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@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
<title>Linux User Group HOWTO
<author><url name="Rick Moen" url="mailto:rick@linuxmafia.com"></author>
<date>v1.6.6, 2003-08-04
<date>v1.6.7, 2003-08-04
<abstract>
The Linux User Group HOWTO is a guide to founding, maintaining, and
@ -92,7 +92,7 @@ they are done by a LUG.
<sect1>What is a user group?
<p>
Computer user groups, at least in the United States, are not new. In
Computer user groups, at least in the USA, are not new. In
fact, they were central to the personal computer's history:
Microcomputers arose in large part to satisfy demand for affordable,
personal access to computing resources from electronics, ham radio, and
@ -100,10 +100,10 @@ other hobbyist user groups. Giants like IBM eventually discovered the
PC to be a good and profitable thing, but initial impetus came from the
grassroots.
In the United States, user groups have changed -- many for the worse --
In the USA, user groups have changed -- many for the worse --
with the times. The financial woes and dissolution of the largest user
group ever, the Boston Computer Society, were well-reported; but, all
over the US, most PC user groups have seen memberships decline.
over the USA, most PC user groups have seen memberships decline.
American user groups in their heyday produced newsletters, maintained
shareware and diskette libraries, held meetings and social events, and,
sometimes, even ran electronic bulletin board systems (BBSes). With the
@ -496,27 +496,27 @@ Linux talent.
The relationship is mutually beneficial: Consultants aid LUGs by
providing experienced leadership, both technically and organisationally,
while LUGs aid consultants by putting them in contact with the kinds of
potential clients. New and inexperienced users gain benefit from both
LUGs and consultants, since their routine or simple requests for support
are handled by LUGs <it>gratis</it>, and their complex needs and
problems -- the kind obviously requiring a paid consultant's services --
can be handled by consultants the LUG helps them contact.
while LUGs aid consultants by putting them in contact with potential
clients. New and inexperienced users gain benefit from both LUGs and
consultants, since their routine or simple requests for support are
handled by LUGs <it>gratis</it>, and their complex needs and problems --
the kind obviously requiring a paid consultant's services -- can be
handled by consultants the LUG helps them contact.
The line between support requests needing a consultant and those
that don't is sometimes indistinct; but, in most cases, the difference
is clear. While a LUG doesn't want to gain the reputation for
pawning new users off unnecessarily on consultants -- as this is simply
rude and very anti-Linux behaviour -- there is no reason for LUGs not to
help broker contacts between the users who need consulting services
and the professionals who offer them.
help broker contacts between users needing consulting services and
professionals offering them.
Caveat: While "the difference is clear" to intelligent people of goodwill,
the Inevitable Ones are <it>also</it> always with us, who act willfully
dense about the limits of free support when they have pushed those
limits too far. Remember, too, my earlier point about the vast majority
of the population valuing everything at acquisition cost (instead of use
value), including what they receive for free. This leads some,
value), <it>including what they receive for free</it>. This leads some,
especially some in the corporate world, to use (and abuse) LUG
technical support with wild abandon, while simultaneously complaining
bitterly of its inadequate detail, insufficient promptness, supposedly
@ -537,7 +537,7 @@ participation: code, documentation, technical assistance to the public,
etc.
Clash between the two very different value-based cultures is inevitable
and can be a bit ugly, and LUG activists should be prepared to intercede
and can become a bit ugly. LUG activists should be prepared to intercede
before the ingrate newcomer is handed her head on a platter, and
politely suggest that her needs would be better served by paid
(consultant-based) services. There will always be judgement calls;
@ -549,8 +549,8 @@ There are things one may be willing to do for free, to assist others in the
Linux community, that one will refuse to do for money: Shifting from
assisting someone as a volunteer fundamentally changes the relationship.
A fellow hobbyist who suddenly becomes a customer is a very different
person, and one's responsibilities are quite different. You're advised
to be aware, if not wary, of this distinction.
person; one's responsibilities are quite different, and greater. You're
advised to be aware, if not wary, of this distinction.
Please see Joshua Drake's <url name="Linux Consultants Guide"
url="http://www.tldp.org/LDP/lcg/html/"> for an
@ -615,7 +615,7 @@ that could add up to <it>hundreds of millions</it> of dollars towards
development of improved Linux tools and applications.
<p>
A users group can encourage members to contribute to various
A user group can encourage members to contribute to various
"development projects". Having some form of "charitable tax exemption"
status can encourage members to contribute directly to the group,
getting tax deductions as appropriate, with contributions flowing on to
@ -629,7 +629,7 @@ individually wish to support.
<p>
This section lists possible candidates. None are explicitly being
recommended here, but the list represents useful food for
thought. Many are registered as charities in the United States, thus
thought. Many are registered as charities in the USA, thus
making US contributions tax-deductible.
<p>
@ -812,14 +812,14 @@ most user groups). LUGs have these kinds of meetings:
What do LUGs do at these meetings?
<itemize>
<item>Install Linux for newcomers and strangers</item>
<item>Teach members about Linux</item>
<item>Compare Linux to other operating systems</item>
<item>Teach members about software running on Linux</item>
<item>Discuss Linux advocacy</item>
<item>Discuss the free software / open-source movement</item>
<item>Discuss user group business</item>
<item>Eat, drink, and be merry</item>
<item>Install Linux for newcomers and strangers.</item>
<item>Teach members about Linux.</item>
<item>Compare Linux to other operating systems.</item>
<item>Teach members about software running on Linux.</item>
<item>Discuss Linux advocacy.</item>
<item>Discuss the free software / open-source movement.</item>
<item>Discuss user group business.</item>
<item>Eat, drink, and be merry.</item>
</itemize>
@ -829,7 +829,7 @@ The commercial rise of the Internet coincided roughly with that of
Linux; the latter owes something to the former. The 'Net has always been
important to Linux development. LUGs are no different: Most have Web
pages, if not whole Web sites. In fact, I'm not sure how else to find a
LUG, but to check the Web.
LUG, but to check the Web.
It makes sense, then, for a LUG to make use of whatever Internet
technologies they can: Web sites, mailing lists, wikis, FTP, e-mail, Web
@ -843,6 +843,40 @@ because it advertises their existence and helps organise members,
but, in deploying these technologies, LUG members
learn about them and see Linux at work.
Arguably, a well-maintained Web site is the one must-have, among those
Internet resources. My essay
<url name="Recipe for a Successful Linux User Group"
url="http://linuxmafia.com/~rick/essays/newlug.html">, for that reason,
spends considerable time discussing Web issues. Quoting it (in outline form):
<itemize>
<item>You need a Web page.
<item>Your Web page needs a reasonable URL.
<item>You need a regular meeting location.
<item>You need a regular meeting time.
<item>You need to avoid meeting-time conflicts.
<item>You need to make sure that meetings happen as advertised, without fail.
<item>You need a core of several Linux enthusiasts.
<item>Your core volunteers need out-of-band methods of communication.
<item>You need to get on the main lists of LUGs, and keep your entries accurate.
<item>You must have login access to maintain your Web pages, as needed.
<item>Design your Web page to be forgiving of deferred maintenance.
<item>Always include the day of the week, when you cite event dates. Always check that day of the week, first, using gcal.
<item>Place time-sensitive and key information prominently near the top of your main Web page.
<item>Include maps and directions to your events.
<item>Emphasise on your main page that your meeting will be free of charge and open to the public (if it is).
<item>You'll want to include an RSVP "mailto" hyperlink, on some events.
<item>Use referral pages.
<item>Make sure every page has a revision date and maintainer link.
<item>Check all links, at intervals.
<item>You may want to consider establishing a LUG mailing list.
<item>You don't need to be in the Internet Service Provider business.
<item>Don't go into any other business, either.
<item>Walk the walk.
</itemize>
That essay partly supplements (and partly overlaps) this HOWTO.
Some LUGs using the Internet effectively:
<itemize>
@ -930,7 +964,7 @@ There are several organisations offering assistance to LUGs.
<itemize>
<item>Determine the nearest pre-existing LUG</item>
<item>Determine the nearest existing LUG</item>
<item>Announce your intentions on <tt>comp.os.linux.announce</tt> and on an appropriate regional hierarchy</item>
<item>Announce your intention wherever computer users are in your area: bookstores, swap meets, cybercafes, colleges and universities, corporations, Internet service providers, etc.</item>
<item>Find Linux-friendly businesses or institutions in your area willing to help you form the LUG</item>
@ -990,21 +1024,37 @@ There are several organisations offering assistance to LUGs.
<sect1>Legal issues
<p>
<sect1>United States
The case for formal LUG organisation can be debated:
<p>
There is a strong case to be made for formal organisation of
LUGs. I will not make that case here. If, however, you are interested
in formally organising your LUG, this section will
introduce you to some relevant issues.
<it>Pro:</it> Incorporation and recognised tax-exemption limits
liability and helps the group carry insurance. It aids fundraising.
It avoids claims for tax on group income.
<it>Con:</it> Liability shouldn't be a problem for modestly careful
people. You're not doing skydiving, after all. Fundraising isn't needed
for a group whose activities needn't involve significant expenses.
(Dead-tree newsletters are so 1980.) Not needing a treasury, you avoid
needing to argue over it, file reports about it, or fear it being taxed
away. Meeting space can usually be gotten for free at ISPs, colleges,
pizza parlours, brewpubs, coffeehouses, computer-training firms,
Linux-oriented companies, or other friendly institutions, and can
therefore be free of charge to the public. No revenues and no expenses
means less need for organisation and comcomitant hassles.
For what it's worth, this HOWTO's originator and second maintainer lean,
respectively, towards the pro and con sides of the debate -- but choose
your own poison: If interested in formally organising your LUG, this
section will introduce you to some relevant issues.
<bf>Note:</bf> this section should not be construed as competent legal
counsel. These issues require the expertise of competent legal
counsel; you should, before acting on any of the statements made in
this section, consult an attorney.
There are at least two different legal statuses a LUG in the United
States may attain:
<sect2>United States of America
<p>
There are at least two different legal statuses a LUG in the USA may
attain:
<enum>
<item>incorporation as a non-profit entity</item>
@ -1045,7 +1095,7 @@ Finally, there are resources available on the Internet for non-profit
and tax-exempt organisations. Some of the material is probably
relevant to your LUG.
<sect1>Canada
<sect2>Canada
<p>
Thanks to <htmlurl name="Chris Browne" url="mailto:cbbrowne@cbbrowne.com">
for the following comments about the Canadian situation.
@ -1058,15 +1108,14 @@ requiring that similar sorts of added paperwork be filed by the
"charity" with the tax authorities in order to attain and maintain
certified charity status.
<sect1>Germany
<sect2>Germany
<p>
Correspondent <htmlurl name="Thomas Kappler" url="Thomas.Kappler@stud.uni-karlsruhe.de"> warns that the process of founding a non-profit entity in Germany
is a bit complicated, but is comprehensively covered at <url
name="http://www.wegweiser-buergergesellschaft.de/praxishilfen/arbeit_im_verein/vereinsrecht/vereinsgruendung_1.php" url="http://www.wegweiser-buergergesellschaft.de/praxishilfen/arbeit_im_verein/vereinsrecht/vereinsgruendung_1.php">.
<sect1>Political issues
<sect1>Software politics
<p>
<url name="Chris Browne" url="mailto:cbbrowne@cbbrowne.com"> has the
following to say about the kinds of intra-LUG political dynamics that
@ -1181,6 +1230,46 @@ With the growth of Linux-based financial software, regular reports are
now quite practical. With the growth of the Internet, it should even be
possible to publish these on the World-Wide Web.
<sect1>Elections, democracy, and turnover
<p>
Operating your LUG via democratic process is absolutely vital -- if and
only if you believe it is. I intend that remark somewhat less cynically
than it probably sounds, as I shall explain.
Tangible stakes in LUG politics tend to be minuscule to the point of
comic opera: There are typically no real assets, and differences can be
resolved by either engineering around them with technology (the Linux-ey
solution) or through the trivial exercise of setting up a parallel
effort (either in an additional LUG or otherwise). Moreover, even the
most militantly "democratic" LUGs typically field, like clockwork,
exactly as many candidates as there are offices to be elected -- not a
soul more.
It's tempting to mock such exercises, as form over substance, but such
is not (much) my intent (nor to claim irregularities). Rather, I
mention them to point out something more significant: Active volunteers
are vital, and should be encouraged. It seems likely that the
"democratic" exercise stressed in some groups, substantive or not,
encourages participation, and gives those elected a sense of status and
legitimacy. Those are Good Things.
Thus, if elections and formal structure help involve active
participants, use them. If their absence helps attract participants,
lose them. If door-prizes and garage sales bring people in, do
door-prizes and garage sales. Participation, as much as software, is
the lifeblood of your LUG.
Last, plan for your replacement: If your LUG is a college student
group, and must go through a paperwork deathmarch every year to stay
accredited, make sure that and all other vital processes are documented,
so new LUG officers needn't figure everything out from scratch. Think
of it as a systems-engineering problem: You're trying to eliminate
single points of failure.
And what works for the guys in the next town may not work for your crowd:
Surprise! The keys to this puzzle are still being sought. So, please
experiment, and let me know what works for you, so I can tell others.
Have fun!
<sect>About this document
@ -1208,7 +1297,7 @@ them to me at <htmlurl name="rick@linuxmafia.com"
url="mailto:rick@linuxmafia.com">. <it>I am especially interested in
hearing from LUG leaders around the world</it>. I'd like to include
real-life examples of things described here. I'd also like to include
more on LUGs outside the United States, to reduce this HOWTO's residual
more on LUGs outside the USA, to reduce this HOWTO's residual
US-centrism. Please let me know of things your group does meriting
description here.
@ -1237,6 +1326,10 @@ added caveat about conflicting value systems in support contexts. Added
more news sites, reordered examples of LUGs using Internet well. General
tightening of phrasing, greater brevity in places.
<item>1.6.6: More small fixes, added Yahoo LUG list.
<item>1.6.7: Added formal-organisational pros/cons, "Elections,
democracy, and turnover" section, Web site suggestions, and link
to Recipe for a Successful Linux User Group" essay. Fixed mis-tagged
sections under "Legal and political issues".
</itemize>