>
> More regular presentations would probably help. Of course, finding
> people to give these presentations can be somewhat of a logistical
> issue...
...and there's also the question of who the presentations are for.
High-end sysadmins and new users don't have the same information needs.
My newly-hired (and new to Linux) reporter, Lisa Hoover, would probably
love a presentation on how to customize Gnome and KDE desktops. Logan
Tygart wouldn't be interested.
One way to handle this problem is to keep the presentations short, like
30 minutes or less, with 30 minutes or so of general questions and
discussion that degenerate into social interaction or else go to a
nearby eatery or bar to continue the conversation.
Other good "all levels can participate" are hardware giveaways and swaps
- the best one of these I've seen took place in the parking lot with
open trunks *before* the meetings (while it was still light) to save
carrying things in and out of a building.
The thing is to achieve a mix of technical education and general hanging
out.
The infamous SSLUG is pretty much hanging out, and is now divorced from
the regular meetings. But both Lisa and Logan can happily attend -- and
drink beer and discuss football. (Lisa is a Bucs season ticket holder.)
The regular Sarasota meetings tend to be tech-serious, and the last ones
I went to were oriented almost entirely toward professional-level users.
The ideal would be some sort of halfway point. And some people would
still become friends and do non-Linux things together -- like it's
possible/probable that several LUG people and possibly their dogs will
come to my house this Sunday for football, beer (or soda) sharing, maybe
some potluck eats, etc.
Come to think of it, if *you* want to wander over this Sunday, no one is
stopping you. Football fandom and beer-love are not required. Some talk
may be about computers (and I naturally have an open wireless network),
but we may also discuss sailing, women/men, TV shows, politics,
gardening, and whatever else turns us on at the moment.
Never forget: The people you meet through a LUG may not be the most
socially adept folks in the world, but they're all pretty smart -- and
therefore worth getting to know better in general.
- Robin
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