From 999723587fa97b2673f9c7e0aa0d8ffa37d3569e Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: gferg <> Date: Tue, 5 Aug 2003 00:42:44 +0000 Subject: [PATCH] updated --- LDP/howto/linuxdoc/User-Group-HOWTO.sgml | 175 +++++++++++++++++------ 1 file changed, 134 insertions(+), 41 deletions(-) diff --git a/LDP/howto/linuxdoc/User-Group-HOWTO.sgml b/LDP/howto/linuxdoc/User-Group-HOWTO.sgml index 4fc2300d..901ce60f 100644 --- a/LDP/howto/linuxdoc/User-Group-HOWTO.sgml +++ b/LDP/howto/linuxdoc/User-Group-HOWTO.sgml @@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ 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>