A blast from the past, and future meetings

[Graham Perrin]

To those of you who remember me: hello! 

It's almost three years since my last post to SMUG <https://groups.google.com/d/msg/smug/std9VP7LXR0/HPUQRNnFVKkJ>, which toyed with the idea of a meeting, but I never followed up – sorry.

So. Would anyone like a SMUG meeting? 

Or is the idea too old-fashioned, since we have an Apple Store in Brighton? Is that where people congregate? 

(Confession: I live and work in Hove and Brighton but have never visited the store!)

[mac98aop]

Hi Graham

Welcome back!

Well I think I've been here only 2 years, and having come from OXMUG, did propose a meeting, but folks weren't generally thinking it'd work.

I'm in Haywards Heath, (a good central Sussex spot depending on where we're spread?) and would be interested in the occasional chance to put faces to names, share notes etc.

Adam

[Gillian Snoxall]

Hi Graham,

Yes, welcome back!

Derek and I would probably make the effort to come to a meeting (all the way from Oxfordshire). As Adam said, it would be specially nice to meet people and put faces to all those familiar names.

Personally, I think it is a pity there is no accessible SMUGGERS photo library.

Gilly

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[Jason Davies]

On 10 Oct 2013, at 12:03, Gillian Snoxall wrote:

> Personally, I think it is a pity there is no accessible SMUGGERS photo
> library.

volunteers to organise such a thing are welcome…;)

[mac98aop]

Gilly

The OXMUG was active 2 years ago, with monthly meetings, a presentation, a raffle (I won 1 Password my first week and folks were rather miffed at the newbie taking the spoils!) and then a good drink and chat in the Lamb & Flag afterwards!

[Graham Perrin]

OK folks, for anyone who's interested: 

<http://www.meetomatic.com/respond.php?id=DMMN6E>

If you like, use the comment field to suggest two or three venues that are within reasonable walking/travelling distance from wherever you live or work.

Traditionally (years ago) the meeting would be at a weekend, but some people might prefer a weekday evening. So for this round, all dates between 12th October and 30th November are 'open'. 

<https://groups.google.com/d/msg/smug/6ov6Mea5AVM/VhVFofLRencJ> for hints on arranging a meeting (thanks, Jason). As it has been so long since a meeting, I reckon that we should keep it super-simple for now: 

1) just stick some possible dates and places in the calendar (above) 

2) then pick a date and venue (for that one date) and whoever can make it, makes it.

Cheers

[Toby Leighton]

I hate the apple store in brighton and aviod it unless I need to get something repaired.  Oxford Street one is big enough and central enough to be a nice browse and meet for drinks location.  Churchill Sq...  arg.  Plus doesnt it close at like 7pm?

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[andrew lancaster]

I LOVE the Brighton Churchill Square apple store! I go there not just to buy, but to look and see what else tempts me! Plus the genius bar is such a boon.

Andrew

[Phil Tomlinson]

Re. Lament over lack of photos - I seem to have some photos of some of us Smuggers. I think they're from a year or so ago when the group last had a desire to "bond"! Happy to post them on the list when I get back home from Japan, if people want them.......

Phil T

Sent from my iPad

[Graham Perrin]

Glancing again at <https://groups.google.com/d/msg/smug/KypceeuPNr4/phW1UWHFlrEJ> I assume that we're not encouraged to (re)post photographs of ourselves or our pets. 

I'd like to meet, faces old and new – dates at <http://www.meetomatic.com/respond.php?id=DMMN6E> for anyone who's interested (tick the dates that suit you, use the comment field to suggest a venue or two or three). When I have more than a handful of responses I'll share the results and we can take it from there. 

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Photos: if not in this group, then a sharing service of some sort? If all group members have an account that can be used with Google+ Hangouts <http://www.google.com/hangouts/>, I could create a SMUG space there. 

I'm itching to share a photo of one of my cats, he's pawing a Mac with a kernel panic, but that's a tenuous excuse ;-) … I'll respect the wish to keep the group Mac-focused and not excessively noisy. 

[Ranulph Glanville]

I'd be interested to meet and chat, though I travel a lot, don't live near Brighton and so am likely to be a rare visitor!

Ranulph

[Jason Davies]

My memory of what happened is that someone posted their photo, followed by others in a steady trickle.

The point is not the photos: it's the OT. This is what happens on lists that allow an OT thread to go too long.

1) Half the list really likes the particular thread
2) The other half gets irritated and start to leave.
3) The thread ends on its own and 25 people have left.
(as a bonus, new members get a very weird first message which often makes them step back again).

The next one annoys a different group so a different 25 leave. If the admin tries to step in, they are told 'you allowed thread X' and pointless arguments ensue.

I was on the Nisus list in the 90s. It went down this path. It was a fantastically helpful list that kept going OT. It was fun for a while but I left when the current thread was about mediaeval bagpipes.

So as it goes on, more people leave and the admin has to either moderate a lot of people who are actually potentially good list members. The list becomes bad-tempered because of the unpredictable nature of posts and admin intervention. Experts leave because they get a very weird set of responses to their help. I left LMUG because of this but didn't get unsubscribed for a day or two (I told them exactly why I was leaving) and at that point I was 'the last expert' because the others had already given up: there was a lot of recrimination but - sadly - not enough to make the admin do their job.

Added observations: the best lists I've ever known have an admin who tends to step in after about 24-48 hours and call time on the thread.

So that's what you'll get from me (along with roughly annual, and friendly, clarifications like this one. It's not up for negotiation, unless someone else wants to take over which I would be perfectly happy with. I think I must be at something like ten years now (?).

(I did once get someone who was interested but it came at a stupidly busy time and when I got back to them, it looked like they had left! If it was you, please get in touch;))

[Phil Ward]

Just feel like stepping in here and seconding Jason on this one.

Seems to me the SMUG list is so incredibly valuable mainly 'cause on the whole it stays focussed. So it seems me, if we want a social element to the list, either swapping photos or arranging meetings, that might be better done though an entirely separate Meetup group.

Phil

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[Jason Davies]

I don't know if Google services can somehow integrate that so that you
get the pictures, social stuff etc on the webpage (Google plus
profiles?) while the email branch remains untouched. If people want to,
I'm happy to consider suggestions OFFLIST! So, if someone wants to
co-ordinate, please step forward, and those interested can discuss via
old-fashioned 'reply-to-all' and then outline something to me. We can
put the guidance on the Google group page and perhaps add it to the
signature.

But - please - don't all bundle into the list to suggest things.
Discussion and ideas off-list; specific detailed plan to me, then to the
list to notify people when we've decided an implementation. A 'SMUG-OT'
list might work but it would require -hehe- another moderator because
people will lose track of which one they're on (hint: I'm pessimistic).

[Gmail]

The person you are referring to was called ( if I remember correctly) Ben Rubinstein. 

From my iPhone

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[Jason Davies]

I would rather not name names or stir things up (and it wasn't Ben). Can we please now leave this topic apart from someone nominating themselves to be a contact for those wishing to go ahead and do something for those who want a more social side, please?

That's a final statement on the matter.

If you are unhappy with this, anyone who wants to put themselves forward to be admin please contact me privately;)

And - thanks but not thanks - messages of support are also deprecated (but appreciated).