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<br><h1>How to run a successful Linux User Group</h1>
<h3 class="subGrey">Golden rules to regenerate your LUG</h3>
<p class="tiny">March 8th |</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">If there was one thing <em>Linux Format</em>
magazine learned from the Readers' Round Table event it organised, it
was that us Linux folk like to get out and have a good chat. </p><p class="MsoNormal">Over
the several hours we were all together, we covered dozens of subjects,
and the conversation was lively and opinionated. And that was with only
nine of us. </p><p class="MsoNormal">Imagine what such a meeting could be like if there were more attendees, more of a schedule and a little better organisation? </p><p class="MsoNormal">This
is the realm of the Linux User Group – a network of Linux enthusiasts
that weave a web of community across the UK, and across almost every
country in the world. Many Linux fans get a great deal of camaraderie
and satisfaction from attending their local meetings, as well as
support, website portals, forums, mailing lists and IRC channels, all
of which help to glue the local Linux community together. </p><p class="MsoNormal">You
might think that in the age of the internet and the wiki, physical
entities gathering together into some form of communion would be
considered out of date, but there's nothing quite like meeting people
with similar interests and seeing things for yourself. </p><p class="MsoNormal">It's
for this reason that the local LUG is often the first port of call for
people just beginning to ignite their love of Linux, as well as people
who just want to meet people with similar interests. They provide a
vital role in helping the spread of Linux adoption, and a focal point
for local educational institutions and businesses. </p><p><strong>X factor </strong></p><p class="MsoNormal">Running
a LUG isn't straightforward, and it requires a considerable amount of
effort and time. But there's a great deal you can do to make the whole
process easier to manage and more effective, while at the same time
revitalising your LUG and your membership. And anyone can do it. </p><p class="MsoNormal">As
every be-suited middle manager knows, delegation is the key to both
success and instilling a sense of duty in the team. And it's the same
for LUGs. Many are run using a form of disorganised democracy, with no
official leader or spokesperson at the helm. </p><p class="MsoNormal">If you take a look at the list of LUGs on <a href="http://www.lug.uk.org/">lug.uk.org</a>,
for example, you'll see dozens of LUGs that don't even have a contact
name. This leaves many LUGs rudderless, even if there are people in the
locality who would like to be more involved. It's absolutely essential
that there are some people clearly in control. </p><p class="MsoNormal">As
Rick Moen, editor of the LUG Howto and leader of many LUGs over his
time, puts it: "LUGs have succeeded wonderfully on the strength of
ongoing efforts from as few as four energetic and inquisitive people."
>From this we can deduce that you need to find four people who are
prepared to find time to fit the LUG into their lives. </p><p class="MsoNormal">This
makes the task of creating roles for people particularly difficult. But
there is a solution. Rather than subject your members to the LUG
equivalent of a US-style presidential election campaign, simply rotate
the leadership between the people who want to take a bigger role in the
running of their user group. It's then a simple matter of choosing
between the other active members who were up for greater involvement in
any of the other roles you'd like filled. </p>
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