[wplug-board] My little speech

[Bill Moran]

Here is a draftish version of what I intend to give as my Chair's report
Saturday morning.  I'm not going to "read this verbatum", but it's a dry
run of what I intend to say.  Feedback is encouraged:

Since the elections last fall there have been a few hiccups and a few false starts.

I have to say, however, that I am very excited to be part of WPLUG right now.  The newsletter committee is coming together.  The program committee has events scheduled several months into the future.  The Internet committee may actually meet.  It's exciting to see things growing.

As Linux and Open Source in general are growing, so is WPLUG.  Since we've started keeping membership roles, our membership has been growing on a monthly basis.

Like most things, this is a double-edged sword.  Our strengths become our weaknesses.

We're a very tight-knit group, that means we occasionally form closed social groups at meetings and don't notice new people: this may make us seem unsocial.

There are a lot of opportunities for us to expand, but they're going to require us, as a group, to act in ways that aren't always intuitive.  Change is always unnerving, often because one is not sure if the change will be good or not.  Personally, I think this group is capable of improving itself without losing the good qualities.

* So pay attention during social periods, and introduce yourself to new people
* Bringing up confrontation viewpoints for discussion is encouraged, but NOT during the public presentation.
* If a speaker says something that piques your interest, talk about it after the talk, not during the talk
* Use the technology: put your cell phone on vibrate!
* If someone behaves in a way unbecoming of WPLUG, gently and politely encourage a change of behavior

-- 
Bill Moran
Potential Technologies
http://www.potentialtech.com