[H-GEN] Room Bookings Update

[Russell Stuart]

On Tue, 2009-01-13 at 10:38 -0500, Robert Brockway wrote:
> Yes, I wonder when this stopped.  The first point of contact was 
> specifically so someone approached new people walking in the door so they 
> would feel more welcome.

Me too.  As in this is something that has gone missing
for some while, and we need it back.

> Which comes back to the problem of HUMBUG attracting new blood.  It is 
> ironic that was OSS has become more popular HUMBUG membership has 
> declined.   Online resources are much better now, granted, but there is 
> still an important place for user groups.
> 
> I have to say I like  James Iseppi's idea of holding regular talk meetings 
> like other groups in addition to the existing meetings.
> 
> What about one "talk" meeting and one long "computerfest" meeting per 
> month.  If I was back in Aus I'd really be pushing forward with this, but 
> I'm not :(

Clinton tried to contact the Uni's student computer science club
last year - well he did it with UQ and I with QUT.  Unfortunately
since Compulsory Student Unionism was dropped these clubs have
all but disappeared, so in the end it was a dismal failure.  I
was thinking or trying again this year, but I don't hold out much
hope.

Which illustrates the problem really.  Where do you promote 
yourself?  I am having trouble thinking up places to look.
It seems odd.  We effectively offer the time of computer 
experts free, and hand out software for free, yet I can't 
think of a place that we can promote this.  

If someone is willing to float ideas from Canada, I am willing
to be the gofer that tries to implement them.

> I'm glad you said this.  I haven't touched MS-Windows to any significant 
> degree for more than a decade :)

Yes.  As far as I can remember we have always been Windows 
hostile.  Seems reasonable to me, as we are essentially an
open source club.  The only real quibble I have is it is 
sometimes expressed a little too enthusiastically.

> HUMBUG does need to pick up the advertising though.  Even in the early 
> years we did quite a lot of online advertising (comp.os.linux when it was 
> very popular, etc).  Is that still occuring?

To my knowledge - no.  But it could.  Can you suggest any 
places we could try?