[H-GEN] Support to change Humbug's constitution.

Frank Brand fbrand at uq.net.au
Tue Nov 28 20:37:57 EST 2000


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Willie Yeo wrote:

The following in no way is intended to denigrate any of the respondents
on this issue. They have done well to highlight a problem in the
administration of Humbug.


Maybe I will be extremely controversial here and maybe as a person who
does not attend Humbug Saturdays very often I don't have a right to say
anything much. But...

I think you should look at the way Humbug conducts "meetings".

On days when I have attended Humbug it has not seemed to be very
organised (almost anarchistic). Often things don't run on time and
generally there might not be a lot to encourage attendance and
participation unless you want to download some big files on the UQ
backbone or play games or get some specific advice.

#include dislaimer

Now my comments could be dead wrong but thats the way it looks to a
casual observer.

#end disclaimer

I really dont want to spend 10 or 12 hours on a Saturday night at
Humbug. My family commitments virtually preclude any involvement. That's
OK if the people who do go to Humbug want it that way.

If you want people to attend an SGM or AGM things have to run on
time...no timewasting etc.
There has to be a reason (maybe other than just attending an SGM or AGM
as there is always something else to do). The explanations and
documentation must be properly done beforehand etc etc.

I see, in other parts of Australia and overseas, user group meetings
that are well organised and have good technical sessions and speakers.
There are many Humbug talks I have been interested in attending but if
they don't start till some time after they should it is very difficult.
For example I did go to a 3 pm or 4 pm talk that did not actually start
until after 6 pm - I had a family dinner engagementand often the
Humbuggers there have been extremely rude by carrying on with their
tasks and making noise while the speaker has been speaking (this could
be very different now as I have not been for quite a while) so I always
give them a miss.

Humbug is a compromise too...the close links with UQ can be very handy
but the alignment is not always favourable.

I would recommend the following:-

1. Re-appraise what the majority of Humbuggers want from meetings.

2. If the majority do want the Saturday meetings then continue with
them.

3. Consider having some tight, solid technical sessions...maybe a
quarterly meeting or something which really will attract good numbers
because of the quality of presentations....not the unreliable student
type presentations that get cancelled because of an assignment etc.
(this is not meant as a criticism but as a recognition of reality) Set a
tight programme and deliver. 

4. Then slip in a 5 minute SGM or something before (preferably) or after
the presentations

5. Orchestrate these meetings...canvas before the meeting and have most
of the discussion and nitty gritty out of the way so that a five minute
voting session is all that is needed.

I believe that there is a crying need for this type of well constructed
Linux Education series...perhaps it could even be sold....lots of other
organisations sell these kind of services but this is a separate matter.

I believe the answer to the quorum issue (and it is an issue for just
about all organisations. Humbug is not Robinson Crusoe here) is to have
a good reason to get people along on these few occasions each year not
to try to disenfranchise people and try to circumvent laws etc.

I reckon theseconstitutional things pop up every 12 months or so.

-- 
Frank Brand
E-mail:- fbrand at uq.net.au
Home Page:-http://www.uq.net.au/~zzfbrand

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