We had another great meeting out with Bret and the Rhino crew. Ping pong definitely needs to become a more prominent part of that gathering!
We continued discussion about formalizing group leadership. One clear barrier arose: nobody wants to step on anyone's toes. While we don't currently have formal leaders, we definitely have leaders... those who have been stepping up in recent years.
To make this process legitimate, we need those people in the same room, together with others who are interested in involvement, to get somewhere in this discussion. With you guys there (Jeremy, Dallas, Arthur, Bret, Derek, etc...), we can move ahead with validity. I don't think anyone's trying to take anything over. We just want to get started and nobody wants to look ambitious and turn people off.
Comments
No barriers here, someone's
No barriers here, someone's just got to own it.
There is already a guideline for meeting structure found in the bottom right hand corner the Groups site: https://www.drupal.org/node/247952
Following that I think Utah just needs someone willing to help coordinate between the meetups. There should be a person who can help find presentations and promote the meetings. Right now it sort of falls on the person offering the meeting space but we often get too busy and have a hard time getting that worked out each month. An extra person to work out those details would be the helpful leadership role we need. So in other words: nothing changes except someone takes the time to help plan stuff.
I'm looking to you Joe to propose what you think is the ideal structure. If you don't have a suggestion on structure, then why not volunteer and BE the guy helping to string the meetups together?
I doubt you'll be stepping on anyone's toes and we quite obviously need someone who is willing to take it on. Own it for 6 months or a year and before your time's up figure out a way to pass the torch onto the next person. Perhaps even organize a BOF at the camp about it.
That's my two cents.
Proposal for group mission and leadership structure
Hey Mr. Drupal Utah license plate whose iconic beard is synonymous with Drupal Utah... you're kinda the recognized leader whether you want to call it that or cat herder or whatever. :)
Here's the proposal you asked for: https://docs.google.com/document/d/19Ohf-L5P3x5jgX9zbZtrjmIrWeII5PbiZAfi...
I'm curious to get feedback on the bigger scope I'm suggesting for this group. In December, it seemed like some were excited by it and others thought I was going way overboard. Perhaps for those who like this vision, there is no reason we can't do both. Those who prefer a smaller, informal experience can continue that way, but also benefit from the efforts of those who want to make it bigger.
I know Perfectly Posh is very anxious to find more qualified candidates to hire. They don't seem to be available in Utah and that won't change if we don't do something that helps to find and develop people as Drupal developers/builders.
Sorry, bad link above. This
Sorry, bad link above. This should work: https://docs.google.com/document/d/19Ohf-L5P3x5jgX9zbZtrjmIrWeII5PbiZAfi...
One of the suggestions that
One of the suggestions that came out of that meeting (I think Kazanir suggested it) that I really liked: Perhaps instead of president, secretary, some other stuffy title etc... perhaps what we need is titles that match with area of responsibility.
For example, perhaps we just have a committee that you get to volunteer for. I feel it's very important that there are term limits so that you don't get stuck in your role forever. People go through different stages in their lives where they have more or less time for volunteer efforts such as DUG. Anyway, the committee members could just have different hats: President (you do need one leader I think), Event Coordinator, Outreach coordinator, Ambassador, Website guy, etc...
I feel like something like that would be a good compromise between the more formal titles and the informal roles we have now.
The benefit is that you spread the load and we get more traction as a community.
I actually think the guidelines Jeremy linked to https://www.drupal.org/node/247952 are a load of crap. No wonder we only get 4 or 5 people showing up at DUG meetings. The presentation is optional? If there's no presentation where is the educational value? I've found the social value after going enough times because now I have friends at the meeting and I go and socialize and talk shop etc... Sometimes we spend the whole time planning or discussing the future of our community, but most times it is only valuable if I get to learn something or have my question answered, especially if I'm new to the community.
The goal can't be "show up and talk" or else half the time it was a total waste of your time to go. My opinion is that every time we have a meeting as a community whether it be a camp or a monthly DUG meeting we have an agenda that aligns with our mission statement (I know we don't have an official one yet but it's implied): Educate, Network, Promote Drupal. I love the socializing beforehand and the bar should definitely be involved. But the education part needs to be there. In my mind that means some poor sap has to be called upon to present something.... anything. But you have to have something. Show off a module, have a panel discussion, discuss how to use the API, something...
If we start providing value that aligns with our goals as a community at every meeting I think we'll be surprised at how fast the community will attract new participants.
Anyway, I like what's been said so far. Perhaps the person providing the space should not be in charge of setting the agenda. Jeremy's suggestion to delegate that a bit makes a lot of sense. I need to finish reading Joe's google doc, but so far I like where it's going.
DUG meetings are the foundation
To address something I coming out in Dallas' response:
DUG meetings are the foundation of our community. The meetings provide a place to grow interest in Drupal and network with others. The DUG meetings organically produce people who want to share their ideas and people who want to make a difference in the community. A strong community foundation here allows us to do bigger and greater things like camps, core code sprints, mentoring programs, etc... I feel like anything we are doing that detracts from the purpose of these meetings is detrimental to this foundation.
For the above reasons I feel like the most important position/job/role at this time is someone who can help coordinate the DUG meetings. I agree that the "show up and talk" is arguably not valuable to most people who come.
From where I stand I see little reason to put together some big leadership structure when we can't even get people to present at DUG meetings.
You really nailed it Jeremy.
You really nailed it Jeremy. It's all about the Dug meeting isn't it? It's the foundation of our community. I'm right with you there.
I also agree that the most important role we need to fill is event coordinator.
I guess where we disagree is I feel that some light structure with clearly defined roles and term limits would strengthen the DUG meeting and thereby strengthen the community.
Maybe we start out small and just have one role: Event Coordinator. 6 month term limit. If that role is over-burdened then we start adding more roles and spreading the load out.
Looking forward to discussing this more on Thursday at Lever Pulley!
I don't see that part as a
I don't see that part as a disagreement. I see what you suggest as being the natural progression of things. It will get us to the desired organization that Joe is trying to get us to.
There is another side of this entire discussion that hasn't happened yet. Defining roles and job descriptions are actually the easy part. It's getting people to commit and actually engaged the role is the hard part.
That being said, who is going to be our first coordinator? To get started we need one person to volunteer for the role, after that we can figure out how the group selects the subsequent coordinators.
I definitely want to help.
I definitely want to help. But if I'm going to make time, I want to feel confident that it's meaningful and sustainable.
I know I could run fast and do some really cool things for the community with my own initiative, but I've volunteered in past clubs where everyone loves the willingness of one person to be the hero. The moment you're ready for someone else to take a turn, nobody steps up because they don't want to try to fill such big shoes. Then you either have to keep running for everyone else's benefit (and start resenting it) or watch all your hard work evaporate.
If we have five or so group officers that are willing to be accountable to a clear mission for a set period, we can do great things without one person having to do too much. If we have clearly defined roles for each person and have a mechanism for each to be publicly accountable for achieving them, we ensure each person does his/her part, receiving deserved credit in the eyes of the group when they step up and rightfully having their reputation diminished if they choose to be unreliable after committing (without really good reasons). The best thing is that it's sustainable over time as others step into the roles knowing the workload will be shared and feeling like they're part of something that really makes a difference.
I would be glad to help recruit this group... I think they're right in front of our face and have maybe refused to commit in the past for the reasons I explained above. We don't need heroes. We need a repeatable system that helps us consistently achieve a mission that inspires participation.
I agree with Dallas about
I agree with Dallas about having a light structure. I don't know if I agree with the one person idea, though--maybe it would be better if we had three of four people. Really what we need more people for is organizing Drupal Camp. These people may not be needed throughout the rest of the year, but it would be nice to have them on deck when DCU comes up.
In the last Draper DUG meeting, we were talking about how we could become more of Drupal Utah and not necessarily Drupal Salt Lake, Drupal Draper, Drupal Provo, etc. A more unified community. I think if we had some sort of leadership roles structure it might help.
That's just my two cents.
I'd like to see the roles
I'd like to see the roles written down and agreed upon and responsibilities defined and term of service set before I commit. I guess I'm sort of a "I'll jump in if you will" kind of guy :)
I think one of the problems of the doocracy is that the more you do the more you get to do... so I suspect many people feel the same way I do. You hesitate to volunteer for anything because you're afraid you'll end up doing more than you can comfortably handle.
If I see that we have 4 or 5 people spreading out the load (which we actually already have) and there is a quantifiable amount of responsibility and a definable time limit I think I'm volunteering for I'll stand up.
Wow, we might be overthinking
Wow, we might be overthinking this. Let's try this...
https://groups.drupal.org/node/454808
If you're interested put your name down. If you think a new role needs to be added, add it, then put your name down. Then let's move on.
I'll echo Dallas' thoughts
I'll echo Dallas' thoughts from above. I wouldn't sign up for anything without knowing more of what's involved - not that I've been doing much as of late anyways, but without some idea of responsibilities and time commitments, it's tough to put your name down :). On the other hand, maybe this'll work.