[LA.pm] Meetings - general thoughts.

[Ben Tilly]

On Thu, May 14, 2009 at 10:04 AM, pete <p at chudpi.org> wrote:
> On a general note, it seems that there is plenty of interest in
> meeting, we're just not too great at organization.
>
> One way this can be ameliorated - as my old PM group MadMongers in
> Madison, WI did - is to set a recurring meeting in a predefined
> location.  For example, "the LA.pm meetings are first and third
> Thursday at 7:00PM in the [pub] in [address/map link/gps coords]."
> Whoever shows up, shows up and geeks out.  If a meeting gets moved due
> to a special guest speaker or event, the organizer of said event posts
> a notification on  the list and the pm page.
>
> This way the organization becomes, for the most part, automated with
> the exception of special events, which generally already have
> organizers perfectly willing to carry the burden of leadership limited
> to the scope of said event.
>
> It works well for for MadMongers, who meet regularly even in cases of
> the absence of clearly defined leadership.  A few people met, good
> conversation happened, moved to the list, bringing it to life and
> spreading interest of the topic to the mongers that didn't attend the
> meeting, incenticised those mongers to make it to the next meeting
> ....  it can be a catalyst.

In general I agree with you.  However the significant issue this group
in particular faces is how long it takes to get from point A to point
B around dinner time.  This is sufficiently difficult that it makes
sense to have a more frequent meeting that rotates around between
Santa Monica, Burbank, downtown and Pasadena.

To some extent that informally happens already.  For instance there is
a regular Santa Monica lunch meeting (http://www.thursdaylunch.com/)
that nobody else knows about or attends.  I wouldn't be surprised to
find out that there are more options out there.

Cheers,
Ben