Postgres Pro
Downloads
Home   >   mailing lists

Thread: Request for information about starting a local user group in Brisbane, Australia

Request for information about starting a local user group in Brisbane, Australia

From
Gary Evans
Date:
Having used PostgreSQL at work for several months now,  I've been looking for a local user group or club that provides support to its members.

I know staff at a couple of other companies locally that use PostgreSQL and local attendees to the recent PyCon Brisbane seem to indicate several hobby/enthusiast users of PostgreSQL in the greater area.  As a local user group doesn't appear to exist in Brisbane at present, one of my peers and I would like to start one up. 

So far:
- We have started putting together some presentations and talking to some members of the Sydney user group about providing some initial content to get things up and running.

- We have access to the large meeting rooms at my workplace (centrally located in Brisbane) to run the meetings, work will even provide some light refreshments for meetings (Pizza, coffee etc).

- We're looking at using meetup.com to host the group website.

- The general format of meetings I envisage at this stage include presentations/demos, discussions around PostgreSQL news/releases, talk about OSS one might stack with PostgreSQL, Questions/problems/issues with/about PostgreSQL and general informal chat with refreshments. 

I would like to know what I need to do from a PostgreSQL community perspective about the requirements I need to fulfil before advertising and officially starting a new user group?

Any suggestions in terms of what works well and what doesn't at other user group meetings, flyers advertising meetings etc would also be welcome.

Thanks and kind regards
Gary

Re: Request for information about starting a local user group in Brisbane, Australia

From
Josh Berkus
Date:
On 08/17/2015 04:05 PM, Gary Evans wrote:
>
> I would like to know what I need to do from a PostgreSQL community
> perspective about the requirements I need to fulfil before advertising
> and officially starting a new user group?

1. get a meetup account or ask us to get one for you.  Probably better
to do the former, even if you want financial help for it.

2. post here a link to that meetup so we can put it on the PostgreSQL
home page.

3. Schedule a meetup.

4. Submit the meetup to the Postgresql.org news feed as the first
Brisbane meetup (if you don't have a www.postgresql.org community
account, you'll need to get one).

> Any suggestions in terms of what works well and what doesn't at other
> user group meetings, flyers advertising meetings etc would also be welcome.

Flyers don't work in the USA, just social media.

You want to have:

* a topic and a speaker
* food & drink

Food and drink are important because if people have to find a quick
dinner before making it to the meetup, they won't make it.  So even if
you have to ask everyone to chip in $10, make sure there's food there.
And don't forget about the vegetarians and folks on special diets.

We've found that discussion/social meetups don't work very well for us;
people don't show.  Also, keep in mind that RSVPs will be 1.5X to 3X
higher than actual attendence.

--
Josh Berkus
PostgreSQL Experts Inc.
http://pgexperts.com

Re: Request for information about starting a local user group in Brisbane, Australia

From
Josh Berkus
Date:
On 08/17/2015 07:55 PM, Josh Berkus wrote:
> 3. Schedule a meetup.
>
> 4. Submit the meetup to the Postgresql.org news feed as the first
> Brisbane meetup (if you don't have a www.postgresql.org community
> account, you'll need to get one)

Oh, and if you need financial help for your first meeting, it's
available from the community.  Best to cultivate some local sponsors,
though; we only cover the first meeting.

--
Josh Berkus
PostgreSQL Experts Inc.
http://pgexperts.com