. Of course.

> After the
> firewall I have no problem going back to something more basic. So we
> needed to address everyone.
>
> > I loved the presentation, but I am sure
> > it left most newbies up a creek as far as learning how to run Linux.
> > To expect them to object and speak up is to expect the dead to walk.
>
> Ah. Thats what the mailing list is for. I found most people are far braver
> on a mailing list. Or even better yet how about a poll on the web pages so
> people can anonymously tell us what they think about the meeting.

Yeah, the poll thing is cool. It's easy do automate in Zope, which is where
I am headed (with the help of Joe Hoot, I hope).

But remember one thing. We don't have a complete list. In addition to the
eleven names (and that was after culling) that aren't on Darin's list,
I just found four more that I just put on my list, but aren't on Darin's.

Let me be clear about this. Darin is right about insisting that people
ask to be put on the list by putting

subscribe nflug

in the body of an e-mail with the "Subject:" left blank and the address
majordomo at nflug.org. But I found the instructions for subscribing
poorly worded and therefore confusing when I tried to sign up and I
have been doing stuff like this since I was twelve. It took me a while
to discover that I had to post to nflug at nflug.org to post to the list.

Yes, I know you have all been sorry ever since.

Here's what I suggest. I'll talk to Darin to make sure I've got it
straight and then do two things:

1. Post to the existing list and suggest subscribers  check with
their friends to see if anyone who wants to be on the lists isn't on it.

2. Make it clear that completion of the membership form at our
web site is the only gateway to getting on the list -- no end runs
and don't pester Darin.

3. Send e-mail to the 15 people who I suspect want to be on the
list and in effect do #1 and instruct them to do #2 (a second time
if necessary).

What do you think? Will that do it?

Also,  if we do an Install Fest, which is a great idea IMHO,
we ought to promote it through Alt Press and through Computers
for Children and any other way anyone can think of (Swap
Sheet freebie?)

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarg. It's 2:00 PM already.

Dennis