Why We Have Events

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Submitted by jhodgdon on Fri, 2009-03-20 14:52
Last updated by jhodgdon on Fri, 2009-03-20 15:08

At the March meeting of the Seattle Drupal Users Group, we had a spirited discussion of the reasons we hold events, what we get out of events, and what formats for events fulfill which purposes.

Here's a brief summary -- this is a Wiki page, so feel free to edit.

Types of Events

Here's a list of types of events we have held in the past, or people expressed interest in holding. Note that some events we hold might be combinations of two or more of these types of events.

  • Monthly meeting - introductions, lightning talks, Q and A, planning other events, review of other events, occasionally longer presentations
  • Barnraising - meet as a group to build a site for a non-profit, from start to finish
  • Un-Conference (also known as BarCamp, MiniCamp) - self-organized conference, where people propose sessions/topics on the day of the event, and the expectation is that everyone participates actively
  • Camp - formal conference, with session schedule arranged and published ahead of time
  • Workshop - seminar or participatory session on a particular topic, such as an all-day Introduction to Drupal for Beginners
  • Sprint - Work on core Drupal code, bug fixes, Drupal documentation, or contributed projects (modules, themes, etc.)
  • FOSS Event - outside event with a Free and Open-Source Software focus, such as LinuxFest Northwest, that we participate in

Motivations for Events

Here are reasons people gave for attending events, what they get out of them, etc.

  • Build stronger local Drupal community (strengthen connections to existing members, bring in new members)
  • Build connections to nearby Drupal communities (especially Vancouver, Victoria, Portland)
  • Get beginners up to speed on Drupal
  • Learn things other advanced Drupalers know, get exposed to new ideas
  • Do something good for Drupal (software, documentation)
  • Do something good for the Seattle community, outside of Drupal people

Matrix

Here's a matrix of which types of events do what for which motivations, as well as their costs in planning, space, and money. Note that some events we hold might be combinations of two or more of the "pure" event types listed here. See definitions above for what the row and column headers mean.

Monthly Meeting Barnraising Un-Conference Camp Workshop Sprint FOSS Event
Connections to existing members Yes Yes Yes Yes Depends on topic Yes Somewhat
Bring in new members Not really Yes Probably not Yes Depends on topic Maybe Yes, if done right
Connections to Vancouver, PDX No Not usually Maybe, if two days Yes Depends on topic Maybe Yes
Beginners up to speed Somewhat Yes Maybe Yes Depends on topic Probably not Probably
Learn from others, exposure to ideas Yes Yes Yes Yes Depends on topic Yes Yes
Drupal benefit No No No No No Yes No
Non-Drupal community benefit No Yes No No No No No
Cost: Level of planning needed Low Medium Low High Medium Low Medium
Cost: Amount of space needed Small Medium Med-large Large Medium Medium Not our problem
Cost: Money or in-kind Space usually free Org provides? Possibly food, possibly space, minimal materials, equipment Space, food, minimal materials, equipment Space, equipment Possibly space, possibly food Exhibitor space or sponsorship, possibly
Groups:
Seattle