[clug] The harsh realities of CLUG (Interim Summary)

[Paul Wayper]

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On 06/04/2011 11:58 PM, Steve Walsh wrote:
> Chris Smart wrote:
>> That's good, but you've offered to _take it away_ from Paul. Not help
>> him do it, but remove it from him completely. Maybe that's not really
>> helpful for Paul?
>>   
> 
> So when Paul publically says he thinks he may be over-committed, or has too
> much on his plate and may have to give up something, the wrong thing to do is
> to offer to take something I know (from personal experience) to be a
> substantial time sink off his hands (which is when two of those offers were
> made) ?

I'm a little puzzled here.

Steve, my memory is telling me that we haven't met very often since you moved
to Canberra.  I think, somewhere in one of those meetings, we might have
talked about organising the meetings.  It's certainly not a definite event
that I can remember precisely, nor can I deny it ever happening, so whatever's
happened there in the crossed wires of my memory it hasn't been definite
enough for me to remember it better.  If I'd definitely knocked you back, or
you'd made your case that you were ready to take the burden from me, I'm
fairly sure I'd remember that.  If I have inadvertently done that, I did not
intend to and I welcome any expression of interest from you, or anyone, in
running, or helping run, any part of the CLUG meetings.

I know that differs from what you've remembered.  I also know that you are
fairly busy, you have only occasionally come to CLUG meetings since your
return to Canberra.  I believe you care about the CLUG and want to see the
meetings be run effectively.  When you handed the job of PSIG organiser to me
it was because I'd been coming along to most of the talks, had been helping
out at the meetings, and had shown a similar level of interest to your own.
When I took over from Chris Smart running the main meetings it was because
Chris's priorities had shifted and I wanted to do a better job than he was
able to at that stage.

I've also asked several times, at meetings and on the email list, for people
to help me organise the meetings, to do some of the tasks involved in running
them.  I have then been embarrassed when the people who had told me they would
do the job then did not actually turn up and do it.  So my desire to give the
job to anyone that comes along and says "yeah, I'll do it, it shouldn't be too
hard" is low.  I do need a bit of convincing that the person is serious about
their interest in the group and understands the time commitments involved.

I care a lot about the group, and my ways of showing this are to a) try to
organise the meetings to the best of my ability, b) turn up and be a part of
the meetings, and c) talk to people I meet about the CLUG and why it's useful.

To make my point of view clear, if anyone wants the job of organising the
CLUG, the CLUG PSIG, or anything else, approach me and ask.  Steve, if you
want the job, I'd be happy to give it to you.  If I'm doing a crappy job, say
so.  I'm not going to dump it and walk away - not until I'm three orders of
magnitude more time-poor and pissed off than I currently am.  I'd love help
with organising and running the meetings.  That help can come in any form and
at any level - finding new speakers, giving talks, greeting newcomers,
updating the website, running events like installfests and Software Freedom
Day, and so forth.

I'm going to give the job to someone that wants to do it more than I do, not
someone that thinks they're saving me from a chore.

If anyone wants to talk to me in person about it, email me, call me on 0422
392 081, or use those methods to set up a meeting - over a beer, perhaps :-)
Keeping the discussion on the CLUG list is also fine.

Hope this helps,

Paul
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