[SGVLUG] Fw: [Re: Talk?]

[David Lawyer]

On Fri, May 19, 2006 at 01:55:09PM -0700, Michael Proctor-Smith wrote:
> You know I maybe excommunicated for this but I really getting tired of
> all the but new people will not like subject X when people suggest
> advanced subjects.
> 
> So from now on when ever anyone suggest a beginner subject, I am going
> to say but advanced users will not like subject Y. Fact of the matter
> is always having beginner subjects will lead to losing advanced
> members

This argument is not the converse of the other because it's not a
symmetrical issue.  For a topic that everyone can understand (and I
wouldn't call it "beginner subject" since it may involve economics and
politics, etc.) everyone leaves the meeting with the feeling that they
understood it.  Perhaps a few do quit because it was not technical
enough.  But for the converse situation, a number of people didn't
understand hardly any of it and thus wasted their time.  They are not
likely to try it again.  In general, you feel worse about something
you didn't understand than something that was too elementary.

Over the long run, you may gain more people than you lose by insuring
that people will understand most of the presentation.  However, and
I've suggested it before, the best idea would be to have two meetings
at the same time at the same place.  One mostly for beginners and the
other advanced.  Then if you go to the advanced topic and don't
understand it, you simply walk out and walk into the other meeting :-).

Perhaps this is going too far, but what about 3 different meetings
going on at once: newbies, intermediate, and advanced.  For the newbie
meeting, you could have an install fest at each meeting for people who
have never used Linux before.  You need to have a lot of publicity for
such meetings and attract people who know little about Linux.

A problem: We would need 3 small rooms for this plus perhaps one big
room for a general assembly where the newbies meet the advanced :-).

[snip]
			David Lawyer