TCMUG Thoughts

[David Bitner]

> > I think those are all good ideas. I could see the group pseudo
> > sponsoring
> > speakers for the larger GIS community. That is, we arrange presentations
> > by folks in the Open Source community at places like the UMN for
> > example.
> >
> > As for formalizing. I'm not sure what that means. Like officers
> > (president,
> > treasurer) with dues and such? An annual golf tournament? I don't know
> > if we're ready for that or not. I know the foundation, should it take
> > off, isn't.
> >   Not yet anyway.


I agree that we are not really at the stage with the numbers we have
that having officers and everything would do any good.  I guess my
thinking is more to try to get users groups integrated somehow into
the structure of the foundation which I think would be something that
would need to happen now.  I don't really have any thouroughly thought
out ideas here, I just think this is the time to think about this kind
of thing.

If there was some sort of formalization of users groups, a somehow
appointed person from a users group could somehow be a representative
to the foundation of the users perspective.  I just see this as one of
the possiblilities for getting users representation in the foundation.
 I know others that sound good have also been bantered about.

If the users group was considered an arm of the foundation, they could
own things as a somehow legal entity.  This could make it possible to
have things like posters, possibly a lending library of books like Web
Mapping Illustrated, cd's to distribute full of code for all
foundation software, live cd distributions with foundation software to
use for demos, etc.

Again, I don't think that in the immediate future this is of concern,
but if the groundwork is laid now, I think things like this could be
easier in the future.


> > I guess at the moment I'd settle for just getting a series of meeting
> > scheduled
> > out 6 months and then wait and see how the foundation talk settles
> > out...
> >


I agree.  I would love to get a schedule going rather than the last
minute oops end of the month is coming....


>> > > Thoughts?  Comments?
> >
> > I personally do appreciate your willingness to get out in front of this
> > group to keep it moving. Thanks.
> >
> > Steve
> >