Sorry for the late notice this month (though most people should know its the 3rd thursday of each month), but we'll be having our regular meetup on this Thursday, April 16th. I have lined up several good presentations, and we'll also be hosting a live support session (and discussing future local support options)
The last monthly meetup went really well as usual. We had a great turn out and 2 really excellent presentations. Thanks again to our presenters and I hope you enjoy the Drupal schwag!
This month we are refining our approach further and will be seeking feedback, please note we may run a bit longer this month. See down below for the full agenda.
Sign Up!
When: Thursday, April 16th
Time: 6:30pm - 9:30pm (Show up around 6:30pm for punctual 7pm start!!)
Venue: ABC Centre 700 Harris Street, Ultimo ( Map | Directions )
Venue Details
The ABC Centre has some security issues, so it is important that people arrive early and sign in at the security desk so that we can take everyone into the building at once. Everyone just waits and chats in the lobby, so just look around for us if you're new. If you have problems you can call either of us. Many thanks go to the ABC for providing this venue.
Parking is possible at parking meters around thomas street and mary-anne street. But they take a 2 hour max i think. There are carparks behind the abc $15 (enter from thomas street, but on the chinatown side). Also, you can get all-evening parking at the Citigate (I think that's the name) parking station for $7 (starting after 5pm, I think, and stays open until well after midight). It's at the end of the Thomas street dead end (Eastern/Chinatown side), which is very close to the ABC's back entrance.
Agenda:
- Greetings and Welcome new people + Announcements
- Community News by: (Please let me know who volunteered at the last meeting)
A new regular addition to the agenda, this will cover monthly news in the community and around Drupal. - Presentation: Node Reference & LiveLocal.org.au by: Jeremy Epstein
This presentation will deliver a behind the scenes look at the recently launched http://livelocal.org.au and will provide a tutorial on node reference with CCK, including some detail about using AJAX techniques to dynamically allocate multiple node references. This will be aimed at beginners, with some advanced topics included. - Break (on the balcony)
- Presentation: Hosting Drupal with Aegir & Drush by: Kaustubh Srikanth
When dealing with multiple Drupal websites, Aegir and Drush can be very helpful in managing them. This presentation will demonstrae - Session: Live Support
We will be delivering a live support session for all levels of Drupal experience. Remember when you first got started? - Everyone has been there and can help someone else climb the Drupal learning curve, wherever your current experience provides. Please come prepared with questions or answers, laptops and your Drupal experience! Unfortunately, we can't guarantee internet access. - Continued at the pub with + Drinks/food
Remember to sign up, and I'll send out a reminder announcement a day before the meeting with all the latest details. This will also help us plan numbers/audience.
Next Month (May 21st):
- Deploying Drupal with Git by Kim Pepper
- Image Cache and handling by James Gollan
Future Presentations:
- See http://groups.drupal.org/node/15140
- What can you present on?
Post below if you can talk about something (anything is ok, everyone has something to share) or if you're are interested in other topics for discussion.
Resources:
Slides: http://www.slideshare.net/group/sydney-drupal-users-group
Photos: http://www.flickr.com/groups/drupal-au/
Chat: #drupal-au on freenode : Connect
Comments
I enjoyed the session
I enjoyed the session yesterday, especially the new format with a support session after the presentations I found very helpful. Thanks to Ryan for trialling this, and I hope it becomes a permanent feature.
Thanks also to Sammy who provided valuable input to my questions.
Discussion about venue
I'd like to propose the idea of an alternative venue. I think ABC and James should be commended for their generosity in providing the venue. However, it does mean that James always has to be at every meeting and you can't enter the premises if you're running a little late. I think James might like the option of staying at home if he was sick or something.
The Ruby on Rails Sydney Group (RoRo) use the Trinity Bar in Surry Hills which is very accessible. Most venues like this would be happy to donate an upstairs room once a month as the beer sales are a win-win for both parties.
The downside of using The Trinity Bar location is they may get an overload of developers which may scare their other patrons away. The other downside is you need to be over 18. But I have heard that corporate entities often pick up the bar tab at RoRo so that may be a good incentive to us. The South Coast Linux Users Group, which I belong to uses an all ages venue that has beer in it. I don't know how that works. Possibly, they don't know we are even there half the time.