Oct 26 19:01:04 Welcome, WPLUG members, to the "meet the candidates" forum for the 2011 Board of Directors election. Oct 26 19:01:18 Note that this discussion is being logged and a transcript will be publicly posted on the WPLUG wiki. Oct 26 19:01:32 I, happylemur, am Vance Kochenderfer, current Secretary of WPLUG and your facilitator for this evening's event. Oct 26 19:01:47 The format will be an open question-and-answer forum. You may direct your question toward a specific candidate or to all of them. Oct 26 19:02:01 As background, see for statements from the candidates. Oct 26 19:02:33 By my count, we have four of the six candidates here to participate: Oct 26 19:02:44 patbarron is Patrick Barron Oct 26 19:02:52 wplug_terryg is Terry Golightly Oct 26 19:02:59 jprostko is Joseph Prostko Oct 26 19:03:05 one_ttl is Jacob Skiba Oct 26 19:03:13 Are there any other candidates here who I have missed? Oct 26 19:04:26 hello Oct 26 19:04:33 Sorry for being tardy - present now. Oct 26 19:05:36 OK then, I will kick things off with the first question: Oct 26 19:05:44 To all candidates, what do you see as the top priorities for WPLUG in the coming year? Oct 26 19:06:32 I'll take that one happylemur. Oct 26 19:07:43 I see the next year wplug actively courting new members from our mailing list lurkers and via our meetings and install/tweak fests Oct 26 19:08:55 i have a question, new here. what is wplug all about? Oct 26 19:08:58 For me, I think my top priority would be to revisit the long-term plan and document our choices for where we're going as an organization. That, and increasing the membership rolls (and giving people real reasons why they'd want to be a dues paying member). I agree with Terry that we should try to entice the lurkers to become fully-fledged members. Oct 26 19:08:59 I would ask the board to consider setting up some type of online registration Oct 26 19:09:38 My answer: I think the top priorities are getting more members and improving outreach in general. To get more members we need to find ways to entice them into the things we're doing, and make sure they stay members year after year. We should have some general/informal meetings in a more social atmosphere that people will enjoy as a way to get to know other Linux users. Oct 26 19:09:59 Terry - online registraton, yes! I think one of the biggest "barriers to entry" for folks is having to fill out a physical form and get it to us with a check or cash. Oct 26 19:10:06 soviet-: this may help Oct 26 19:10:41 I agree, Pat and Terry. We just worked on online registration for a club I'm with, and the reception has been good thus far. Oct 26 19:11:11 I'd also like to see us revisit the onlne member portal, though I believe the current board had some concerns about that. Not a "high priority", but sure would be nice. Oct 26 19:11:13 If we can show a growing membership list, then maybe we can solicit donations from corp. partners Oct 26 19:12:01 Terry, I was thinking the same thing, even if initially we just partner with local businesses to have mutually beneficial activities. Oct 26 19:12:12 interesting thanks happylemur Oct 26 19:12:27 I've only been to several meetings but would like to see more people at the general meetings. Possibly with more outreach or new topics. I think portions of the site/wiki could possibly be updated, so if a new member reviews the site they don't asume any dated content is the "latest" content. Oct 26 19:13:14 To get corporate partners to donate, we probably have to go down the 501(c)3 path, which I know is something else that's been considered before. Oct 26 19:13:24 Well, one_ttl I recently spoke at COWMUG meeting on Freesoftware. Oct 26 19:13:41 Yes, online registration was considered by the current board but we decided not to pursue it (mainly for security reasons, as I recall). The new board could of course reconsider the idea. Oct 26 19:14:52 This may sound like a stupid quesion (coming from someone who's a candidate and all...), but what is WPLUG's current legal status? Still an unincorporated association? Oct 26 19:15:07 501c3 takes about a year to get, although yes, I think it could be a good thing to pursue if we can have somebody take that on pro bono. Oct 26 19:15:17 I believe that is correct. happylemur? Oct 26 19:15:38 Yes, we have a bank account and an Employer ID Number from the IRS, but we are not incorporated. Nor do we have any nonprofit recognition from the IRS. Oct 26 19:16:15 Now the hard part. What does it take to manage a 501c3? What changes? Oct 26 19:16:37 Need to build membership base first. Oct 26 19:17:17 We're pursuing that now for another club I'm with, as we're a state nonprofit now. We found someone in the membership to take care of it for us free of charge for his services. Oct 26 19:17:18 Current membership count is 23. Oct 26 19:17:19 That's a good question... I assume we'd have to find a (hopefully pro bono) attorney to help us manage our affairs in a 501(c)3 form. But yeah, one thing at a time. Oct 26 19:17:21 Maybe the next board could take it to the membership first and then the mailing list. Ask them what they would like Oct 26 19:18:01 (Corporations tend to be resistant to donating money unless they can write it off...) Oct 26 19:18:28 and to a 501c3 they can write it off correct? Oct 26 19:18:48 Right - that's the "magic bullet" that lets them write it off as a charitable donation. Oct 26 19:18:55 What would we do with donations? Oct 26 19:19:12 Get a better location for meetings as a donation? Oct 26 19:19:31 WSCC isn't bad but well.. Oct 26 19:19:45 Donations come in handy for any events we would have in addition to general meetings, as well as supplies of any sort we would need. Oct 26 19:20:06 First thought would be technical infrastructure improvements. Or even as cash to pay for a more desirable location (unless we could find a better location inexpensively or free). Oct 26 19:20:07 Yes Oct 26 19:20:25 for Instance Snapgh meets over in the N. Side. Oct 26 19:20:36 I'm just curious, if there was something that would help wplug thrive, what would it be if you had no limitation? Oct 26 19:20:49 My beekeeping club is holding a banquet next month that is costing us about 1200 dollars. It is free for members to attend, but the money we're spending is mostly from membership dues and donations. Oct 26 19:20:50 I think there meeting space is donated. Oct 26 19:20:51 I'm a big fan of actually paying for the meeting location if possible, I think it's less likely that the "host" could pull the rug out from under you without notice . Oct 26 19:21:16 That is one angle. We need to build relationships. Oct 26 19:21:35 Yep, building relationships in the area is something quite important. Oct 26 19:22:01 the meeting space for snapgh is donated for the time being by a member Oct 26 19:22:17 Good question, one_ttl. Anyone want to take it on? Oct 26 19:22:43 exactly sort of like a certain building on the CMU campus. Oct 26 19:22:45 What would help WPLUG thrive? Definitely more members, and more reason for them to be (and remain) involved. Sometimes I almost feel like WPLUG is dying from attrition, little by little, as people leave the area or move on to other thngs. Oct 26 19:24:01 patbarron, we are 24? strong right now. Ask our current membership what they would like. Oct 26 19:24:20 how does one become a member Oct 26 19:24:22 See if we can come up with something Oct 26 19:24:43 ah happylemur you have th elink handy? Oct 26 19:24:43 I think there needs to be some benefits that come with membership, whether that is getting to attend special meetings, or discounts on swag, or some other kind of perks. Oct 26 19:24:44 jprostko: You said the word! It was "count". I had learned that word from happylemur on Wed Oct 26 19:17:18 2011. That was fun. I'll pick a new word in a few minutes. Oct 26 19:25:14 soviet-: Oct 26 19:25:34 ie maybe a special tour like we had back in Feb? Oct 26 19:25:41 thank you Oct 26 19:25:56 I believe that was the red hat bldg at CMU? Oct 26 19:26:14 We could also (as already suggest) try polling those who aren't members, but who participate. Try to find out why they're not members, and what we could do to change that. Maybe I'm aiming a bit high, but for a mature organization like ours, I'd be hoping for membership numbers closer to three digits. Oct 26 19:26:21 how was the participation for the tour? Oct 26 19:26:40 (Sadly, I didn't get to do the tour, even though I really, really wanted to ... was stuck at work...) Oct 26 19:26:44 Terry, right. That was a pretty neat visit. Oct 26 19:26:47 I was in class that night. happylemur you know? Oct 26 19:27:29 Terry: The attendance was pretty good. I can't really visualize the total count in my head though. More than our average meeting though it seemed. Oct 26 19:27:49 Pat: A membership (and non-membership) survey could be a good idea indeed. Oct 26 19:28:22 Is this what you mean, wplug_terryg? We had both members and non-members present, as I recall, around 20 people. Oct 26 19:28:40 Not bad. Oct 26 19:30:19 Here's another question, following on an item that's been touched on. Oct 26 19:31:07 Right now, the only benefit members get over nonmembers is the ability to vote on club business. Should we do more to differentiate members, and what can we offer? Oct 26 19:32:11 Here's one right off the top of my head, that I'd actually been meaning to ask about before - O'Reilly offers a discount program for user groups that register with them. Far as I know, it's free, would be an easy benefit to provide for members. Oct 26 19:32:41 Yes that is a good question. patbarron, yes that is good. Oct 26 19:33:36 But that's kind of where I was going in my candidate statement - if the only benefit of membership is the ability to vote and run for the Board, why join if you don't care to do either of those things? Oct 26 19:33:46 patbarron: I think they also sometimes donate books that could be raffled or given away at meetings. That probably wouldn't play into the member/non-member may give a little more incentive to come to the meetings. Oct 26 19:34:14 I am feeling the silence at the keyboard right now. And I understand. Oct 26 19:34:38 one_ttl: Yes. I'm also a member of PACC (which participates in the program), and I've gotten a couple of books from raffles that we got that way. Oct 26 19:34:49 Yeah, as I mentioned previously, I think there needs to be exclusive benefits or discounts, whether that is at special events or merchandise and the like. Oct 26 19:34:52 I like the raffle idea. Oct 26 19:35:01 Raffles, tech parts swaps Oct 26 19:35:41 Maybe when one becomes a member they can get some sort of "swag bag" like is given out at Linux conferences and the like. I realize that wouldn't be cheap though necessarily. Oct 26 19:36:20 It would also be nice to boot up the newsletter again (in the view of it being a member benefit). I know it's hard to get members to contribute content sometimes, sometimes folks don't think they have anything worth sharing. But we could also network with other user groups and share content. Oct 26 19:36:41 possibly just the simple act of giving a statement at the beginning of each meeting, outlining just the current members and how the membership funds are helping (with the current meeting) Oct 26 19:37:15 At our SFD event, when Jim Harris got the Big Buck Bunny video to play, kids were just enamored of it. Parents were forced to stand there. Oct 26 19:37:17 if the content is good and people are engaged I think they would pay the membership fee to support the cause, not so much for what the membership gives them. Oct 26 19:37:55 One thing that might be low-hanging fruit - members should at least get some kind of membership credential when they join. Even if some (external) party wanted to offer special arrangements to WPLUG members, we have no real way to identify ourselves. Oct 26 19:38:00 question: What does everybody think of the membership fee itself? Too high, too low, just right? Should we consider something like a family membership? Oct 26 19:38:32 Pat: That sounds like a great idea. Membership cards or the like are always cool to have. Oct 26 19:38:40 I think the $20/year fee for an individual is fine, maybe even a tad low. I know PACC's membership fee is $25/year. Oct 26 19:39:00 With this change will come infrastructure requirements aka databases software. Oct 26 19:39:50 Terry: Yup, I agree. I manage membership at my beekeeping club, and it's sort of a pain since everything is scattered between spreadsheets and databases I'm making currently. Oct 26 19:40:11 Right now we are small. First and foremost to grow membership joining must be made easier Oct 26 19:40:18 Right. I don't know quite how the membership is tracked right now, but it'd be too unwieldy to manage manually. Oct 26 19:41:02 (At least, I hope someday soon, we'll have enough members that it's too unwieldy to manage manually... :) ) Oct 26 19:41:08 happylemur how do we currently track membership? Oct 26 19:41:45 There is a spreadsheet. Also, the wplug-members mailing list is managed through Mailman. Oct 26 19:42:03 Ok thanks Oct 26 19:42:53 How could we offer corp. memberships? Oct 26 19:43:25 We'd have to change the Bylaws to begin. Right now only natural persons are eligible for membership. Oct 26 19:43:47 (Again, the membership would have to decide if this is a direction we should pursue....) Oct 26 19:43:48 Oh , Oh that is right a natural person :> Oct 26 19:44:17 They can still give us money, even if they can't join. :) Oct 26 19:44:36 But as noted, it's not tax-deductable. Oct 26 19:44:37 ;> Yesh Oct 26 19:44:41 happylemur: do you know the disparity between members and non-members, by chance? My beekeeping club has about 4x more nonmembers than members on our general mailing list. Oct 26 19:45:07 Let me take a look. Oct 26 19:46:38 In any case, for any club, you'd prefer most of the people involved would become members, and if they aren't, you have to find out what will entice them to become and stay members. Oct 26 19:46:45 There are 23 WPLUG members. The wplug-announce list has 98 subscribers. The wplug mailing list has 370 members. Oct 26 19:47:12 What do other groups around the area do? Oct 26 19:47:19 No idea how much overlap there is between lists. Also, some subscribers may not be active (bouncing). Oct 26 19:47:42 Yeah, we need to get more of the 370 to join, that's for sure. And yes, I can see there would definitely be overlap. Oct 26 19:47:57 COWMUG : the president does overhead presentations of Web sites of interest to Mac users Oct 26 19:48:15 Yep - there's lots of interest and participation, but really no compeling reason to join. That's definitely where my head was at for quite a while. Oct 26 19:49:06 Pat: I'm the type of person to support a cause I believe in regardless, but yes, people definitely have more reason to join if they feel a direct benefit. Oct 26 19:51:00 How about offering Intro to computing classes to new users? Like what CCAC might do. Oct 26 19:51:25 I think one way to attract members (other than members) is to just find more ways to get people to know about us. Perhaps if we could get media coverage of some event we come up with that benefits a neighborhood or the like, that could be cool. That needs some thinking through though. Oct 26 19:51:57 Yes for next SFD I have some ideas Oct 26 19:52:15 Terry: Yeah, I think it would be nice to offer some beginner classes of sorts. That said, it helps it some of the membership could help with this, perhaps for us having some other subcommittees. Oct 26 19:52:39 If we could get an appropriate facility (with enough workstations with computers), and had folks who felt they'd be good as instructors, that'd be a fine way to draw people in, show them a little of what we're about. Oct 26 19:52:40 Volunteers Oct 26 19:53:03 I have ideas for the next installfest in December Oct 26 19:53:18 OK, I think this segues into my last question. WPLUG relies on volunteers to do its work (already mentioned has been the newsletter, wiki, and some PR activities) and sometimes has difficulty recruiting them. What can we do to encourage more people to step up and take on tasks? Oct 26 19:53:19 happylemur: You said the word! It was "Volunteers". I had learned that word from wplug_terryg on Wed Oct 26 19:52:40 2011. That was fun. I'll pick a new word in a few minutes. Oct 26 19:53:22 Terry, good to hear. I'm interested in what you have in mind. Oct 26 19:53:30 Have we ever, say, sent out a press release for any of our prior events? That might be a good thing to do. Oct 26 19:54:27 First direct advertising in North Hills for North HIlls. Oct 26 19:54:36 I hate to keep harping on the same note ... but there just needs to be more of us. Though for volunteers, they don't even actually need to be members... Oct 26 19:54:50 Yes I agree Oct 26 19:55:06 Getting volunteers is hard sometimes. I've found you have to make specific things for people to get involved with, and those who like that area will jump on it. I've found if you say, "we need volunteers" (being general), that doesn't really help recruit anybody. Oct 26 19:55:12 Flyers in Libraries and Muni bldgs Oct 26 19:56:05 For the next SFD, wouldn't it be great to see if KDKA (or whoever...) would be willing to show up and do a 60 second or so "local interest" segment on WPLUG and our participation there? Oct 26 19:56:25 Yes, but I think our Installfests also need to be soft sell membership/volunteer recruitment workshops. Oct 26 19:56:42 Pat: Exactly, that was kind of what I was trying to say. Getting any positive media attention would be great. Oct 26 19:57:07 Yes and the newspaper. I know a photographer there. Oct 26 19:58:09 It costs little to do a press release and send it anywhere you can think of. If they don't cover or write/broadcast about your event, oh well, it was worth a shot. If they do ... it's a win. Oct 26 19:58:25 We have to show them that Linux (if they have heard of it) is not only for experts it can be a beautiful general user OS Oct 26 19:58:54 For instance the North Hills Dispatch Oct 26 19:59:42 also, our name is WPLUG, so sometimes we have to realize our coverage is more than just the Pittsburgh area. Oct 26 20:00:30 In other words, we can do things outside of Allegheny county as well, even if the greatest concentration of people is there, obviously. Oct 26 20:00:40 Yes we have no contacts in the westend Oct 26 20:01:00 OK, feel free to continue the conversation, but I'm going to stop logging in three minutes. So if there's anything else you want to get into the transcript, speak now. Oct 26 20:01:48 Any other questions from anybody else in the chatroom? Oct 26 20:01:49 Something else that has been discussed before, doing some kind of regional Linux event annually that might pull people in from outside the area could be a nice boost. I mean, not nearly as big as Ohio Linuxfest (right now...), but as a local user group, it'd be great to organize some kind of formal full-day or full-weekend gathering. Oct 26 20:01:51 Ok the problem with outside the county connections who do we know? Oct 26 20:02:08 Would it be possible to have a sign in sheet at the meetings with a place for name/email. To keep in touch with people that may just be at one meeting. Oct 26 20:02:53 Terry: I admit that's kind of a problem. I only really thought of it since I live in Butler county and all. That said, there's probably not many Linux users out here. :) Oct 26 20:03:20 You might be surprised... :) I work with lots of folks who use Linux and live in Butler... Oct 26 20:03:35 Now I recently did a little monitoring of our brethern in Eastern Pa. Ubuntu Loco Oct 26 20:03:53 or chat with people that live in Butler county :) Oct 26 20:03:59 In Phillie they had a ubuntu release party Oct 26 20:04:38 I believe someone around here organized one too (at Fox and Hound in the North Hills, I think?), not sure how well attended it was. Oct 26 20:04:46 Thanks to everyone for participating. It takes active involvement to keep WPLUG going, and yours is greatly appreciated. Oct 26 20:04:51 jprostko, patbarron we don't really know do we? Oct 26 20:04:51 If you have any questions regarding the election process, you may contact me at .