Users Groups - cineplex style - many groups meeting same time same place
A bit of preface: I was president/founder of 2 users groups in late 1980's, early 1990s - including one in Dallas. I've dropped out of users groups the past 10 years due to extensive travel and am now getting established (new home office) in South Austin to get more involved in the community. Mid life crisis is also kicking in, I've been a professional geek now for over 20 years.
I did recently spend 14 days in Williamsburg/Brooklyn NYC and reading on the internet was am real awakening to me of the new kind of rapid users groups without all the formality - like BarCamp. I also see Austin as really being a leading community. it is sort of "free sex of the 60's for knowledge" (without the sex).
I almost wonder if three is a need to have a industry wide Users Group night. And you have a cineplex style event - aka Comdex/CES. Where you can wonder in and out of any topic you want. And a central membership dues to pay for the facility.
I believe the USA is going into a major economic decline and really needs to find out 1) how to save, 2) how to invest in good ideas vs. assets, 3) how to better use energy and get out of the 9to5 business conformance. I don't want to see us give up the knowledge business like we did the manufacturing industry.
I've found many decent food/pizza places are more than welcome to give up A LOT of floorspace (2/3) or more on a Sunday. Instead of people going out to swap meets to consume - encourage people to go out on Sunday to learn.
Planting the seed of the idea right here, anyone else interested?
This is a good idea. My hope was that I could list [eventually] all the local user groups in the Links section of the website. I'd love to have a representative of every group on door64 to field questions and post their events on our calendar.
My problem is how to organize it, and where to have it (and since virtually no place is free to use, how to sponsor it.)