[ale] membership drive

[Beddingfield, Allen]

We have had multiple failed attempts at starting a Linux user group in Alabama.  There was an attempt at creating one in Birmingham, and multiple attempts in Tuscaloosa. There are a core few of us who are consistently active in the Linux world, including one person on the Slackware dev team.  If you don't mind adding a few more non-Atlanta Linux geeks into the mix, I will mention to them about the list, and see if they want to join and participate.
Allen B.

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Allen Beddingfield
Systems Engineer
The University of Alabama
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From: ale-bounces at ale.org [ale-bounces at ale.org] on behalf of Jim Kinney [jim.kinney at gmail.com]
Sent: Wednesday, November 06, 2013 1:34 PM
To: Atlanta Linux Enthusiasts - Yes! We run Linux!
Subject: [ale] membership drive

As I've mentioned before the ALE list membership has fallen from its decade + norm of around 1600 to its current low of 459.

The landscape of online communities has changed in the past 10 years. Some changes were good, other were not. A walled garden like Faceplant is the antithesis of what Linux is about.

ALE has certainly changed over the years.

What can be done to get people involved in ALE? By 'involved' I mean on the list and participating (on topic mostly), coming to meetings, doing projects like installfests or mentoring or other stuff.

Aaron and I and others had discussed public service like setting up and maintaining Linux-based kiosks in community centers and elderly homes as well as providing regular classes for training people how to use them.

Philosophically, the need for ALE has shifted as Linux as grown in acceptance. We used to be about "how do I..?" but now maybe more "here's how to ..." is more appropriate.

A lot of now professional Linux people got their start with ALE. We have a respected jobs list and now a LOPSA affiliated group is reaching critical mass.

How can we leverage the talent we have for extending the community use of Linux while broadening the ALE user base? Bake sale? Door-to-door "Can I talk to you about using Linux?" campaigns? Throw an annual "We use Linux!" party and invite every comp-sci major for 100 miles? Adopt a school and maintain their computers for students and teachers using nothing but Linux? Offer free classes in how to use different application in most distros as replacements for welded-hood applications? Outreach to women specifically how?

Thinking caps on please and fork this thread for ideas when needed.

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James P. Kinney III

Every time you stop a school, you will have to build a jail. What you gain at one end you lose at the other. It's like feeding a dog on his own tail. It won't fatten the dog.
- Speech 11/23/1900 Mark Twain

http://heretothereideas.blogspot.com/