[wellylug] Wellylug Venue

[Brent Wood]

--- Jeff Hunt <jeffhunt90 at gmail.com> wrote:

> I agree with Rob. A major function of Wellylug can be encouraging newbies. I
> personally can't get to meetings and while it is good that anyone who wants
> to meet can meet, spreading the word is probably best done through the
> website and with large gatherings that invite naive users to lose themselves
> in the crowd if they want to.

Hmmm... if getting hands on local Linux help means getting lost in a crowd a
few months away (vs a one to one this month) Why would anyone not run with
Vista? "Bring your PC along in a few months & we'll look at it" is a sure way
to encourage people to NOT persevere with Linux.

Large events are good for pre-newbies who want to get an idea about Linux and
are considering or want to become newbies, but are of limited value to newbies
who have already installed it & want to get their sound card working.

I think a monthly meeting has value. An annual or biannual event is fine (see:
installfest) but hardly provides continuity & regular support or help.

One meeting with 5 presentatiosn & lots of things going on separately is also
not a good way to present or learn, there are probably gonna be 5 concurrent
things I wanna see/participate in, one per month we can do this.

As someone who works away from Wgtn for several months per year, I don't really
want to be in the situation where missing one meeting means it's a year before
I see everyone again (of course, they may feel differently :-)

"Bring your PC along in a few months & we'll look at it" is a sure way to
encourage people to NOT persevere with Linux.


> On 2/8/07, Rob Giltrap <rob at kiwihq.com> wrote:
> >
> > FYI,
> >
> > The Newlands community centre is being built this year (hopefully). I
> > have spoken with the project manager and he has confirmed the place will
> > have Internet access and have networking in each space.

Petone, Moera, Lower Huitt & Wainuiomata community centres have limited
facilities, but are all available for Wellylug monthly events, but at a cost.

Getting Luggites to part with $20 or so per night for a meeting ain't easy....
and without the generosity of someone like Lan Place, we are probably up for
paying for a venue. I'd guess including Newlands.

What!!! charges, subs, the real world,  aaarrgghh.... :-) 

> >
> > The draft plans are due out shortly but it may be a place to use in the
> > future as it has good parking is reasonably accessible from central
> > Wellington.
> >
> > As for the need to have meetings I'm not sure a monthly meeting is
> > necessary in these days of Internet access of information but I do think
> > that assisting others to embark on the journey is valid.
> >
> > Maybe we should look harder at the website and how best to provide
> > information for the newbie on accessing useful information and assistance.
> >
> > I personally would be keen on having a bigger quarterly or probably six
> > monthly get together where more systems are brought in and you can get
> > to see what people are using. Maybe having an area with different
> > distros and another showing off multimedia apps. My 2c.
> >

That is a very different type of meeting to what we have had in the past. It is
not exclusive to the more informal meetings we have had, which would be useful
for the organisers of the "big events". So we want a bigger meeting, someone
will need to actually organise it, make sure it all works etc, any volunteers??


If I want a LUG based on largely electronic communications, I'd join NZLUG or
an overseas/international one. A geographically local LUG is only really of
value in facilitating face to face/hands on geographically local events, so if
WellyLUG as a group of people sees the Welly component as being of value, I
think monthly meetings are a prerequisite.


Brent