[svlug] Installfest?

[Rick Moen]

Quoting Chris Miller (lordsauronthegreat at gmail.com):

> John did rationalize

(/me bites his tongue, hard  <ouch>  )

> ...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.



> 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.