[dvlug] Fwd: Is there a meeting at Cafe La Scala today?, etc. ...

[Oleg]

OK, then how about: I will only use "Is Anyone Coming?" posts when I am
considering not going at all (such as if there is a conflicting event).

I often have errands I can do in Concord/ Walnut Creek, so on those days
being the only person there would not be a big deal. Then I will post "I'm
going!".


- Oleg


On Mon, Apr 13, 2015 at 7:34 PM, Rick Moen <rick at linuxmafia.com> wrote:

> Quoting Oleg (oleg at yoleg.com):
>
> > In response to Rick: I've thought about it and you're right, meeting
> should
> > not be cancelled just because no-one RSVPs. After all, people might
> forget
> > to post or check and show up anyways.
> >
> > But it would increase the chance that someone like me (busy person who
> > lives far away) would show up to a meeting if we knew for sure someone
> was
> > there. An hour or more of driving, bridge toll, parking fees, $5 drinks,
> > and missing out on conflicting events don't seem worth it just to get
> some
> > work done on my laptop.
> >
> > But if nothing else, I can ask again on the mailing list if anyone is
> > planning to show up. It worked great for last Friday; thanks again for
> > that. I went instead to the Vallejo Art Walk, which only happens on
> second
> > Fridays and thus conflicts with DVLUG.
>
> It may not be obvious, but LUGs that rely on 'Is anyone coming?'
> postings can easily get caught in the nobody-went-first trap, where
> nobody goes because no single person wants to be the first to say 'I'm
> going, for one'.
>
> This syndrome got so bad at Bay Area Debian around 2002 that my friend
> Evan Prodromou created his famous 'Shotgun Rules' list, which has been
> linked ever since then from the front page of http://bad.debian.net/ .
> The essence of the 'Shotgun Rules' is that you're discourage from
> sitting around saying 'Is anyone else calling a meeting?'  Instead,
> if you wish there to be a meeting, step forward and 'call shotgun'.
>
> (Bay Area Debian differs slightly from DVLUG in that it has a tradition
> that each meeting shall occur only if a specific person arranges one.)
>
>
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