An idea for PHP UGs

One of the regular challenges in organizing a PHP UG is getting good speakers. I thought I'd share an idea with everyone and get some feedback.

Recently, I started another UG here in Milwaukee, this one focusing on functional programming, but no one specific language. I had a nice conversation with Bryan Hunter who organizes the Nashville FP group before our first meetup and one of the things he said really resonated with me. Part of their monthly meetup is a "show and tell" section. Anyone can get up and talk for 5 - 10 minutes about something they found useful or interesting. No slides, nothing formal. Maybe it's a snippet of code they're proud of, a new language feature they figured out, maybe a podcast or an article or conference talk they found helpful. The goal is to get more people involved, especially those that wouldn't feel confident enough to stand up and give a formal 30 - 60 minute talk.

I tried this and I found it really fun. We had maybe 20 people at the first Milwaukee FP group and 6 or 7 did a "show and tell". We're going to try it at the June Milwaukee PHP meetup and see how it goes.

Has anyone else tried this? What do you think of the idea? 

Joel Clermont