[ale] ALE forward

[Phil Turmel]

On 08/09/2016 09:38 AM, Jim Kinney wrote:
> One of the names that should have been at the top. Thanks for filtering
> spam from the ale-jobs list.
> 
> Just be clear, I'm not leaving ALE. This is more of a recognition of my
> strengths and weaknesses and a process to get talent to fill the many
> gaps I provide. I'm an idea person and a terrible maintainer. I automate
> everything with sysadmin work. If I do tomorrow what I did yesterday,
> that's boring to me.

That you're not leaving matters a great deal:

I try to be careful volunteering in organizations because I have in the
past found myself in leadership roles just like you, where my skills
don't match the need.  I then fumble along while people growl at my
foibles.  Having a "past president" handy for advice and encouragement
makes volunteering much more reasonable.  Sure helps when old contacts
pop up and introductions are needed.

One thing I've learned to *never* volunteer:  I won't handle an
organization's money, other than petty cash.  I have to handle my own
finances and for my business because the IRS holds a huge hammer over my
head.  Someone else will have to volunteer for that.

The rest inline:

>>     On Aug 9, 2016, at 9:23 AM, Jim Kinney <jim.kinney at gmail.com
>>     <mailto:jim.kinney at gmail.com>> wrote:

>>     I'm a really crappy organizer. I've got offers for assistance that
>>     I lose track of (thanks Mark!). I don't make/have the time to
>>     chase down speakers. I've got a standing offer from our hosting
>>     guy to get a new system and I've not been able to afford the time
>>     to coordinate the migration for 2 years when I don't forget about
>>     it entirely. The website really needs a rework and I stink at design.

I'd be happy to help maintain/migrate the server.  I run two real
mailservers and a number of low-traffic apache servers.  I haven't
learned to use an orchestration system yet, but ssh works great for
these light-duty servers.  I'm comfortable with servers at this scale.
It shouldn't be just me, though.  This is one spot that shouldn't have a
single point of failure.  I think at least three members with ssh access
to the server and access to the hosting provider control panel.

I stink at design too, but I know enough PHP, HTML, CSS, and javascript
to tweak and tune whatever we put up, even if it's just a generic
wordpress theme.  I'm sure if anything we do is too ugly we'll get some
free advice.  I can execute other's design advice, too.

>>     ALE can do better with someone else "running things". I really
>>     don't run things. I'm more of a place holder who is rather
>>     calendar and clock challenged.
>>
>>     As ALE first splintered into the multiple compass groups about a
>>     decade ago, I saw it as going through it's early death throes.  It
>>     is now reorganizing into a larger, yet more dispersed group with
>>     the ALE umbrella of the former GA-400 and the NE, SW and Central
>>     and the student affiliations at area schools. JD had the vision
>>     for the current process thanks in large part to his affiliation
>>     with the GA400 group and seeing to natural overlap.

I remember your pep talk / ultimatum.  Seems to me it worked. :-)

>>     We have a Central meeting in 2 weeks. No speaker yet as usual. I
>>     do have a speaker for Sept!
>>
>>     Is it possible to have an ALE organizers meeting one hour before
>>     the regular meeting so we can get some ideas together? Or should
>>     this _be_ the August meeting? I'm fine with either or both.

Unfortunately, my fracking customer called me out to Oklahoma next week,
so I'm not going to make it.  Which is why I'm being a bit verbose...
I'll be back in time for DragonCon, though, if any of y'all want to do a
sidebar there.

>>     What we need to discuss is:
>>
>>     What needs to happen to transition away from Jim's tenuous grasp
>>     of the ALE strings?

Administratively, just introduction of new server admins to the domain
owner and setting up the necessary server/provider access.  With
announcement on all platforms of the new contacts.

>>     What does ALE want to look like in 2, 5, 7 years?
>>     What can be done to make ALE the central, non-distro specific
>>     locus of all thing Linux in the metro Atlanta area, Georgia,
>>     SouthEast, global domination co-chairs with the Linux Foundation
>>     where Steve Balmer plunges the toilets after parties? (I can
>>     dream, can't I?)

Might be time to revive the Atlanta Linux Showcase brand -- we have some
people with conference hosting experience.  I'd like to help do this.

>>     What do we need to do to more formally organize so ALE can be
>>     effective at it's mission?

Anything big (ALS) will need at least non-profit status, I think, which
means incorporation. ( ~ $ )

>>     What _IS_ the mission of ALE?

I think it should be the most visible proponent of all and sundry
Linux-based technologies in Georgia, at least.  I'd like to see a
revived ALS rival/complement SELF.

Phil