[Lincs] Lincoln LUG: launch of new LUG

[Rebecca Newborough]

On Thu, Aug 25, 2011 at 4:33 PM,  <chris at majicsoft.co.uk> wrote:
> Quoting Rebecca Newborough <bobobex at bobobex.org>:
>
>> On Thu, Aug 25, 2011 at 12:23 PM,  <chris at majicsoft.co.uk> wrote:
>>>
>>> I'm disappointed to hear this. After all the discussion regarding a Lincs
>>> LUG revival, and from the various responses to it, you feel that you have
>>> to
>>> go and start up a brand new Lincoln LUG. Am I reading this right and that
>>> you will now be abandoning the Lincs LUG?
>>>
>>> There's been some very good discussion going on on the (revived) lincs
>>> lug
>>> forum.
>>>
>>> If you haven't already, come along to www.ricey.org.uk/llugforum and get
>>> signed up
>>>
>>> Chris
>>
>> Hi Chris
>>
>> I am sorry that you are disappointed in my action to start a Lincoln
>> LUG but then I cannot please all of the people, all of the time.  When
>> I sent my original mail to the Lincs LUG mailing list, I do remember
>> seeing your input regarding a preference for forums over mailing lists
>> but from the 14 or so other members who replied, the majority
>> indicated that a smaller LUG group was needed with real, regular face
>> to face meetings.  I am in no way recommending that Lincs LUG
>> disbands, and I have no plans to "abandon" Lincs LUG as a member, as
>> you so politely put it above.  I have opened up the invitation to ALL
>> existing Lincs LUG members to join Lincoln LUG.
>>
>> Personally, I find forums are too restrictive as only a few people
>> from the mailing list will ever register to participate on them, and
>> then an even fewer number of those registered members actually bother
>> to post anything.    Forum owners/moderators also sometimes make posts
>> "disappear" - mailing lists don't do that.  Conversations and
>> communications are better kept to a mailing list - that way everybody
>> gets to see them and has an opportunity to contribute, and they act as
>> a log for transparency.
>>
>> If it helps, please try to think of the Lincoln LUG as being
>> complimentary to the existing Lincs LUG, rather than seeing it as a
>> rival.  I see that you have signed up for the Lincoln LUG mailing
>> list; it's great to have you on board and I hope to meet you in person
>> soon.
>>
>> Regards
>>
>> Becky
>
> Hi Becky,
>
> Of the people that responded, how many where in the Lincoln area? I count 12
> responses and only 5 of them in Lincoln. It's too easy to jump in and say
> positive things and get positive responses back, and then infer something
> that wasn't so explicitly said.

You forgot Philip and I, we would make at least 7 people in the
Lincoln area alone, but as I said before, the Lincoln LUG is not only
open to Lincoln residents.  It is open to all who can travel to a
meet.  The only constatnt would be that the meet is in Lincoln, hence
starting a Lincoln LUG.
>
> Why did you make a play to take over the LUG?

I didn't make a play to take over the Lincs LUG; I made a proposal to
relaunch/reset an existing Lincs LUG that to all intents and purposes
appeared to be inactive (based on forum, mailing list and meeting
activity).  I have shown ongoing and continued support to the Lincs
LUG by donating their new web domain for their revamped website.  Iain
Baker has even asked that we create an RSS feed so that we can
cross-link Lincoln LUG activities onto the Lincs LUG website.  This
surely shows my continued commitment to supporting the County wide
Lincs LUG.  At no point did I ever want to do a hostile take-over of
the Lincs LUG, and I am very glad that my email suggestion to
relaunch/reset the Lincs LUG has prompted renewed activity and
interest in it.
>
> I've been mostly silent on this list in the past, partly due to buying a
> house, involvement in several other clubs, and not having the resources to
> invest in it (resources that are becoming available more and more recently).
> I'm all for making a go of a County-wide Linux User Group. After all, that's
> what was started, that's what we wanted to join (I assume) or we wouldn't
> all be here. As a long time lurker in the LincsLUG mailing list, if there's
> some upcoming activities in the LUG, I'll do what I can, to make the LUG
> work.

The county-wide LUG that you speak of still exists and I am sure that
Lincs LUG admins would love to have your support. It's fine being a
mailing list lurker, but sometimes the reason nothing gets organised
is because everyone is waiting for someone else to do the organising.
>
> If there's a Local LUG starting up on tha back of a county wide one, and it
> happens to be in my back yard, I'd also like to know about the technical
> side of things that are discussed there (after all, despite everything else,
> I am still a geek!) hell, I might even make some friends there, so of course
> I signed up to the mailing list. At no point does that indicate any tacit
> support of the new and upcoming Lincoln LUG. If it helps, please try to
> think of my presence on the list as that of a curious observer.

I sincerely hope that you do come along and make new friends (I am not
a monster!) and contribute to the discussion as to how we can take
Lincoln LUG forward.  I was merely thanking you for joining the
Lincoln LUG mailing list; I did not see it as any kind of endorsement
or tacit support.  The endorsement will come if/when you attend a
meeting! :D
>
> While Forums may have their limitations, so do mailing lists. They're not so
> user friendly, forums present their infomation in a more organised manner.

As I said before, forums are not always the best medium and I agree
that mailing lists have their limitations too.  The one constant
though, in any LUG, is the mailing list, so whilst it may not suit
everyone, we have to make the best of what we have.

> Are you not a member of any forums?

Yes, I am the community manager and forum moderator on CrunchBang
Linux forums.  This forum is fairly active with over 5,000 registered
members and approaching 140,000 posts.
>
> Chris

Cheers

Becky