Difference between revisions of "OpenStackUserGroups/HowTo"
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= The [[OpenStack]] User Group HOWTO = | = The [[OpenStack]] User Group HOWTO = | ||
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''This document is a stub. Volunteers are needed to transform this into a complete resource for anybody interested in running a successful OpenStack User Group'' | ''This document is a stub. Volunteers are needed to transform this into a complete resource for anybody interested in running a successful OpenStack User Group'' | ||
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# A bar tab. If you can stretch for it, good, if not, this is where your vendors may be able to help. Free beer is always attractive. :-) | # A bar tab. If you can stretch for it, good, if not, this is where your vendors may be able to help. Free beer is always attractive. :-) | ||
# Look for local sysops/sysadmin/network ops email lists or online forums and promote your events there to get folks along. | # Look for local sysops/sysadmin/network ops email lists or online forums and promote your events there to get folks along. | ||
| + | |||
| + | How to push online conversations after a live meeting | ||
| + | |||
| + | Offline activities have pros and cons. Interactivity is the advantage. Face-to-face communication is the most efficient. The disadvantage is that such communications are costly. In order to make offline activities as fruitful and influential as possible, collecting materials accessible online is need as much as possible, such as speech scripts, photos, video, and reports. One simple way to do it is to | ||
| + | |||
| + | # collect the material immediately at the event (better to have something not perfect but quickly than having to chase the speakers for weeks afterwards) | ||
| + | # write a blog post after your event on openstack.org/blog and add links to videos, presentations, etc | ||
| + | # use social networks to advertise the links to the materials | ||
| + | # ask the community manager to help share the links | ||
| + | |||
| + | Get help on-site | ||
| + | |||
| + | Organizers are multitaskers, who are responsible for registering, contacting lectures, hosting meetings, reminding, taking photo. Ask for volunteers to help you: many volunteers will claim voluntary work by themselves. Clearly write down organizers’ email addresses or phone number where you advertise your event. This allows those who are interested to easily find you. Another method is to collect list of tasks that need volunteers’ assistance in email or microblog. You'll be surprised that people will apply. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Balancing attendance | ||
| + | |||
| + | There is no silver bullet, it takes practice to correctly guess how many people will show up: if few people show up, the scene looks empty. If too many people appear it can be unconfortable. It's not uncommon that 50% of people registering don't show up, so plan accordingly. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Selecting a venue | ||
| + | |||
| + | Local companies interested in cloud computing are good places to start asking for a meeting place. Companies hosting community meetings get good reputation and sometimes their employees participating to the events will get also new skills. Co-working spaces in some cities also host events regularly and may be willing to put an [[OpenStack]] event in their agenda. Ask your friends, colleagues, relatives for more ideas: free spaces to host a user group meeting are available everywhere in the world. | ||
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[[Category:HowTo]] | [[Category:HowTo]] | ||
Revision as of 11:42, 14 January 2013
Contents
The OpenStack User Group HOWTO
This document is a stub. Volunteers are needed to transform this into a complete resource for anybody interested in running a successful OpenStack User Group
1. Purpose
The OpenStack User Group HOWTO is intended to serve as a guide to founding, maintaining, and growing a GNU/Linux user group. OpenStack is Open source software for building private and public clouds. If you want to know more about OpenStack go to http://openstack.org
2. What is an OpenStack User Group
An OpenStack User Group (OSUG) is made of people sharing interests operating and developing OpenStack. Usually the reason to form an OSUG is to provide a space for face to face meetings and/or to share knowledge between users in languages other than English.
3. What OSUG exist?
The full list of OpenStack User Groups is maintained on OpenStackUserGroups. Before starting a new OSUG consult that list and find one in your area. The point is that starting a user group is a significant undertaking, which should be commenced with all relevant facts and some appreciation of the effect on other groups. If you don't find one on the list, ask on the mailing list community@lists.openstack.org of the User Group team.
4. Activities
TODO
5. Suggestions
How to attract folks to your group:
- Get vendors along. Go through the list at http://openstack.org/community/companies/ and contact who you can in your area. If the company is serious about being involved they will help you out! Ask them if they can do a short talk on their company involvement with OpenStack.
- Write to the Heads of Schools of the University IT faculties in the area and invite them and their school along.
- A bar tab. If you can stretch for it, good, if not, this is where your vendors may be able to help. Free beer is always attractive. :-)
- Look for local sysops/sysadmin/network ops email lists or online forums and promote your events there to get folks along.
How to push online conversations after a live meeting
Offline activities have pros and cons. Interactivity is the advantage. Face-to-face communication is the most efficient. The disadvantage is that such communications are costly. In order to make offline activities as fruitful and influential as possible, collecting materials accessible online is need as much as possible, such as speech scripts, photos, video, and reports. One simple way to do it is to
- collect the material immediately at the event (better to have something not perfect but quickly than having to chase the speakers for weeks afterwards)
- write a blog post after your event on openstack.org/blog and add links to videos, presentations, etc
- use social networks to advertise the links to the materials
- ask the community manager to help share the links
Get help on-site
Organizers are multitaskers, who are responsible for registering, contacting lectures, hosting meetings, reminding, taking photo. Ask for volunteers to help you: many volunteers will claim voluntary work by themselves. Clearly write down organizers’ email addresses or phone number where you advertise your event. This allows those who are interested to easily find you. Another method is to collect list of tasks that need volunteers’ assistance in email or microblog. You'll be surprised that people will apply.
Balancing attendance
There is no silver bullet, it takes practice to correctly guess how many people will show up: if few people show up, the scene looks empty. If too many people appear it can be unconfortable. It's not uncommon that 50% of people registering don't show up, so plan accordingly.
Selecting a venue
Local companies interested in cloud computing are good places to start asking for a meeting place. Companies hosting community meetings get good reputation and sometimes their employees participating to the events will get also new skills. Co-working spaces in some cities also host events regularly and may be willing to put an OpenStack event in their agenda. Ask your friends, colleagues, relatives for more ideas: free spaces to host a user group meeting are available everywhere in the world.
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