RE: [UG-ADMINS] Splitting the user group meetings into two - Beginner meetings and Intermediate/Advanced meetings

We announce our topics roughly 3 weeks out (give or take a week) from the
actual UG meeting.  We've stuck with topics that are centered around PHP, so
we don't normally get the general web development association.

The new people show up regardless of topic.  The feedback I've gotten from
them is that they've mainly been looking to get their feet wet with PHP, or
they were curious and the group seemed to be a good first step with finding
local people that have a PHP background they could talk to with questions or
get suggestions from.

Chris



-----Original Message-----
From: Michelangelo van Dam [mailto:[email protected]] 
Sent: Tuesday, January 19, 2010 3:36 PM
To: Brian Moon
Cc: Chris Stone; PHP User Group Admins
Subject: Re: [UG-ADMINS] Splitting the user group meetings into two -
Beginner meetings and Intermediate/Advanced meetings

I can affirm the same statement of Brian: we announce our topics in advance
and get that specific targeted audience. For favorite topics we have
standing rooms, for others (like PHP on Windows) we only get a few.

Michelangelo van Dam
Zend Certified PHP Engineer

Read my blog: http://dragonbe.com
Follow me: http://twitter.com/DragonBe

On 19 Jan 2010, at 20:58, Brian Moon wrote:

> We typically just get different demographics at our meetups.  We are
billed as a general "Web Development" group.  When we talk CSS and HTML, we
get more designers.  When we talk more tech stuff, the devs tend to show up.
We try and title and describe all of our meetups so that people know ahead
of time what to expect coming in.
> 
> Brian Moon
> Senior Web Engineer
> ------------------------------
> When you care enough to spend the very least.
> http://dealnews.com/
> 
> 
> On 1/19/10 1:15 PM, Chris Stone wrote:
>> Hello Everyone,
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> I'm going to be splitting the Baltimore user group in to 2 separate
>> meetings.   A beginner group and an intermediate/advanced group.  We've
had
>> people show up to the meetings and the topics are way out of their
league,
>> or are looking to get into PHP and see the advanced topics to start with
and
>> are completely turned off.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Everyone at the meetings are very supportive of the beginners and include
>> them in discussions, but the topics being presented are never geared
towards
>> them, and generally, the attendance is on a different level than they
are.
>> They've been viewing it as a huge turn off to PHP.  Which is something I
>> definitely do not want to happen.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> I'm hoping to get the first beginner meeting in by the end of the month,
and
>> depending on turn out, hold them every month.  At the worst end, I'll
setup
>> them up as bi-monthly until turnout and interest are higher.  Has anyone
>> else done something like this, and if so, how was your experience?  Any
>> suggestions?
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Thanks,
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Chris Stone
>> 
>> Baltimore PHP
>> 
>> baltimorephp.org
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
> 
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