[HLUG] 23.6.2010

[info at lifespacedesign.co.uk]

Notes from HLUG meeting 24.6.2010
@ Point4, Hereford

The meeting mostly talked around the proposal to do something for 

INTERNATIONAL SOFTWARE FRREDOM DAY
Saturday September 18th. this year.

If not you, who ? If not now, when ?

We divided the task into four areas
People
Venue
Activities
Publicity

People. 
We are agreed that if less than 5 are able to commit to being available
between 10 am and 3 pm we should not do an active event but should focus instead
on an unstaffed exhibition.

So everyone, question 1 is who is able to be there for all or part of the time.?
Please indicate the probability of commitment on a scale of 1 ( I expect to be
attending my own funeral) to 5 ( This is the most important thing I've done in
my life). If only available for part of the time don't hold back !

Venue 
depends on if we do an activity or an exhibition ( see above). We are
pursuing contacts with a variety of possible sites in the middle of Hereford
including All Saints which we agreed is an optimum location for an activity day.
If anyone reading this has access to another similar venue, such as an empty
shop or street front office premises please let us know asap!

The fall back position, to do an unstaffed exhibition, allows everyone to
participate in it's creation. It too needs venues; we shared ideas of it moving
around the county through libraries and schools.
For ISWFD we would like it to be in an empty shop in High Town, connections
needed!

Exhibition requirements.
We agreed that a basic set up would be a stand alone island display with content
on 4 faces at a height to be easily read standing.Think in terms of A1 flip
chart size on each face, which could be made up of four A3 modules ( easy size
to print etc).

The same display could then be deployed behind an activity table if we are able
to do that.

Display content; we agreed that it needs to include as a minimum;
Free and OS software philosophy
Cross platform free apps - OO.org, Ffox, Gimp etc
Linux and distros ( the family tree?)
Some how-to on installs eg dual boot, live discs, magazine discs, USB virtual...

This is something which everyone can contribute to, remember mainly that it
needs to be understood by ordinary computer users full of FUD; personal stories
of how you became a user are as valuable as displays about using your favourite
DTP suite.
Obviously if it can be made to look really cool graphically using OS
tools....Pete offered to co-ordinate content.

Branding can be done from the material Jools and Pete did last year.

We agreed to press forward with this with ISWFD as the latest date for
completion. Pete agreed to take on physical creation of the display
island/panels. George offered some ready made and Jools similarly may have
access to some. If anyone in HLUG is able to offer suitable panels on
semi-permanent loan then we can consider having either more than one exhibit or
more different panels. We want this to look as glossy as we can.

Activity
Given enough bods for an activity day, apart from talking to public about FOSS
Pete offered to demonstrate installs ( and give away linux PC's). Participants
may wish to consider bringing their own Linux machines as demonstrators.Jools is
going to contact Cannonical for Ubuntu CD's, but again volunteers welcome to
take on the other big players and try for some install media. Co-ordinate
through Jools so we don't duplicate effort on this! Anyone from corporate Linux
watching this bulletin board....we could also use existing display materials
even if it comes with corporate branding - as long as it's FOSS !( even old
stuff). Apart from Distros there is the Free Open Disc with cross platform apps
( it's a DVD not a CD).
As a last resort we considered ways and means to make our own media; we can if
we have to.

Publicity
We agreed that this is mission critical; without it there's no point !
Jools will Register HLUG on the ISWFD website and contact local radio stations
and Community first.
Pete ditto Transition and Green Groups, Print media.Cultivate other media
contacts.
Sarah will look into schools and AWM
Graham offered to reach out to H.Comp.Club and try the H Council web space.

Start thinking about suitable sites for posters for mid August onwards.

Do we have anyone in this group with experience of using web based social
networking to create interest in events ? Or willing to learn how to do it?
(This would also possibly be the most effective for the target demographics?)

Sorry if I've missed anything, fell free to make additions.
Pete H@