First post at the new Knoxbloggers Google Group
CaptQuirk
this group. Although it rambles, at least it gives us all a common
base.
"Hello Daryl and Mike,
Let's discuss the future of KnoxBloggers. Time is *not* of the essence
here, since there's no urgency about your pondering and responding to
these suggestions. I just wanted to get them out there for your
consideration. They represent some thoughts I've had, and of course
I'll be interested in your reactions when you have time to make them.
Monthly meetings may be too often. Yeah, I know that unless something
is regular, people may not remember it or get in the habit of
attending, but just maybe there is a way to keep KnoxBloggers on their
radar without our having to plan, host, and chair a meeting every third
Wednesday or Thursday of every month. For instance, consider this.
Google groups has made some modifications recently. Check out this
link ... http://tinyurl.com/2ynqsx. It wouldn't be difficult to
create a Google Group for KnoxBloggers where we (the group, not just
the three of us) could carry on discussions, ask questions, provide
help to one another, and otherwise offer benefits to the KnoxBloggers
membership. Monitoring such a group doesn't require taking a shower,
driving across town, and spending 2 hours of your monthly time in a
meeting. And it is more immediate than having to wait until the next
monthly meeting to get answers or help. People could participate in it
or just read it at their leisure. That I think makes it a plus.
So if monthly meetings may be too often, are they useful at all? Well,
I think they are, but I would be comfortable with their occurring only
on a quarterly basis. Whether this is a good idea, I don't really
know, but I wanted to throw it out as a possibility.
Have I gotten all I want out of KnoxBloggers? No, not yet. There are
still a lot of questions and topics that I find interesting and worth
discussing. Maybe some of those things can be handled via the web
rather than in person. I know we have been reluctant to create work
for ourselves by building a complex infrastructure on KB.com, and I am
in agreement with that. But given that we are all inclined to interact
with the web, why not take advantage of some of its abilities to wipe
away the significance of place and distance and do more via the web
with each other.
In that vein, I think we might encourage members to install Skype.
After all it's free and available for all platforms. We could use it
to facilitate conferences. For instance, see this explanation of that
on the Skype web site ...
http://www.skype.com/help/guides/skypecasts.html. Perhaps having a
monthly Skypecast rather than a monthly meeting would be an option.
For the record, Skypecasts do *not* have to be public but can be
hidden, meaning that we can restrict the "attendance" at them if we
choose. And conference calls of up to 5 people to other Skype users is
easy, not to mention having one-on-one conversations with other members
of our group. One other observation I would make about using Skype for
some of these things is that I can record such conversations and
convert them to podcasts without undue effort.
As to our quarterly meetings, if we moved to that format, I think we
might make them more of a production. Maybe a half-day event, with a
conference about some area of interest at which we have several
presenters and a meal before or afterward or drinks and hors 'd
orderves to lubricate the fellowship.
As I've advocated many times before, I think we'd do well to provide a
way for people to give input about topics in which they are interested
and compile a list of them that we address systematically over time
through our Google group, our Skypecast or an in-depth presentation at
one of our quarterly meetings.
The burden for planning and hosting these meetings has fallen too
heavily on Mike's shoulders, it seems to me. It was his idea so maybe
that was inevitable, but he needn't be punished unremittingly for that
forever. ;-)
Or, if none of these suggestions appeals to you, we might simply
discuss with the membership whether they have a desire to continue at
all and if they don't, then we can accept that decision and get on with
our lives. I would be comfortable with that.
So what do you think? Whither KnoxBloggers?"
CaptQuirk
Mike said:
In short: Monthly skype with quarterly meetings, where meetings are
more social (dinner) events, with perhaps a planned presentation?
I think this will be a good approach, the skype part makes it more
accessible to people, so it may help grow the group. These can be
recorded (or so I've heard) and posted to the kb.com site... not
really as "produced" podcasts, but more like records of the meeting.
I've not used skype at all. Is there a meeting component to it, like
shared browsing and whiteboarding with it? Also, there is no cost so
long as the call is all pc-2-pc correct?
Google groups: I like this too. I tag and save links with the express
intent of mentioning at a KB meeting... I think posting this and other
things in a group would let others see what's going on and may lead to
a higher involvement. Also moves some of our conversations out where
others can join in (a good example is ziki... and this thread).
Group organizer: The main reason I "took over" for planning is to be
able to pick days that I could make. My schedule doesn't fit well with
a "last Thursday of the month" model; one reason I fell out of
attending the poetry group (not Daryl's, the knoxville one). Skype
would be much easier (I can always mute and get up to "handle"
something), and quarterly meetings could allow some room for change.
If you are willing Perry, and it sounds like you are, I think you would
be great to take over this part - first because you know this skype
thing pretty well, and second (and more importantly) you're very
interested the topics.
And Daryl added:
I agree with most of what both of you have said. Shaving off 20
minutes to an hour of driving during the short window in the evenings
during which I can interact with my daughter makes me much more
enthusiastic about participating, so the skype thing's a winner
(provided I can get it to work on one of my systems -- it's proven
flakey for me on linux).
I'm not sure I could commit to half days for quarterly meetings
(especially with the new baby on the way), but the fellowship of an
occasional in-person meeting is appealing (have to emerge from the cave
sometimes!), and your proposed schedule seems a good balance of
convenience and fellowship.
I'm also on board with the google groups idea. Part of me is screaming
"but we could use forums at kb.com," but the part of me that's
realistic understands that GG is a solution that requires no up front
effort and potentially opens our discussions up to a broader audience.
It looks like GG supports feeds, which means I might actually remember
to read it.