Hi all,
Just a note and to follow-up - The North Austin Drupal Meetup is almost live! It hasn't been announced via Meetup yet - but should be in the next few days.
We will be meeting at TechRanch Austin, 2311 W Rundberg Ln on the third Thursday of every month at 7:00 pm - and the first meeting is schedule for February 18.
Fito Kahn has agreed to be Co-Organizer and I am very appreciative of his help.
Our first meeting is entitled: "Now What?!" - you've installed Drupal...now how do you approach building a Drupal site from there? (In my experience from teaching Drupal Boot Camps, this is typically a big "sticking point" for people new to Drupal and CMF/CMS, in general.)
So, the focus of this group is newbies, learners, and people who just exploring or getting started in Drupal. It is also for managers who may be implementing a Drupal project and need more information about how to manage both the many issues that revolve around the issues and complexities of those projects. We completely support the Austin Drupal Meetup Group downtown and hope to work collaboratively with Elisabeth and Kerry. This is essentially another group focused on folks who prefer to attend a meeting more "north" in geography and perhaps a little more in "learning" mode.
For more information, you can contact me personally through the Groups for now, or through the Meetup website when it becomes available.
Thanks very much,
Chana Schulman Campos
Comments
It's no longer a "downtown" group.
The monthly Drupal meetup was held last night at Mangia on Spicewood and Mesa.
Everyone in attendance agreed that this would be a good location for the upcoming
meetings, and the space has already been booked.
This is less than 4 miles from Tech Ranch Austin.
Mangia also serves pizza, sandwiches, salads, and beer by the pitcher.
I don't believe that Tech Ranch has their food or beverage license yet.
Since location is no longer a factor, is there some other reason to create a second Austin meetup?
--
-Lynn Bender
http://geekaustin.org
http://linuxagainstpoverty.org
http://twitter.com/linearb
-Lynn Bender
http://geekaustin.org
http://linuxagainstpoverty.org
http://twitter.com/linearb
More meetups are great, but why create a division?
I'm all for more meetups. Whoever wants to organize them should do so — I don't think it's necessarily the sole jurisdiction of an appointed group "manager" or "leader" to decide when, where, and how often they should take place. These managers/leaders exist simply because we need people to handle the logistics and make announcements.
I don't understand the necessity of creating a specific "North Austin" meetup group, though. I get the impression that this will necessitate a second group on Meetup.com, which will inevitably lead to confusion. Why make people check multiple groups and announcements instead of simply scheduling meetups more often and alternating hosting duties?
Todd Ross Nienkerk
Digital Strategist and Partner
Four Kitchens: Big ideas for the web
IRC: toddross
A comment
Also, the organizer actually has to pay Meetup.com to have a meetup group. It is not a terrible burden but just wanted the community to be aware of it.
I am in favor of more events and like Todd pointed out anyone can suggest a Drupal meeting/gathering/meetup and there are multiple forums such as the Facebook group, this forum, or the Meetup to announce the event.
In fact, the Austin Drupal Users group on Facebook announced:
This is the beginning of the Austin Drupal Dojo. Bring your laptop, and spend an evening hacking on your current Drupal project. Beer is available by the pitcher.
Share your knowledge!
If you need help with something you don't understand, ask. If you find someone to help, document the solution for the community.
Or just come to hack.
Drupal Hack Night
The Austin Drupal Dojo - hosted by GeekAustin
Time:7:00PM Wednesday, January 27th
Location:Mangia Pizza
As one of the community organizers, I am just interested in helping to evangelize Drupal to the Austin community at large and building a vibrant cohesive community of Drupal users.
Chana - I can see the potential having some events focused on learning and will be happy to add them to current Drupal community calendar as well as other events such as the GeekAustin so we can leverage the Meetup Calendar to announce interesting/relevant Drupal events. I agree with Todd that yet another Meetup Group would lead to more confusion on which list to monitor for Drupal events especially when we use multiple channels already.
My $0.02 and open to discussion,
Elizabeth
Elizabeth Quintanilla
Business Detective http://eqconsultantsgroup.com
VMD @ http://guidelightsolutions.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabethquintanilla
@equintanilla
Surprised
Elizabeth,
I am somewhat surprised by your comment, since you told me in an email that you were not against a second group and supported the idea of meeting a wider community need...?
reply
at the time, I understood about including Georgetown and RoundRock. Also, that was before a long talk that was held with 40+ Drupal community members at Drinks and Drupal. You did not attend that meeting which was a long discussion about the Drupal community.
Elizabeth
Elizabeth Quintanilla
Business Detective http://eqconsultantsgroup.com
VMD @ http://guidelightsolutions.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabethquintanilla
@equintanilla
Kerry or Elizabeth will gladly send out invites
I know I'm kinda putting words in their mouths, but I'm pretty certain that Kerry and Elizabeth have no problem announcing any events you want to hold through the meetup group. We're all very active and engaged in the community, so you don't have to worry about the message not getting out.
By the way Chana, thanks for organizing another meeting with a speaker! I think everyone in the community appreciates the effort. I know that I do.
I'd like to announce your feb. 18 meeting through the current meetup.com group. Can I go ahead and send that out?
http://empoweredby.net
Um, you'd better check with Elizabeth on this one...
Thanks for the offer, though, Chad -
It is greatly appreciated!
Kind regards,
Chana
Judging by the comments
Judging by the comments below, it looks like we're all on the same side =] . I'm sure Elizabeth would love to promote the group!
http://empoweredby.net
Promotion
I'm happy to promote Drupal in Austin and having lots of fun doing it.
Elizabeth
Elizabeth Quintanilla
Business Detective http://eqconsultantsgroup.com
VMD @ http://guidelightsolutions.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabethquintanilla
@equintanilla
Yes, let us know the details
Yes, let us know the details and we'll get a notice up on the meetup.com group and make you Host for the event, if you'd like.
I understand what you are saying...but...
I have had two overriding sentiments/comments from many people about the "now no longer downtown group". (Which is great to hear, by the way...)
And, let me preface this by saying that it is not meant unkindly or in contentious manner. I am reporting what was told to me.
The first issue revolved around the content of the meetings. I can't count how many people expressed their frustration at being (and this is a literal quote) "lost in the first 15 minutes" with that particular group. When you look back over the topics of the last several months, you can see their point - "grid theming" (for people that can't even find the theme folder yet), SEO (for people who can't figure out how to navigate the admin interface yet), Drush (for folks who haven't seen a command line or used one in several years).
These are AWESOME topics - but they don't meet the need of the vast majority of people who are trying to get up to speed in Drupal - today. In six months or a year - great. .But for now, it just doesn't help them, they leave the meetings feeling Drupal is too "complicated" and it actually pushes people away from the local community.
The second issue revolved around the actual demographics of the Meetup. The perception is that these are a bunch of "kids" (again a literal quote) - who are driving what "they find cool and interesting" with little regard to the needs of business people or new folks to Drupal, in general. They felt uncomfortable coming to the Meetup and more than one has said they felt very "out of place" there...I guess this actually ties directly to the above statement, as well.
If the now-no-longer-downtown-group can address these issues, that would greatly lessen the need for another group focused on a demographic that is broader, has different needs and more inclusivity than the organizers have been able to address thus far.
Kind regards,
Chana
We addressed both of these
We addressed both of these points at the meeting last night in North Austin - I wish we had the time to set up some recording equipment for people that weren't able to make it.
Lightning talks will also give a venue for newer or less confident users to share their knowledge and investigate a specific topic - most newer users could still contribute a 5-10 minute demo on a helpful module or bugfix they've encountered that would prove beneficial to almost everyone, which would also encourage them to participate in the community.
I really think this format, of 1-2 shorter presentations and a handful of lightning talks, will help appeal to more people and give more content for EVERYONE, not just whoever that month's topic is focused on.
2.Like you said, part of this was the format and topics of the presentations. We also discussed the different demographics that are interesting in/using Drupal and how special events are a major key to bridging the gap between these often disparate groups. There were a lot of ideas floating around for how we might do this and people are already working on tapping into contributors and topics of exploration for these events.
Someone just said to me...
"Why is it such a priority that there by only ONE meeting with ONE solution for people who want to get together and talk about Drupal in
Austin???
Drupal isn't a one-size-fits-all solution - why should our Meetups be? This isn't about one meeting or not - it's about meeting community need.
Thanks for the discussion around this!
Chana
No one wants *one* meeting
No one is saying we should have "ONE meeting with ONE solution." I fact, I said the opposite: We should have more meetings hosted by more people at more locations.
What I'm not in favor of — and what those who agree with me are also saying — is creating a separate group to organize more meetups. We already have two groups: one on g.d.o, one on Meetup.com. That's plenty. Let's use these exsiting groups as central points to organize more meetups so we can meet the community need at all skill levels and areas of interest.
Todd Ross Nienkerk
Digital Strategist and Partner
Four Kitchens: Big ideas for the web
IRC: toddross
I have to agree with Todd on this one
I have to agree with Todd here. We actually spent a huge portion of last night's meeting discussion holding more events and special sessions as part of the meetup group, and how that would strengthen the community by appealing to a wider range of Drupal users - newbies, businesses, freelancers, designers, and full-time technical guys.
The general consensus was that we have all the tools to be organizing more events and meetings, and we need to do a better job of identifying and utilizing those tools to do so. An arbitrary division that involves tossing more tools into the pile strikes me as somewhat counterproductive. Much of community-building comes from finding places for different sub-groups of the community to touch each other - whether at major events like Drupal Camp, where businesses, companies, and freelances get a chance to meet and interact, or group meetup events where newbies have an opportunity to interact with community leaders and experts, I don't feel that we should intentionally segment the "community" aspect, even if we're offering different events that appeal to specific groups.
To me, it's somewhat akin to having an event like Drupal Camp that is focused on businesses using Drupal, but not announcing it to or coordinating with the general Drupal community. Even though it's technically for businesses, there is reason for everyone in the community to be aware of, pay attention to, and interact with the event and attendees.
I think what you are organizing is fantastic - I just really want to make sure we work harder on consolidating and strengthening the Drupal community without making it more difficult for users to become involved.
Open Source
See below.
Open Source and Drupal and Austin
Open Source is not about control..
It is about contribution.
I believe there was much wringing of hands and prophecies of doom when the group moved
from drupal.org to Meet-up format, as well. There were people who were furious at the
Meetup group for "splitting the community", at that point. (I've heard from some of them, as well.)
But, the group of people speaking here are not "Drupal", and they are not the totality of the Drupal community.
I am not - nor are they.
If there is no need for a North Austin Drupal group - no one will come. If there is,
they will.
Seems fairly simple?
Thanks,
Chana
Open Source is not about
Exactly. Then why not contribute your time and effort to the existing group instead of creating your own?
The group didn't move from g.d.o to Meetup.com. Rather, we recognized that many Drupal users don't read g.d.o (or know it exists), so a deliberate decision was made to cross-post events on multiple sites (Meetup, Facebook, etc.) to bring in as many people as possible. Doing this has significantly raised awareness and increased attendance.
No one was "furious." That's an exaggeration.
Todd Ross Nienkerk
Digital Strategist and Partner
Four Kitchens: Big ideas for the web
IRC: toddross
Backing up: At its core, this is a great idea
I'd like to back up for a moment and echo Kerry's sentiment that having more meetups targeted for less experienced users is a great idea. Chana has identified and is addressing a pressing community need. She is obviously eager and qualified to start organizing and leading these meetups, and it's clear from the comments that we all support that.
To put waaay too fine a point on it: The only objection here is creating more outlets for organizing these events. Factors like geography and skill level should only determine who shows up to the meetings — not which "group" announces them.
Todd Ross Nienkerk
Digital Strategist and Partner
Four Kitchens: Big ideas for the web
IRC: toddross
Hear, Hear!
I plan to continue attending and contributing to the meetups at Mangia as well as the dojos at Mangia, Triumph Cafe, or wherever they happen to be. (Mangia's booked in February, I heard. Lynn will post the full story, so don't take this as the final word.)
I also am thrilled to see this meeting targeting people at the same point I'm struggling to get past. I think there's enough interest and enthusiasm for both to work. And the cross-pollination and collaboration can be great for not only both meetings but also Drupal in Austin.
And I would like to see more such events organized through the Austin DUG in the future. Chana, thank you! I look forward to seeing you next month!
Cliff
Oh, and I am just now leaving Mangia and officially ending the first Wednesday night dojo. I got a ton of help with my site tonight. Thanks, all!
A comment
I agree with Todd. Thank you for expressing it so concisely!
Elizabeth
Elizabeth Quintanilla
Business Detective http://eqconsultantsgroup.com
VMD @ http://guidelightsolutions.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabethquintanilla
@equintanilla
Agree with Todd
I just want to say I agree with Todd. We can have lots of meeting! but unless something really bad has happened that I do not know about, there is no reason to fork the community.
Alternatives is not "forking"...
Seems an odd way to put it. But, regardless, I (and apparently others) don't look it as "forking" the Drupal community...there are people coming to the Meetup who are coming for various and sundry reasons, all of them related to Drupal and focused on Drupal. We completely support the existing group and look forward to cross-pollination of ideas and activities. Again, Austin's Drupal community doesn't have to all show up at one time, in one place in order to be a community.
Again, Austin's Drupal
No one's saying the community should show up at one time in one place. We have expressly said the opposite several times in this thread: The more meetups, the more locations, the better. And it certainly doesn't matter who organizes them.
The issue at hand is that creating multiple Meetup.com groups is confusing, especially when the distinction is made along an arbitrary geographic boundary. If this were a "Austin Drupal Newbies" meetup, the distinction would be more purposeful and clear.
Todd Ross Nienkerk
Digital Strategist and Partner
Four Kitchens: Big ideas for the web
IRC: toddross
What a great idea!
I have just re-named The North Austin Drupal Meetup - the "The Austin Drupal Newbie's Meetup" and let the folks who have already signed up know.
Hopefully, this will make the distinction, as you put it so well, "more purposeful and clear".
Thanks so much - this does help clarify things!
Re: Alternatives is not "forking"...
I was just trying to go with the open source analogy. I think the general sentiment is to allow anyone to host a meeting where ever for any topic. Maybe it is just me but it seemed like the thread has gotten more heat as it went on. I do not mean to add to that. And maybe my forking comment was a bit strong (one should not stick with the an analogy just for the fun of it). And I was not saying you meeting was forking the community, but talking to the idea that even with lots of meets hosted by lots of people, we can coordinate as one group. Sorry if I offend.
Long live the Austin Drupal Community!
No problem...
I think I may have gotten more sensitive than necessary. People have seemed to have gotten quite hot about the whole thing - and I may have thought I was reacting to that. No problem at all - and I appreciate you coming back with your response.
One of the things that I think will make this Meetup a little different is that we (the meetup) seems to be attracting people who may need to learn in a more sustained and focused manner than meeting over beer, pizzas and hoping that the topic will be something useful. There's nothing wrong with learning like that, of course - but it doesn't work for everyone. We're going to be highly focused on getting people over the initial learning curve, so that they CAN go on and pick up topics in quick 30-minute sessions and have them make sense. I kind of think of us as Drupal 101...from that angle. Not for everybody - but for those folks that really need to "get a grip" before they move into other topics, networking, etc..I am hoping it will be useful.
Thanks again for your response!