Pardon me, I have written this post upside down. And I am not going to change that. Key points are made at the end, high level points that can be implemented now, in the rest of this year, within our groups and subgroups. I'm not just talking meetups, or GDO. I'm thinking wholistic. And need feedback, from those members who wish to be more active volunteers.
Disclaimer: For those of you not familiar with "political" articles, well, here is one. Lots of rhetoric, and little backing up with factual substance, nothing proven, no direct solutions proposed. Jumping from point to point, never focusing. You've been warned. :}
I have developed two CD ROM games in the early 90s. I attended one conference in San Jose, just before they sold the conference to an international firm, then run by a group of individuals, similar to SCALE's early years run by www.SVLUG.org members, and now in its 25th year with 18,000 attendees and 400 seminars. http://www.gdconf.com/
Drupal is 6 years old. California is prime, high tech, clean, software development industry, and LA is busting to the seams with new Drupal meetups. I see the demand.
Will LA be up to creating an event similar to Games Developer Conference? Not next year, but soon? Or later? Or not at all?
What infrastructure needs to be created?
The monhtly Games Developer Magazine is cool. Out of it came their conference.
GDO seems to prevent the need for a monthly Drupal Magazine.
I'm thinking aggregating posts from previous months, or years, into a monthly newsletter would be a start. Or just have LA members write articles from scratch, and post them to a dedicated web site to just articles. Sure, each member can do this individually on their site.
I'm thinking LADrupal.org needs a purpose. While "Drupal Magazine" is a cool title, "LA Drupal Magazine" is red hot! >:^)>
The GDConf founders created the conference, the first year, in a living room. LA Drupal is way beyond that now. IMHO, DCLA can grow. This growth idea has met with little resistance. An alternative is available, Design 4 Drupal, coming up early next year.
LA membership is electronic presence. It grows naturally.
LA "attendance" to our meetings does not grow naturally. It needs nurturing.
Each meetup has organic growth, and it's good. I'm not talking about format changes. I'm talking soliciting attendance.
Why? Active members attend events due to perceived and established value.
Active members fall into two camps: Experts and newbies.
A newbie presentation will not attract experts.
An expert presentation is over the heads of newbies.
Both of the two situations above 'lose' value to one of the attendee groups.
This problem is historically true for all user groups.
LA Drupal's format has grown organically, to handle this problem. Organic growth can handle making a meeting that has value for both.
Where networking is a key to get experts to attend, so they can find and offer services to newbies.
This solution is good. It can be strengthened.
I think a meeting announcement format is one critical key part of being perceived as a meeting offering a high degree of value, by being in a format that appears to be professional. A consistent format.
I have emailed Mike Steward twice now about the August 30th Meeting Announcement - I really like the direction he has taken it. The meaty part first, what's the big value presentation topic comes first.
Repeating this announcement format would make for a perception of professional level of value to potential attendees, and get new attendees and repeat attendees.
I felt all this needed to be said, in writing, as I have come to realize, after attending dozens of users groups here in LA over the last 20 years, and creating over a dozen of them myself, that the young people forming LA Drupal, have little experience in 'senior' user groups, and their infrastructure needs and growth directions.
Over the last two months, my private discussions with members has brought this point to my attention.
The concept of "due diligence" can be applied to infrastructure.
To date, the "unconference" mentality has created a strong group, and many sub groups.
I see a future year where a transition, an infusion of more active members, into our volunteer ranks, will result in an "infrastructure" that outgrows being unconference. Much like SCALE did.
I'd like to see us encourage members, who wish to be more active volunteers, to be so.
I've talked with many members, over the last six months and more, about what volunteer activities are available to them. And how do they get started. They want to assist at the infrastructure level.
This new, extra, volunteer activity can free senior leaders from some of the many tasks they currently do. Senior members will have more time to focus on 'direction', new things, bigger things.
Yes, it will take extra time to coordinate the new volunteers. Bigger things needs more volunteers, right?
Yes, they could be self starters, and jump in and just do it. Not everyone is a self starter.
Self starters "appeared" to have rocked the boat more than once here in LA. I quoted "appeared" as the events held were substantial, and greatly appreciated by the bulk of LA members.
Events are just one area where appearances may have been deceiving. LA Governance.
Not everyone is a self starter. Not everyone is a team player. Not everyone has skill to lead a team. Not everyone can verbally support a non self starting volunteer. Not everyone can create tasks for non self starting volunteers.
I wrote up a Volunteer Duty List. I feel that is a strong direction. One that frees leaders from having to 'hand out' volunteer activities. I self started. And kept at it. This particular effort may be under appreciated, due to its is slow adoption.
Does LA Drupal have room for volunteers to be self starting? Yes.
Does LA Drupal have room for volunteers who are not self starting?
... Ah... ah ... really, I'd like to say ... Yes. ... But ... I've had private discussions with members who want some direction, and lacking it, over several months (year?), have reduced their volunteer ... ah ... enthusiasm.
I do not see that as desirable. I'd volunteer to coordinate them, but a dozen years of advocating open source user groups, has me in burn out on this topic, I have recently realized. Thus, this political piece.
So, your feedback please?