[svlug] Installfest?

[Chris Miller]

Rick Moen wrote:
> Quoting Chris Miller (lordsauronthegreat at gmail.com):
>
>   
>> John did rationalize
>>     
>
> (/me bites his tongue, hard  <ouch>  )
>
>   
Why did I not see that coming?
>> ...his short notice, citing that if he didn't do it sooner, it would
>> happen later.  And that if it happened later, it probably would not
>> happen, since he feared that he would forget - something I find
>> perfectly understandable.
>>     
>
> Some of the rest of us do it like this:
>
> 1.  Find a suitable venue with facilities needed.  Confirm its availability.
> 2.  No, really.  Make damned sure.  Not "Oh, I thought it was available,
>     but I didn't know this would be karaoke night" or like that.
> 3.  That availability should be for a day no less than a couple of weeks 
>     away, so you can get the word out and deal with any problems.
> 4.  Be there.  Early.  Make sure there's something whereby the event
>     can be positively found and identified by newcomers.
> 5.  Don't promise what you aren't prepared to deliver (e.g., a schedule
>     of talks, Internet access, live video streaming, Linux installation
>     media, 
> 6.  If bad luck strikes despite your _advance positive confirmation_ of
>     the venue, and the event has to be moved, be prepared to either
>     stand there yourself to notify any latecomers, or post a sign 
>     _with the venue's permission_, or get someone else to stand there,
>     _or_ provide an alternate means of contact (e.g., cellular 'phone).
>     (Unauthorised signs posted on the UC Berkeley campus naturally 
>     have a half-life approaching those of the high-numbered transuranic
>     elements.)
>
> John Regan already knows pretty much _all_ of that, because all of it
> except the "couple of weeks" bit is part of Bay Area Debian's official
> meeting rules that John keeps citing and yet at the same time trying to
> deliberately short-change on BAD's mailing list.
>
>   
Some people like to do it differently I suppose.  It was an interesting 
get together and the conversation was interesting while I was there.  
While it really would be fantastic if the whole world worked perfectly 
and everything just clicked along without problems, I can't help but 
think that kind of a world would get really boring really fast.  What is 
life without a little entropy?
>> He also noted that he wanted to start a LUG up in Berkeley because it
>> was a long drive down to SVLUG, etc, nearly a 1 hour drive.
>>     
>
> And I _hope_ he hasn't just set back that aspiration by this screw-up.
> Because that's what tends to happen when some unknown amount of people
> make a major effort to rendezvous at the announced place, and find
> nobody there and no clue about what happened.  They're going to be
> lastingly reluctant to believe the _next_ such announcement -- not just
> those from the person who screwed up, but also from anyone else.
>
> We know that at least two people had that happen to them.  Since John
> publicised the alleged event on a large number of mailing lists, there
> may be some substantial number more.
>
>   
Ah, you would have enjoyed his concept of writing a Python script to 
publicize events to every LUG in the world by automatically registering 
on each mailing list, sending the message, and then unsubscribing from 
each mailing list.  Needless to say there were those present who were 
not fond of that idea (myself being one of them) but all things aside, 
it would be a cool Python script.

-- 
Registered Linux Addict #431495
http://profile.xfire.com/mrstalinman | John 3:16!
http://www.fsdev.net/ | http://lordsauron.wordpress.com/


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