[aclug-L] Future of ACLUG

["Clint A. Brubakken" <cabrubak@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

First of all its poll-another word for survey, not pole-what Barber Shop's
use to advertise, and pole-vaulters use to vault.

I'll respond to both of you here.

On Fri, 3 Sep 1999, Jonathan Hall wrote:

> On Fri, 3 Sep 1999, jg wrote:
> 
> > First, I think everyone should read the "Linux users group HOWTO". The
> > users group should stick to the goals listed in this HOWTO. Secondly, I'm
> > against the Bill Clinton model of leadership (i.e. take a pole). This is

Lets try to avoid comments like this, Its real flamebait and I don't want
to start a flameware Clinton vs Bush or anything like that 

> > very time consuming, ineffective, and gets nowhere fast. If Clint is our
> > leader, then he should be allowed to make the choices.

I agree someone will need to make a final decission, but no good leader
makes decissions with out some feedback of what the people want. 

Wants the point of heading my with ACLUG if no one else is interested.
ACLUG is its members, and we need to know what the members want. 

> Success should be
> > measured by how many people continue to show up week after week.

and if I decide one way everyone hates it and it fails? Better to find
what the people who are showing up and might show up want. 


> I don't think a "pole" is what we need.  I think some feedback is vital,
> though.  If we don't find out from *everyone* what they want or expect
> from the group, we'll have one shot in a million of meeting those needs
> and expectations.

exactly

> If that feedback can best be gathered by sending a questionare to the
> list, I'll support it 100%.  If that feedback can best be gathered by
> having an "organizational meeting" with all ACLUG members, I'll support it
> 100%.  If that feedback can best be gathered with a closed ballot system,
> I'll support it 100%. 

I think a list questionare us a good idea, then after we get responses we
might ask mire questions at a meeting. I don't think we need to really do
closed ballot.


> If that feedback can best be gathered by taking a             
> trip to the Bahamas, I'll support it 175%.   :-)
> 

Current acm funds are $20 (or more if we can ever find Ek), I doubt that
would get us to Newton let alone the Bahamas :)


> 
> >  It should be clear we need to address the needs of beginners as well as
> > advanced users. It should also be evident that the right thing to do is to
> > expand. I think having a group discussion on the IRC was a good idea.
> 
> I don't think expansion should be our goal.  Our goal should be to provide
> the best, most helpful content for the Linux community in Wichita and
> surrounding areas.  Expansion will happen naturally when we meet that
> goal.
> 
> If our focus is expansion, and growing the group, then we will suffer a
> horrible death.  It's like bulding a sky scraper by adding more floors,
> but never finishing the basement.  It will eventually collapse.
> 

I know I thought I'd never say this but :

We need a mission statement.

Something that says exactly what we are, what are goals are, and how we
want to accomplish them

> 
> > However, who cares whether or not ALL members can logon a particular night
> > or not. We just need to have the transcripts available for people who
> > missed it up on the web. We should also have many IRC meetings, even if
> > only two people show up. Again make transcripts available (with the
> > "script" command). 
> 
> Have you ever read an IRC transcript?  They're not very interesting.  Nor
> are they generally very helpful.  Probably a better idea would be to send
> a message to aclug-committee just describing what was discussed and talked
> about.
> 

I haven't thought about IRC for a presentation before, it might be a good
idea, and something we should ask in questionare.


So I say lets build a questionare, and find out who our members are so we
can make ACLUG into what they need, not just What we think they need.

From that we will develop a mission statement, and maybe discuss it
further in a future meeting.


--
Clint Brubakken
Developer, Computer Science Services Group, LLC
Dictator-for-Life Air Capital Linux Users Group 
Wichita, KS
cabrubak@xxxxxxx
---
"If you want an application to be portable, you don't necessarily create an 
abstraction layer like a microkernel so much as you program intelligently."

  -- Linus Torvalds on Microkernels (Open Sources, 1999 O'Reilly and Associates)