Glen Burnie Linux User Group Forming
If Linux is to experience an explosion of popularity, then an explosion of 'grass-roots' advocacy must precede it. This advocacy includes community activities designed to aid in recruitment, fundraising and establishing a local identity for Linux. Growing the Linux user base in the LUG area should take precedence over all other objectives."
Posted Jun 15, 2002 21:22 UTC (Sat)
by mattdm (subscriber, #18)
[Link]
Posted Jun 16, 2002 7:55 UTC (Sun)
by mem (guest, #517)
[Link]
From the GBLUB website: Nothing inusual until here. But: Interesting proposition. IMO, wrong, too. This is converting the LUG into a "free personal tech support center", which wears people out horribly fast. During my computer-literate life, I've been providing "tech support" on a number of different areas, both for money and for free. The for free case has happened in two basic forms: friends (and not-so-friends) call me and ask me how to fix some specific problem they are having or the other one, where I willingly help people on public mailing lists. The first form has many downsides and little upsides. Among the largest demotivation factor is the fact that people tend to call when they have a problem, not when I have the time to answer their questions, which doesn't happen in the second form. With mailing lists, I answer at my own pace and when I happen to have some time to do it. I consistenly reply to the mailing list and to the mailing list only. If people get a Cc, they tend to answer back privately with a load more of information and questions. Answering publicly has the advantage that other people learn, too, which loads some future work off my shoulders eventually. This is nice, but my gut feeling tells me it's going to degenerate quickly. That's A Really Good Thing(TM). (emphasis mine) That's also good. Good luck, I hope everything works out well.
Posted Jun 17, 2002 18:21 UTC (Mon)
by jonlasser (guest, #1077)
[Link] (2 responses)
Ugh. There are already two, count 'em, two, LUGs within easy distance of this one. The UMBC Linux Users Group is a mere five-minute drive from this LUG. Its meetings are open to the general public as well as the UMBC community. It has an active mailing list and IRC channel, too. There's also a Baltimore Linux Users Group which meets on the other side of the beltway from the Glen Burnie group. They have a mailing list, too. I fail to see what a third group in the area can accomplish that couldn't be better accomplished by working with one of the existing groups. Both of those groups could certainly use more people willing to take an active role. Starting a new LUG is something like starting a new Linux distribution: it bleeds off some attention and interest from other, similar projects already underway, and it often shows a certain disrespect for or ignorance of the goings-on in the surrounding Linux community. That said, sometimes it's necessary to start fresh. But I don't see why that's the case here. And a quick look at the Glen Burnie LUG's page shows no awareness of these already active groups in the area. Simply typing the words 'baltimore' and 'linux' into Google turns up the BaltoLUG as the top result, with various UMBC LUG pages showing up in the top ten. Ignorance should not have been a factor in this decision.
Posted Jun 17, 2002 20:01 UTC (Mon)
by DeletedUser2116 ((unknown), #2116)
[Link] (1 responses)
If you disagree with the value of leading the masses to Linux, that's another thread. But you cannot say that the other two LUGs you mention are just like this one. They're not. And that's why a new LUG was created, rather than one person joining an existing LUG and trying to take control of its direction. That would be stupid and disrespectful to the members of that LUG, and in the end, a waste of time. I hope you see the difference now.
Posted Jun 20, 2002 13:41 UTC (Thu)
by jonlasser (guest, #1077)
[Link]
I see the difference, and I applaud the goal of bringing newbies to Linux. However, running a LUG or a group of any sort is hard work and requires dedication from a number of members. (I run Baltimore's local SAGE group, Old Bay SAGE, and have done so for nigh on three years now, so I know what it takes to do it consistently.) In my experience, a group dedicated to newbies doesn't last, because either the newbies initially attracted blossom and now want those advanced LUG presentations you're pointing out, or because the experienced people get burnt out on helping newbies with the same questions again and again. A good LUG, like the UMBC LUG, has a constant mix of newbies and experienced people. This keeps the newbies involved when they're no longer newbies. If such a group were to succeed, it would have to be in a place where there weren't two other groups waiting to bleed off anyone who doesn't want to answer the same newbie questions again and again. Still and all, I could be completely wrong. The mission is admirable too. Good luck with the group.
It might be worth pointing out that Glen Burnie is a city in Maryland. This isn't just a group for people who happen to be named that.
Glen Burnie = Maryland
Glen Burnie Linux User Group Forming
Like any other community group, we will participate in local fairs, festivals, shows, etc. The LUG would have a table with a large banner where they would sell cute Tux apparel and novelties (this would attract the passersby), and have a laptop running Linux. When the curious stop to see what Linux is and/or to check out merchandise for sale, we talk up the OS, demonstrate how much fun it is (on the laptop) and offer to sell them a complete set of CDs at cost. [...]
[...] If they're willing to try Linux, we get their personal info, and set up a time when one or more members can go to their place to install & configure Linux. Once this is done, the convert would have the LUG members phone numbers & email addresses so that there's always someone to contact for help.
One or more members may also become 'mentors' to the newbie, so that they feel as if they have a friend in the LUG.
Meetings should be at least 50% 'newbie -centric', with basic troubleshooting & skill development being the focus.
Also, the LUG needs to cultivate a public identity for Linux by using the local media to advertise itself and the OS whenever possible. The general rule should be: If this will draw positive attention to Linux, and we have the ability to do it, it's a good thing.
LUGs in the Baltimore area...
If you had read thoroughly what the Glen Burnie LUG site said, you'd have realized that this LUG was not created because there were no other LUGs within driving distance of Glen Burnie. This LUG was created to be what no (or very few) LUGs are: advocacy & recruitment oriented, and newbie centric. This LUG will be active in the community, showing Linux off to the unwashed masses, with a central mission of leading average PC users out of the darkness and into the waiting arms of Tux. This LUG's meeting announcement will never say something like "Lewis Berman will be speaking on writing Apache modules." That level of technical expertise is best left to the handful of members who care. No, this LUG was created to be something completely different, something new and exciting; not just another monthly gathering of the computer elite. This will be a LUG for the masses. If there were other LUGs like this nearby, a new LUG would not have been necessary. LUGs in the Baltimore area...
LUGs in the Baltimore area...