Hi everybody, Last year around this time, an organization was formed called the Boston User Groups (http://www.bostonusergroups.com). WLUG was invited to participate. As a group, we decided to pay our $50/year membership fee to participate for the first year. Some of you might remember this meeting, where the general consensus was "OK, let's try it for a year and see how it goes". Our yearly membership dues are being requested by BUG. I had some questions about whether or not WLUG should continue its participation in BUG. I had a discussion with the WLUG members who attended the BBQ. Several of those people thought that the discussion should take place among the entire WLUG membership. The timing of BUG events is such that I'd like to settle this issue before our next WLUG meeting (ideally within the next week). Take a look at the BUG webpage as you consider my comments and those of other WLUG members. Please take note of the other groups who are current BUG members. There are 3 Linux groups, a Palm group, a Mac group, and some others, not to mention the wide variety of Microsoft related user groups. Given that Microsoft is a documented monopoly (a court said that, not just me), this distribution of member groups should not be a surprise to anybody. Some of the commentary below assumes familiarity with the contents of the BUG website. My initial question (if I recall correctly) was to wonder about what tangible benefit WLUG received for its $50 expenditure. a) BUG has a link to the WLUG website on its website b) WLUG had a table at last year's MegaMeeting and gave out literature advertising the group, its meetings, etc. c) I met some leaders of other regional user groups while eating free pizza, drinking free soda, and touring the US DataCenters facility in Marlboro, MA. d) I know that we got at least one new WLUG member from the MegaMeeting. Perhaps there were others, or folks who shortly thereafter joined the mailing list, but I have no way to know for sure. The BUG website also has a calendar of group activities onto which WLUG's activities were never placed. The calendar is designed for groups who meet, say, every 2nd Thursday of the month. WLUG's schedule is not as regular as that, and hence our information was not put onto the calendar after two requests by me. Rick Zach is the current BUG president. He recently sent an e-mail to the user group leaders (attached) wherein he describes some of the benefits of BUG membership. I also have personally spoken to Rick to make sure my information about BUG is correct so that I can present it fairly to the WLUG membership. My question to WLUG is: Do we as a group wish to continue our participation in BUG for $50/year ? Later, Andy -- Andy Stewart, Founder Worcester Linux Users' Group Worcester, MA USA http://www.wlug.org
I vote YES. It's only $50 and WLUG's cash on hand is well
into five figures. ;)
If some people feel somewhat bruised by a tangential
connection to MS, well that's kind of sad.
Clint
On Thu, 29 Aug 2002 21:21:20 -0400
Andy Stewart
Hi everybody,
Last year around this time, an organization was formed called the Boston User Groups (http://www.bostonusergroups.com). WLUG was invited to participate. As a group, we decided to pay our $50/year membership fee to participate for the first year. Some of you might remember this meeting, where the general consensus was "OK, let's try it for a year and see how it goes".
Our yearly membership dues are being requested by BUG. I had some questions about whether or not WLUG should continue its participation in BUG. I had a discussion with the WLUG members who attended the BBQ. Several of those people thought that the discussion should take place among the entire WLUG membership. The timing of BUG events is such that I'd like to settle this issue before our next WLUG meeting (ideally within the next week).
Take a look at the BUG webpage as you consider my comments and those of other WLUG members. Please take note of the other groups who are current BUG members. There are 3 Linux groups, a Palm group, a Mac group, and some others, not to mention the wide variety of Microsoft related user groups. Given that Microsoft is a documented monopoly (a court said that, not just me), this distribution of member groups should not be a surprise to anybody.
Some of the commentary below assumes familiarity with the contents of the BUG website.
My initial question (if I recall correctly) was to wonder about what tangible benefit WLUG received for its $50 expenditure.
a) BUG has a link to the WLUG website on its website
b) WLUG had a table at last year's MegaMeeting and gave out literature advertising the group, its meetings, etc.
c) I met some leaders of other regional user groups while eating free pizza, drinking free soda, and touring the US DataCenters facility in Marlboro, MA.
d) I know that we got at least one new WLUG member from the MegaMeeting. Perhaps there were others, or folks who shortly thereafter joined the mailing list, but I have no way to know for sure.
The BUG website also has a calendar of group activities onto which WLUG's activities were never placed. The calendar is designed for groups who meet, say, every 2nd Thursday of the month. WLUG's schedule is not as regular as that, and hence our information was not put onto the calendar after two requests by me.
Rick Zach is the current BUG president. He recently sent an e-mail to the user group leaders (attached) wherein he describes some of the benefits of BUG membership. I also have personally spoken to Rick to make sure my information about BUG is correct so that I can present it fairly to the WLUG membership.
My question to WLUG is:
Do we as a group wish to continue our participation in BUG for $50/year ?
Later,
Andy
-- Andy Stewart, Founder Worcester Linux Users' Group Worcester, MA USA http://www.wlug.org
On Fri, Aug 30, 2002 at 12:17:10PM -0400, Clint Moyer wrote:
I vote YES. It's only $50 and WLUG's cash on hand is well into five figures. ;)
If some people feel somewhat bruised by a tangential connection to MS, well that's kind of sad.
Clint
Hey Clint - no fair voting twice ! :) (I got two copies of Clint's post.) My 0.02: Spend the $50. It helps give your organization visibility and a professional cachet. But I don't get a vote since I'm not a member. At least I don't think I'm a member. How do you officially join up ?
I vote no. We received no real benefits from our original 50 dollars spent, they won't list our events on their calendar, and their user group links don't even work through a text browser. That 50 bucks would be much better spent elsewhere (beer and pizza??). ;-) Perhaps people should just address their votes to Andy and not the list? -b
On Fri, 30 Aug 2002 12:17:10 -0400
"Clint Moyer"
On Tue, Sep 03, 2002 at 11:34:17PM -0400, Bill Smith wrote:
wsmith> Another poster (forgot the name... sorry.) suggested that the $50 would
wsmith> be better spent paying for an advert in the paper. i'm inclined to
wsmith> agree (although i might lean towards something like the Globe or
wsmith> something like that, not just a college paper).
wsmith>
wsmith> if the matter is still under discussion, i vote "no".
My vote is also "no". $50 isn't worth a broken "Javascript" link (doesn't work in
lynx or links) on a web site that can't even put our meeting schedule on their
calendar. Why do they have a .com anyway?
I'm sure we can think of much better ways to spend $50. I love the idea of the ad in
the paper, too.
Remember, we can always join at a future date if things change. Right now, though, I
don't think we got anything out of our last year's membership. Maybe we can invite
one of their folk to speak at an upcoming meeting to try to convince us of why we
should re-join.
Worcester isn't Boston. Maybe we should start our own WorcesterUserGroups.org :) We
are, after all, the second largest city in New England... (kidding...)
--
Charles R. Anderson
On Wed, 4 Sep 2002 00:56:35 -0400
"Charles R. Anderson"
I'm not a member, but I DID work at RCN during that MegaMeeting. Boston User Groups was started as a corporate-sponsored way to get US Datacenters into the User Group scene, as it were. Incidentally, US Datacenters is no longer in that building, IIRC. It sounds to me like the $50 could be better spent in a whole host of ways other than membership in a group for groups that don't interact much. Especially if you can't even get them to put events up on their calendar for your group. Of course, I MIGHT be biased by the fact that they took over the building I worked at for a meeting that they didn't clear with (or notify) any of the other companies OR the management in the building. At least the pizza was good. :)
On Sunday 01 September 2002 04:39 pm, George Metz wrote:
Boston User Groups was started as a corporate-sponsored way to get US Datacenters into the User Group scene, as it were.
I recall meeting the people from US Datacenters at a Boston Linux Unix install fest a few years back. They would periodicly attend BLU meetings. I was not impressed with them. It seems that we get all the exposure we need with google. my vote is no. --brad
Andy> From: Andy Stewart
BUG> Subject: An update to all user group leaders...
BUG> Date: Tue, 27 Aug 2002 14:18:34 -0400
BUG> From: Rick Zach
BUG> Our annual user group MegaMeeting-III is near! Wed, Sept-25
BUG> Sheraton Tara in Framingham, MA BUG> Wednesday, September 25 from 6:30 - 9:30 PM BUG> http://www.BostonUserGroups.com/MegaMeeting
BUG> To all user group leaders:
BUG> Boston User Groups is now almost one year old (at least BUG> as a true non-profit corporate entity) and BUG> MegaMeeting-III is just around the corner. Our value BUG> proposition TO you and our expectations OF you as a BUG> user group leader are quite simple:
BUG> Boston User Groups' value proposition TO you: BUG> * Greatly increase your user group's visibility to the public BUG> * Help promote, increase and cross pollinate your user group BUG> membership with other groups BUG> * Assist to provide speakers via BUG web site awareness BUG> * Provide an annual MegaMeeting for face-to-face BUG> networking and exposure
BUG> Boston User Groups expectation OF you as a user group leader BUG> * Greatly increase your User Group's visibility to the public BUG> by promoting BUG and it's other user groups BUG> * Have a link on your home page or other readily visible BUG> location on your web site back to BUG (again to increase BUG> mutual awareness) BUG> * Promote the MegaMeeting to your group to increase our BUG> mutual awareness
BUG> As you can see, even BUG's expectations OF you are BUG> solely to help promote all user groups which certainly BUG> includes you. I would like to leave you with two BUG> thoughts and a "call to action":
BUG> 1) Like your own user group, Boston User Groups is BUG> mostly funded by out-of-pocket personal donations of BUG> it's User Group leadership. In the case of BUG> MegaMeeting-III, we could not locate a free facility of BUG> adequate size and location so certain people fronted BUG> about $3,000 for room rental in the expectation of BUG> re-covering the costs by renewed BUG/UG leader BUG> memberships, door admission and a few corporate BUG> sponsorships. We are VERY non-profit.
BUG> 2) I ask you to please help to aggressively promote the BUG> upcoming MegaMeeting and BUG. In the process, you will BUG> be promoting your own group!
BUG> MegaMeeting-III Chairperson Brad Dinerman will be BUG> following up with a "call to action" email with BUG> specifics on up-front cash costs to you (none) and how BUG> to help promote the MegaMeeting and your own group!
BUG> Please look for Brad's email coming soon.
BUG> And finally:
BUG> Please note a recent article by John C. Dvorak on the death of BUG> User Groups and the few glimmers of light out there. As a BUG> united group of groups, we may be one of those few glimmers. BUG> Please help us to help each other!
BUG> The URL is BUG> http://www.pcmag.com/print_article/0,3048,a=29639,00.asp
BUG> ______________________________________ BUG> Rick Zach, President BUG> Boston User Groups, Inc. BUG> cel: 508-395-8730
HI Everybody, I've enjoyed sitting back for a couple of days, resting my carpal tunnels, and reading the opinions of the WLUG membership. I would like to note that I have expressed WLUG's general displeasure with BUG to the president of BUG, Rick Zach. He told me that the calendar issue would be cleared up if we chose to renew our membership. Clint Moyer is quite correct when he points out that WLUG can afford the $50 if we so choose, but unfortunately we're not at five figures in the bank (unless you count the two figures for cents). :-) Certainly, if we did decide to renew, I would attend any/all BUG meetings, insure that WLUG had a presence at the MegaMeeting, etc. I did this last year after we paid our initial $50 membership fee. I'll sit back a bit longer and wait for any other comments from WLUG members on this topic. I'll probably close the topic by this weekend, unless the discussion is lively at that time. Later, Andy -- Andy Stewart, Founder Worcester Linux Users' Group Worcester, MA USA http://www.wlug.org
On Wed, 4 Sep 2002 21:22:25 -0400
Andy Stewart
participants (10)
-
Andy Stewart
-
Bill Smith
-
brad
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Brian J. Conway
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Charles R. Anderson
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Clint Moyer
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George Metz
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jkinz@rcn.com
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Keith Wright
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Stephen C. Daukas