[advocacy-discuss] [Fwd: Re: [ug-discuss] OpenSolaris User Group Growth]

[Jim Grisanzio]

S h i v . wrote:
> On 6/25/07, Jim Grisanzio <Jim.Grisanzio at sun.com> wrote:
> 
>> Moving this thread from the old ug-discuss to advocacy-discuss:
>> http://opensolaris.org/jive/thread.jspa?threadID=31624&tstart=0
>>
>> Last month we were having a conversation about growing the number of
>> OpenSolaris User Groups and the fact that Sun would be contributing more
>> resources to the effort this fiscal year. The link above is the thread.
>>
>> There were many suggestions (and I'll be summarizing them in a proposal
>> this week), but a couple involved video and audio and streaming ...
>>
> 
> Was attempted in bosug (Bangalore osug). Difficult to implement. Often
> the user groups are not geared (*time*, expertise, bandwidth,
> equipment) to produce high quality recordings for every session. The
> interest that a monthly user-group meeting generates is limited to
> small set of geographically closely situated people (unless someone
> like Ian participates with a hot topic like Indiana! ).

Ok, local is better ...


>> So, my question: if Sun could produce some technical videos as part of
>> the overall package that we could offer to user groups for
>> meetings/discussions/education, etc, what would be a good topic list to
>> start from? In other words, we could record some engineers in Menlo Park
>> and other Sun campuses doing talks on x topics. What are the most
>> pressing issues to explore?
>>
> 
> If the (some of the) recordings from SUN Tech Days can be put together
> and made available, that in itself should be good content.

Good idea. Hadn't thought of that. :)

> Lot of resource is spent to pull the event through - identifying the
> topics, excellent speakers are there, wide range of topics are
> covered, the event is recorded.
> Identify the ones that are *permissible* to make available to the
> public and do so. I am aware that it is a SUN's event talking about
> the technologies that are FOSS as well as non-FOSS, and that
> OpenSolaris day occupies 1day of the event. But I also know from the
> agenda and from the one I attended in India that >80% of it was on
> foss technologies.

Cool. And we should try to increase the community involvement as much as 
possible.


>> Also, regarding engineers and presentations: I think it would be a great
>> contribution if Sun could send some engineers to participate at some
>> user groups and do presentations. This will be a very expensive
>> suggestion,
> 
> 
> Am *very* skeptical about this. What are the benefits that are
> expected to accrue?


Well, since we opened, many groups have asked me to send engineers as 
speakers. Getting a consistent flow of quality speakers is challenging, 
so if Sun can help it would help some groups as well as getting more of 
the engineers out on the road for more community activities. It's a 
balancing act, though. It's expensive, so it will have to be on a 
limited basis.


> I might be biased here since I am based in Bangalore where it is easy
> to get access to people in the know from both within and outside Sun.

Sure, the Silicon Valley group has better access as well.


>> But, we will be making a serious effort this year to collaborate with
>> the Sun Tech Days team to get community speakers for the OpenSolaris Day
>> Tour, to have user group meetings at the tour venues, and to start new
>> user groups along the tour where none exist today.
> 
> 
> +1.
> This was indeed done earlier. Some observations based on that -
> Organizing a BoF should be one of the topics to keep in mind for the
> event organizers (to ensure a slot, resource, participants being made
> known).
> Communicating this clearly to the participants and making it part of
> the program announcement (atleast at the venue if not in the earlier
> communication) helps.
> By the last day, the attendance thins down. Scheduling it a day before
> is better.
> Coordinating with the enthusiastic new volunteers for the UG to help
> overcome birth pangs is important. Else many of the good tasks done in
> the BoF session will not yield any results.

How about give-a-ways? How did they work in India? Did we give away a 
computer system? Should we do this type of thing in the future?


>> We could find convenient times (during conferences, visits to customers,
>> whatever) that would make these trips worthwhile.
>>
> 
> +1
> 
>> In other words, the proposal I'm writing will be tired. All groups will
>> get something (the UG Starter Kit, project spaces, lists, other
>> resources, etc) because it's important for us all to focus on new and
>> small groups as it is to focus on the bigger groups.
> 
> 
> If there is a need for a tradeoff, I vote for allocating resources to
> new and promising UGs.
> 
>> Thoughts on these issues?
> 
> 
> Couple of additional points - I do not mean that these should be done by 
> Sun.
> 
> [1] Work with the universities and produce structured technical
> material that provides learning supplements for the *existing*
> university programs based on opensolaris & related technologies. This
> could often mean assembling the available documentation & softwares in
> manner coherent with the university programs. Sometimes it might need
> fresh inputs.
> 
> [2] Some good art-work that can be used on web-pages, presentations,
> banners, logos, etc. *Good* art work that can be used by the local
> user groups is lacking.
> Ubuntu has a art-work community : http://art.ubuntu.com/main.php
> (I am not someone who can contribute here :) )
> 
> regards
> Shiv

Cool, thanks Shiv. Good stuff ...


Jim
-- 
Jim Grisanzio http://blogs.sun.com/jimgris