Re: User Group Open Spaces notes from php[tek] 2016

You're quite welcome! Feel free to use or post this however you like.

Chris

On Thursday, May 26, 2016, Andreas Heigl <[email protected]> wrote:

> Thanks Chris for the sum up. Can I add that to the usergroup wiki for
> future reference?
>
> Cheers
>
> Andreas
> --
> Andreas Heigl
> [email protected] <javascript:;>
>
> > Am 26.05.2016 um 19:31 schrieb Chris Spruck <[email protected]
> <javascript:;>>:
> >
> > Hi all,
> >
> > Here are the notes I captured from our Open Spaces session on group
> > leadership. Apologies if I didn't attribute you or misstated something.
> > Hope this helps others!
> >
> > Chris
> > ======
> > User Group Leadership Open Spaces
> >
> > Attendees: Chris Spruck (AtlantaPHP), Joe Ferguson (MemphisPHP), Sammy K.
> > Powers (Chicago PHP UG), Mark McCollum (St. Louis Full Stack Developers),
> > Dave Stokes (North TX MySQL User Group), Cal Evans (Palm Beach PHP UG,
> > NomadPHP), Brian Retterer (DaytonPHP), James Titcumb (PHP Hampshire, PHP
> > SouthCoast conf), Ben Ramsey (NashvillePHP), Bill Condo (Columbus, OH PHP
> > User Group), Matt Turland (Gnocode New Orleans), Jeff Geerling (Ansible
> and
> > Drupal St. Louis), Michael Pickreign (NE PA, looking to start a group),
> > Travis Fettig (Palm Beach PHP UG)
> >
> > How do you handle lack of attendance? Joe said that MemphisPHP tries to
> > provide quality content, and not just a hack night. He encourages members
> > to present, and does more social events (which usually yields better
> > response due to the shorter time committment than a full meeting). Dave
> > made the point to be aware of time issues and entrance security
> processes,
> > depending on the location. James made the point that lack of attendance
> > isn't necessarily bad, and any consistency is good, even if you feel like
> > the numbers are low. Chris said that fast/immediate growth isn't urgent.
> >
> > Activities among groups? Cal and others mentioned joint Christmas
> parties,
> > summer BBQs, etc. with multiple groups, and Bill mentioned things like
> > Laravel/Wordpress/PHP joint activities. Don't forget about groups that
> use
> > PHP, but are more focused (Drupal, WP, etc.) - opportunity for speaker
> > cross-over and softer skills talks that can apply to any developer. Joe
> > mentioned "Super User Group meetups" - lightning talks across groups,
> > holiday parties, etc. These can be specific to group leaders or involve
> > entire groups.
> >
> > Beth Tucker Long (of MadisonPHP, @e3BethT) has "training talks" or some
> > kind of material developed to encourage cultivation of conference
> speakers
> > from within her user group.
> >
> > Someone mentioned using a Trello board for group members to suggest talk
> > ideas, talks they can present, etc.
> >
> > Consider PHP-adjacent talks and other tech (JavaScript, databases, etc.);
> > consider remote presenters or other groups.
> >
> > Look for chances to bring in someone nearby or passing through. Examples:
> > Coderabbi was at Laracon (in Kentucky), so Bill from Columbus asked him
> to
> > stay an extra day to present to Columbus PHP (Bill went to pick him up,
> > etc.) AtlantaPHP just had an extra "special speaker event", because
> > Sebastian Bergmann was in town the week after their regularly scheduled
> > meeting.
> >
> > SammyK - summarizes RFC activity for his group, so members can get a
> taste
> > of PHP internals w/o the stress.
> >
> > Alternative formats to consider: Show and Tell nights; test fests; bug
> fix
> > night; pair programming; screencast live coding; "bring your problem",
> code
> > reviews
> >
> > Cal asked "how do you level your content?" for junior vs advanced devs.
> > Dave said one of the Dallas groups has a different meeting for junior
> devs,
> > and Boston started a virtual online class for juniors, where people could
> > contact more experienced group members for help.
> >
> > It's a good idea for organizers to try to spot new people, to at least
> say
> > hello and make them feel welcome. Name badges are very helpful to break
> the
> > ice, remember names, etc.
> >
> > Do groups have free beer? A few people raised hands and said it's
> typically
> > sponsored by recruiters or third-parties. Some go out after the meeting
> to
> > another location.
> >
> > Try to have the next meeting topic ready to promote in advance, so people
> > know what's coming up and can plan accordingly. It definitely helps
> reduce
> > organizer stress to have a few speakers lined up ahead of time, and have
> > backup plans for cancellations.
> >
> > How to start a new group? Definitely get on Meetup, as the
> discoverability
> > factor is worth it. Ask attendees to bring new people. Public libraries
> are
> > good for meeting space, as well as banks and other places with a
> "community
> > space". Find local companies with devs, as they can help with space, new
> > presenters and attendees, etc. Look at local universities.
> >
> > Dues or fees? Depends on need and scope - some charge per event or
> special
> > event, some have annual dues, most have none. May need to charge for a
> > given event to cover expenses to bring in someone from far away.
> >
> > How to handle recruiter spam? Stop it at the source - moderate your
> mailing
> > lists. Be firm, but polite in person and set the expectations for their
> > behavior at meetings. Some openly allow recruiters to attend and speak or
> > mingle, and others limit it to before or after meetings or at
> > after-gatherings. Have solid guidelines for posting to your lists (see
> > AtlantaPHP's guidelines at http://atlantaphp.org/jobs/ - feel free to
> use
> > and adapt!)
>
>