Hi Greg, I re-read your email, and I would like to understand your suggestions better. Top posting my conclusions <g>: For all readers, not just Greg - What have you been doing on open source software in the last month? - Have you been talking to anyone who is doing neat stuff? Let me know! Greg: - Asking OCLUGGERS who are working on 'Open Stuff' works well, as you say. - I don't talk to enough people to make that work all the time. - Do you have other suggestions to make that work? - Please call me at 613, 266 dash 8311 (I can't hear it ring when I am on the bus, and I am sometimes in bad reception areas, like basements.) > All this would suggest that the convenor, instead of asking for random > volunteers, should be aware of what people are doing and/or documenting, > and ask directly individuals to speak and to discuss. It would work > around the perception common of many doers that nobody else would be > interested in what they do. All the people at OCLUG that I know who have been responsible for finding speakers prefer to ask directly, as you suggest. The hard part is finding out what lots of people are doing. Using social media upwards of two hours a day might help (IRC, FB, Twitter). Do you do that? Meeting lots of people informally is great for this, and also takes time. Last year I found several speakers from other User Groups by visiting groups about one night per week. I can't take that much time right now. Do you have suggestions for learning what people are doing in Ottawa? > Also the process would become more > friendly to people who can only suggest topics for other people to > present. I think you mean that if I don't ask everyone with a topic suggestion to present on it, I will get more suggestions? I agree. I will stop that. > Finally, informal clouds of people who do things and people > who read things and people who participate in other ways could submit > suggestions feeling they are submitting suggestions not impositions. Are you saying that all those people who don't think their current work is interesting enough to talk about will volunteer because one of, let's say, 40 suggestions, was sort of related to what they are doing? I think it still comes down to people volunteering or being asked. Or did I not understand you? Many of the talks we have are from people volunteering. For example, all three of the brilliant lightning talks at the Feb meeting were from people who volunteered their own topic. The speakers were people who have spoken here before, and are confident of their ability to present ideas that people will find interesting. Everyone present seemed to enjoy the talks, and the after talk at the bar. Rob -- Rob Echlin, B. Eng. 613-266-8311 - Ottawa, ON http://talksoftware.wordpress.com - http://picasaweb.google.com/coderoller ----- Forwarded Message ----- >From: Rob Echlin <rob [ at ] echlin [ dot ] ca> >To: Greg <sphex [ at ] sympatico [ dot ] ca>; Ottawa Linux Users Group <linux [ at ] lists [ dot ] oclug [ dot ] on [ dot ] ca> >Sent: Sunday, February 17, 2013 6:47:46 PM >Subject: Re: [OCLUG-Tech] more emphasis on online tutorials as opposed to meetings? > >Hi Greg, >I agree that if I know what people are doing, it is way easier to ask them to present on it. > >However, I don't see how any particular convener, such as myself, can find out what even 10% of the (?how may? 500? more?) people on the OCLUG mail list are doing. Many of them (more than 1/3 is my guess) would come to a meeting to present if asked, especially for a lightning talk. > >If you have suggestions in this area, I am very interested. >For instance, if you are hooked up with even 10 people, I would be interested in what technology they are working with. > >For all the other people on this list who are looking at this and feel creeped out that I am proposing spying on people: >- you too can let me know what your buddies are doing! >- Just don't tell me who is doing it, OK? >- let me know the list of topics you have >- you can check with them in advance of telling me > >Thanks, >Rob > > > > >>________________________________ >> From: Greg <sphex [ at ] sympatico [ dot ] ca> >>To: Ottawa Linux Users Group <linux [ at ] lists [ dot ] oclug [ dot ] on [ dot ] ca> >>Sent: Monday, January 21, 2013 3:45:31 PM >>Subject: Re: [OCLUG-Tech] more emphasis on online tutorials as opposed to meetings? >> >>All this would suggest that the convenor, instead of asking for random >>volunteers, should be aware of what people are doing and/or documenting, >>and ask directly individuals to speak and to discuss. It would work >>around the perception common of many doers that nobody else would be >>interested in what they do. Also the process would be come more >>friendly to people who can only suggest topics for other people to >>present. Finally, informal clouds of people who do things and people >>who read things and people who participate in other ways could submit >>suggestions feeling they are submitting suggestions not impositions. >> >>Greg >> >> >>Rob Echlin wrote: >>>> ________________________________ >>>> From: Robert P. J. Day <rpjday [ at ] crashcourse [ dot ] ca> >>>> To: Richard Guy Briggs <rgb [ at ] tricolour [ dot ] net> >>>> Cc: Ottawa Linux Users Group <linux [ at ] lists [ dot ] oclug [ dot ] on [ dot ] ca> >>>> Sent: Monday, January 21, 2013 9:08:38 AM >>>> Subject: Re: [OCLUG-Tech] more emphasis on online tutorials as opposed to meetings? >>>> >>>> On Sun, 20 Jan 2013, Richard Guy Briggs wrote: >>>> >>>>> On Sat, Jan 19, 2013 at 02:22:48PM -0500, Robert P. J. Day wrote: >>>>>> for instance, after rob e. mentioned the raspberry pi, i offered >>>>>> to demo how easy it is to build a bootable image for one using >>>>>> openembedded and the publicly-available meta-raspberrypi layer. >>>>>> but it so happens i've already written that up and it's available >>>>>> at my wiki (might need a bit of updating but should still work): >>>>>> >>>>>> http://www.crashcourse.ca/wiki/index.php/Building_basic_RPi_image >>>>>> >>>>>> so there's not much point using meeting time to explain something >>>>>> that anyone can read at their leisure at my web site. >>>>> You may not see much point, but different people learn in different >>>>> ways and different people get different things out of in-person >>>>> meetings. >>>> just to be clear, i wasn't suggesting there was no need for >>>> meetings; i was suggesting that, after pondering, i didn't see much >>>> value in my presenting a lightning talk about using openembedded for >>>> building an image for a raspberry pi since i'd already described the >>>> process in detail on a web page. >>>> >>>> >>>> the point i'm suggesting is that, if someone proposes an interesting >>>> topic, one need not always wait for a meeting to cover it. if someone >>>> knows of a good web page, or wants to write one, on that topic, that >>>> might be the solution. >>>> >>>> rday >>> >>> >>> Hi Rob Day, >>> I agree with Richard. >>> There are many reasons why people go to a presentation by you at OCLUG, >>> either instead of or as well as reading the process on your web site. >>> - better fits their learning style >>> - ask you related questions or followup questions, while you have the computer handy >>> - meet other people with similar interests >>> - go to see if its worth while asking the boss to hire you to do some training >>> - they set aside time for the meeting, but haven't set aside separate time for learning about that subject >>> - they want to debate the value of changing some element in the process, or using a completely different process >>> >>> >>> The point is, if someone proposes an interesting topic, any individual who needs it for work, now, can go to the web and find related info before the meeitng. >>> The interesting topic is still interesting as a presentation at the meeting. >>> >>> >>> Cheers! >>> >>> Rob Echlin >>> _______________________________________________ >>> Linux mailing list >>> Linux [ at ] lists [ dot ] oclug [ dot ] on [ dot ] ca >>> http://oclug.on.ca/mailman/listinfo/linux >>> >>> >>_______________________________________________ >>Linux mailing list >>Linux [ at ] lists [ dot ] oclug [ dot ] on [ dot ] ca >>http://oclug.on.ca/mailman/listinfo/linux >> >> >> >_______________________________________________ >Linux mailing list >Linux [ at ] lists [ dot ] oclug [ dot ] on [ dot ] ca >http://oclug.on.ca/mailman/listinfo/linux > > >