[NCLUG] Starting a new LUG advice

[Evelyn Mitchell]

Subject: RE: [NCLUG] advice about starting a LUG like NCLUG

Consistency of place and date is critical. It gives people who don't attend
every meeting a chance to attend once in a while, without them having to
figure out where and when each time. (Thinking is hard.)

Hacking Society has been good for building up the social part, without
removing the peer training/presentations/educational part. And frequency as
well as date and place stability is important for that sort of event. 

The LUG meets monthly, Hacking Society the rest of the weeks on the same
date, but at a different place and time.

Several different announcement methods are important, but a mailing list
people subscribe to is critical. That's the way you push announcements out
to the people who have indicated interest. Some way to encourage new
visitors, like posters, local newspaper announcements, booths at community
events can also be helpful.

IRC has been good for day to day chatter. It's a high time commitment
though.

Try and avoid commercial content presentations, in favor of "look at this
cool thing" presentations.

Publishers such as O'Reilly have good User Group programs, and will send
you free stuff to give away.

This is all in addition to Mike's great recommendations.

Good luck!
Evelyn

-- 
Regards,                    tummy.com, ltd 
Evelyn Mitchell             Linux Consulting since 1995
efm at tummy.com               Senior System and Network Administrators
                            http://www.tummy.com/