[kwlug-disc] What would people like to do, under the auspices of kwlug?

[Eric Gerlach]

WARNING:  Eric has do-ocracy fever after CultureCamp last weekend.  You can ask
me on the 4th if you want to know the details of why.  Regardless, I'm really
big on encouraging people to just pick up and start doing something right now.
Perhaps rudely so.  However, anything that could be percieved as rudeness is
just blunt enthusiasm.  I apologize in advance for being direct.

On Mon, Dec 21, 2009 at 05:55:07PM -0500, unsolicited wrote:
> Let me try approaching some of the recent list threads from a
> different direction.
> 
> There are things I would be interested in seeing happen.
> 
> They are things that are too big for me to do on my own as an individual.
> 
> They are things that don't require the entirety of kwlug.
> 
> There seems to be no middle ground. There is no mechanism to group a
> subset of the entire group around a common effort. er, kwlug
> contains a group of likely interested individuals, some of whom
> might be interested in collaborating in the accomplishment of a
> <thunk>.

I think there is.  Just announce on this list that "Hey, I'd like to do a
<thunk>, but I'll need two more people to help!  Who's in?"

That's a good way to get started.  If you don't get your two people, then start
asking people at the next LUG meeting.  You'll rope in a few people soon
enough.

> What might people like to see happen, under the auspices of kwlug?

What do you want to see happen?  If you're enthusiastic about it, it'll work
out awesome.

> Some examples might be, but I'm far more interested in what
> individuals might be interested in doing:

I know what it's like to want to get others participating, but seriously, just
do it.  Do something you're interested in seeing happen.  You'll get a few
people participating for sure (my finaceé ran a workshop at KwartzLab on the
weekend and only two people showed up, but the three of them had fun), and
you'll encourage other people to do their own stuff.

BTW, the following are all great ideas.  Darcy hosted a lauch party for Ubuntu
Karmic at the end of October, and it went great.

> - installfest
> - launch party
> - workshops
> - how to host a meeting
> - how to present
> - since multiple rooms at 1st are available, splitting the latter
> half of a meeting into two parts between (advanced) presentation
> topic and <thunk>
> - community project (do a website for a charitable organization?)
> - community project (a la FOSS / with a [subversion?] repository) -
> contribute code somewhere or to something.
> - I have no idea, I'm making this list up to solicit your ideas &
> thoughts.

> What would it take to create a kwlug egroupware site, or something,
> to promote such collaborations?

A wiki would be nice.  That shouldn't be too hard to set up (stock MediaWiki
would work).  Who has access to the hosting account?  (I know it's on CCJ
Clearline's servers, I just don't know which ones so I don't know our
capabilities)

> More importantly - what might people like to collaborate on?

I say just pick something and run with it.  Getting started and picking the
topic are two big barriers to entry.  Get past those, and it'll be smoother
sailing.

Cheers,

Eric