Brian,
Thanks for your succinct inside view.
Please see my inline comments below.
On Tue, May 7, 2013 at 9:18 AM, Brian Cluff <
brian@snaptek.com> wrote:
> On 05/07/2013 06:59 AM, Lisa Kachold wrote:
>
>> 1) No delegation from the top.
>> 2) The top = a "One Man Show"; rather than an organized decision group
>> made up of assigned officers with a clear responsibility, delegation
>> powers, access and term. This limitation in a process analysis equates
>> to "spoke wheel management"; wherein the bandwidth bottleneck of the
>> single management entity limits the ability for the group at every
>> level. So, as far as I am concerned, until this factor changes, the PLUG
>> will always have huge limitations and no bandwidth to do more; people
>> wanting more will be alienated or frustrated, etc.
>>
>
> You keep saying stuff like this, but all it shows is that you have no clue
> what you are talking about. Plug is NOT a one man show. There is a
> steering committee and most steering meetings are open for anyone to attend
> and participate in and doing so is highly encouraged. We have one guy,
> Hans, that tends to be the face of PLUG but what is he sayign to PLUG has
> usually been talked about in the Steering Committee meetings. He is
> however extremely bandwidth limited these days with his family and work and
> has been backing away from many things plug lately. It's not too uncommon
> to see someone else MCing the meetings these days.
>
> A "steering committee" is clearly not a group of officers, with a mission,
term, and empowered to meet various roles in the community, therefore, the
loose, possibly anarchic PLUG control and growth never evolve. Did the
PLUG ever obtain non-profit status riding under another 501-3C? Why not?
Where was that delegated, how are programs developed; funding requested
from LPI Institute, or interns and mentors sent along to Google Summer of
Code. Clearly all this is doable, but will never happen from a "Steering
Committee". Can you tell me who are the members of the Steering Committee,
and what they do or just who decides who is on that Committee (again Hans,
right)?
I am not just complaining, I am comparing from an educated experienced
viewpoint, for the purposes of PLUG Change and GROWTH!
For instance, compare the structure of the Portland Linux User Group:
http://www.pdxlinux.org/ hosted at Spiretech.com where I worked for 8 years
as Senior Linux Systems Administrator in late 1990s. Their Advanced Topics
meet at FreeGeek where I taught in 2004. FreeGeek itself exists as a great
example of how a community non-profit can be run to grow and remain viable.
See very old Documentation on How To Maintain a LUG:
http://www.linuxdoc.org/HOWTO/User-Group-HOWTO-6.html#ss6.3
Excerpt:
- Make the barriers to LUG membership as low as possible.
- Make the LUG's Web site a priority: Keep all information current, make
it easy to find details about meetings (who, what, and where), and make
contact information and feedback mechanisms prominent.
- Install distributions for anyone who wants it.
- Post flyers, messages, or handbills wherever computer users are in
your area.
- Secure dedicated leadership.
- Follow Linus Torvalds's *benevolent dictator* model of leadership.
- Take the big decisions to the members for a vote.
- Start a mailing list devoted to technical support and ask the "gurus"
to participate on it.
- Schedule a mixture of advanced and basic, formal and informal,
presentations.
- Support the software development efforts of your members.
- Find way to raise money without dues: for instance, selling GNU/Linux
merchandise to your members and to others.
- Consider securing formal legal standing for the group, such as
incorporation or tax-exempt status.
- Find out if your meeting place is restricting growth of the LUG.
- Meet in conjunction with swap meets, computer shows, or other
community events where computer users -- i.e., potential GNU/Linux users --
are likely to gather.
- Elect formal leadership for the LUG as soon as practical: Some helpful
officers might include President, Treasurer, Secretary, Meeting Host
(general announcements, speaker introductions, opening and closing remarks,
etc.), Publicity Coordinator (handles Usenet and e-mail postings, local
publicity), and Program Coordinator (organises and schedules speakers at
LUG meetings).
- Provide ways for members and others to give feedback about the
direction, goals, and strategies of the LUG.
- Support GNU/Linux and free software / open source development efforts
by donating Web space, a mailing list, or an ftp site.
- Establish an ftp/Web site for relevant software.
- Archive everything the LUG does for the Web site.
- Solicit "door prizes" from GNU/Linux vendors, VARs, etc. to give away
at meetings.
- Give credit where due.
- Submit your LUG's information to all the LUG lists.
- Publicise your meetings on appropriate Usenet groups and in local
computer publications and newspapers.
- Compose promotional materials, like PostScript files, for instance,
members can use to help publicise the LUG at workplaces, bookstores,
computer stores, etc.
- Make sure you know what LUG members want the LUG to do.
- Release press releases to local media outlets about any unusual LUG
events like an Installation Fest, Net Day, etc.
- Use LUG resources and members to help local non-profit organisations
and schools with their Information Technology needs.
- Advocate the use of our OS enthusiastically but responsibly.
- Play to LUG members' strengths.
- Maintain good relations with vendors, VARs, developers, etc.
- Identify and contact consultants in your area.
- Network with the leaders of other LUGs in your area, state, region, or
country to share experiences, tricks, and resources.
- Keep LUG members advised on the state of software -- new kernels,
bugs, fixes, patches, security advisories -- and the state of the GNU/Linux
world at large -- new ports, trademark and licensing issues, where Torvalds
is living and working, etc.
- Notify the Linux Documentation Project -- and other pertinent sources
of GNU/Linux information -- about the documentation the LUG produces:
technical presentations, tutorials, local HOWTOs, etc.
HOW MANY ARE WE ACTUALLY SUCCESSFUL WITH? WHY?
>
> 3) Poor control of and development of the PLUG Website; content
>> submissions are too limited for each group, so value is lost every week.
>>
>
> You're the only one saying this. Most people are saying quite the
> opposite. Just about everything that is submitted makes it to the
> website... the problem is that there aren't a lot of things being submitted
> since we usually have trouble getting a presenter until just before the
> meeting starts.
> What changed on the website is that we changed from a place where we
> allowed just about anyone to do whatever they wanted to the website
> whenever that felt like it, which was causing more problems than it was
> solving, so we switched to system were we have a small number of people
> that have direct access to the website so that it can remain a quality
> resource.
>
I agree that we have a limited number of people involved with any type of
the vision and competency that Hans or you have. Your contributions have
been great.
I believe that the limitations in the PLUG are inherently due to the
limited structure, the professionals in Arizona, who tend to be
conservative, doing only what serves them. The PLUG at it's current
organization is limited and that limitation of structure and vision limits
our professional and greater open source community involvement.
My intention was not to BLAME anyone, but to show the wider systemic view
related to differences and best use of social networking, including
automated tools, which my critique has taken the focus from.
> Can you imagine what the kernel would be like if they gave commit access
> to everyone who felt like they wanted to contribute to it?
I can script or crontab a backup for the website that would allow more than
one or two people to maintain (read control) it. I can configure a CMS
that will allow submissions from community to be REVIEWED before release.
If this was not included in the new web build (also controlled by 2 people
- You and Hans) I would have to say why not?
The kernel development commit access allows for trivial roll forward and
back and the project is run with more than 2 people so the BANDWIDTH excuse
is rarely heard.
Modules exist to automaticly cross post to all of FaceBank, LinkedIn,
Twitter, and GoogleGroups or Google+ that could be best integrated with the
PLUG site.
>
>
> Brian Cluff
As always, it's a great pleasure to
>
>
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