[TriLUG] trilug meetings

[Tom Bryan]

On Saturday 12 January 2002 12:08 am, prhodes at vdsinc.com wrote:

> > it.  Our average day is too full of order, politics, agendas, etc.  The
> > evening is time to wind down and have some fun.
>
> +1

Fun for whom?  *After* you learn some names and faces, it could be fun.  It 
might also be fun if you came with a few friends.  But, it's not really fun 
for a loner who comes to a meeting for the first time.  (S)he knows a lot of 
people from the list, but can't match faces to names.  

> Our meetings might not be perfect, but they aren't particularly bad either.
> I think we have a good mix of seriousness, silliness, geekiness, etc.  I'm
> not in favor of making any sweeping changes, personally.  Yeah, maybe
> we could be a little more serious at times...  but I don't think it's
> anything to go real worked up over.

I'm not concerned about seriousness.  I'm just concerned that the format 
doesn't provide much of a venue for a newcomer to break into that social 
circle.  It might be fun sitting around chatting with friends, but how much 
fun is it to sit around *watching* people who *could* be your friends (but 
currently aren't) chatting?  The only way I can see for someone to introduce 
himself to the current...clique...is to give a presentation.  (I mean clique 
in terms of the set of LUGgers who know each other by face and name.)  The 
community might not be what rpjday would like to see, but whatever the 
community is, it doesn't seem to provide a simple means for people to enter 
that community (except for seeing names on a mailing list).

----Tom