The recipe to make your LUG the largest in the world
This document is also available in French - the translation has
been made by Nejib Benessaiah
Start the LUG - and put a lot of energy into it, and in that way
get others to join.
Make a web server for your LUG or at least a home page and a
mailing list. The mailing list should be Linux technical support -
this is a very good starting point. This phase is extremely
important.
Note that the mail list(s) should be open, but not without rules.
Only a high technical level, will ensure that we will make more
members. People will simply quit, if the level is "Stop this crap now,
or I will mail bomb you.", then nobody will like the mail list. So
tell and state that the list is only for this purpose - and make
people on the list enforce those sensible rules them selves.
Advertise for your LUG in as many places as possible.
Make new stuff for the web server constantly. If the home page
is static for a long time - even though it is good - you will have
limited success. (If you make a bad home page you might not be a success.)
Get more people active. Start making shared work. Use the
powers of the individual workers as well as possible. Some are great
leaders - some are super hackers, while others are good at
presenting stuff. Use the *joint* force as well as possible.
Arrange meetings. When SSLUG had
200 members, we organized a linux conference, and more than 500
visitors registered! Smashing success!
Try to figure out what makes your LUG special. We use our native
languages, which is a very good idea. Even though English is big time,
and American people have a hard time understanding why we don't use
English directly, many people in non-UK/US countries are not super in
other languages than the native one. Denmark is not that bad, but
Danish and Swedish communication in our LUG has made a difference.
Now the LUG is running, and you should aim for higher goals. The
SSLUG people got superior credit in several places (newspapers,
computer magazines, and other computer organisations) due to our
very knowledgable Linux skills. SSLUG is really pushing Linux in
Denmark and Sweden.
We in SSLUG got superior credit at several places due to high Linux
knowledge. Make internal and external presentations of Linux!!
Do not just say "Linux costs nothing - go get it". We
ONLY win if we can also say "Linux is the best option" and "Linux
is stable and gives high performance".
Whenever you make a presentation of Linux try to dress up as the
audience, or at least very neutral. It might be against your nature
but it helps to promote Linux in a professionel way. Remark,
SSLUG received a major IT price for Linux of PCWorld/Denmark
in November 98. All the people had ties and jackets - you know -
and we the hackers, as the only ones came in SuSE t-shirts - and one
of us had a small hat with a propel on the top. All in all we here
showed our true attitude! We won over Microsoft Windows 98 in the same
softeware category.
Get personal contacts to the media and feed them. Don't just
e-mail the press. Call them and get a meeting.
Fight FUD !!!!!!!! Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt is what can be used
against us. Be prepared to defend Linux in a civilized way - choose
the level of defense your self. You should seldom defend at the same
level as the attack. Cheap attacks, like "Linux is unstable", should
not be answered by "no - that is a damn lie, and you know it". Instead
explain how we work in the Linux world, and explain that a bug is
something that we analyze, discuss, fix and release a new
version. This joint effords leads to a quite stable code. This is
just one example!
Get companies to sponsor free CDROM's for the LUG. At this time
companies are beginning to earn a little money around your LUG, so
they can see an advantage in giving CDROM's to the LUG. We accept this
because we can get MANY new Linux people this way. Remember that it is
the young people that is the focus here! Again think like the big
companies - use every trick in the book!
Shown how many is in your LUG on the home page. Little but
very efficient trick.
Write articles and books (under OPL?). We have done this in our
LUG. We gain huge interest!!
Hey - if SSLUG should remain the largest, I better stop here
*grin*
AND every hour of hard work for the LUG, means
additional joint activity in the LUG = more members
If you have comments, please send them
to me. This is a rough overview of what I can see that made SSLUG
one of the largest LUG's (the largest?) in the world.
