[wplug] NOTICE: Member Organizational Meeting

[David Tessitor]

While WPLUG's GUM (General User Meeting) WILL be held in its
usual location (RM 8220 Wean Hall, CMU) from 10a - 2p
tomorrow, Saturday, January 6th, 2001, the Member Organization
Meeting, which usually follows the GUM at 2pm is canceled and
will NOT be held for January because of the unresolved
arrangements for allowing the entry of attendees.

Better arrangements should be resolved by the time of the
February meeting, at which time we will continue the
organizational effort.  In the meantime, I am getting closer
to placing the results of the first meetings on line for all
to review and participate in the process.  -- DT

=============================

SOME  COMMENTS  for those who care about WPLUG:

A number of LUG's around the continent are quite dynamic and
demonstrate the potential which organized groups provide.
Vancouver, BC offers classes in addition to having meetings.
Many LUG's bring in big name speakers for special
presentations.  Kentucky operates an FTP site with member
priority (restricted to only 6 non-members at a time).
There's much more being done and there's even more which
hasn't been done yet, for some group to do first.

None of this is possible without good organization and people
being designated responsibilities which they fulfill.  These
things do not occur by people simply mulling around and acting
only upon the whim of the moment.  Such structurelessness may
be carefree, but as the saying goes, "You only get what you
pay for."  Yes, that applies to Linux, too.  Even if you spend
no money, you end up spending plenty of time and effort --
usually the more you spend, the better, more functional, and
more powerful is the setup you get in return.  This is true,
whether it's with one's installation or with one's LUG.

WPLUG has typically had a more laid back attitude than most
groups.  Its early membership was originally populated in
large part by techies and students who work daily with
computers.  WPLUG offered them the possibility to kick back,
simply enjoy, and have fun with Linux, a stark and welcome
contrast to the mandatory hassles of their employment and
course demands.  So it has been that as long as somebody has
arranged for a place to meet and someone maintains the list,
all anybody has had to do is show up, read, or do whatever
else one wants, whenever one wants.

Of course, there is nothing wrong with this, however, having
the opportunity available for everyone to enjoy depends upon
that somebody and someone who happen to do the work.  Usually,
under such a loose setup either the arrangements are hit and
miss or the individual(s) end(s) up feeling burdened and put
upon.  WPLUG has seen a bit of both during the latter half of
its brief history.

Now, Linux itself has shifted from being the endeavor of a
techie cult.  It has entered the mainstream and is starting to
make its way onto non-techie desktops.  So, too, the
complexion of WPLUG has been transforming.

While many "members" are perfectly content with everything
remaining just as it has been, the group's openness has
attracted people whose perspective of Linux isn't steeped in
their day to day professional lives.  Some of these people
would like WPLUG to offer more than it currently does, and
they have expressed a willingness to put in the necessary
effort to make it happen.  Unfortunately, while comfortable to
some, WPLUG's structurelessness renders impossible these
ambitions.  Furthermore, whether overt or covert, an
insistence upon continuing the present arrangements (with, at
most, superficial adjustments) effectively forbids any efforts
to try to do more.

As one member said,  "It's OK if people don't want to do
anything, but those who don't shouldn't prohibit everyone else
from doing anything."  Yet, in effect, in many cases that is
what the present situation does for nearly all but a small
inner circle of the LUG.  It's not that anyone is malicious or
power-mongering --- but being active and entertained with a
project of the moment can, unfortunately, leave one
inattentive to other's concerns --- it's just the way things
have come together.

What is missing is effective organization and that begins with
structure.  Organizational structure is the skeleton of any
organization.  It doesn't matter how much muscle, energy,
talent, and desire there may be to do anything, without a
skeleton upon which to function, an organism is reduced to
being, at best, a pulsating blob on the floor. -- In the
biological sphere, slugs, slimemold, protoplasms, jellyfish,
and worms represent about the highest level of life forms
which one can find without solid structures.  In an
organizational context, unstructured counterparts range from
the occasional, spontaneous mob action down to simple
get-togethers which may or may not be somewhat regularized.

The question now before WPLUG is one of simply continuing to
have regularized get-togethers, or of doing more.  The answer
comes down to whether WPLUG can devise a structure that
continues to offer a carefree environment for those who want
only that, while at the same time providing a framework with
positions, responsibilities and volunteer duties which enable
more to be done.  That effort is what the past months' Member
Organizational Meetings have been all about, and they've laid
the foundation for an ongoing process to develop a viable
proposal within the next few months.

Fortunately, despite some heavy foot dragging and initial
distrust, there has been positive movement, along with good
suggestions and comments from WPLUG members.  While this
serves as much welcomed encouragement, there is much that
remains to be done and its outcome is by no means certain.
One major determinant will be the level of energy,
involvement, and commitment among new and previously inactive
members.  Another will be whether key players behind WPLUG's
past and present will wholeheartedly assist the process.

While the future is somewhat tenuous, what is clear is that
there are two possibilities.  If the present effort is
successful, we stand to unleash WPLUG's tremendous unrealized
potential.  If not, it will be time to accept there are
irreconcilable differences, arrange an amicable separation,
and set up two alternative groups.

As we begin the new year-century-millennium, I look forward to
working with you as a fellow WPLUG member to realize our best
potential.  I hope to see you at February's 2pm Member
Organizational Meeting.

Thank you.

David Tessitor