[ubuntu-us-ma] Followup on Beacon Hill Friends House as possible meeting location

[Doc Kinne]

Folks:

Very new guy here, so just take my opinion with a metric ton of  
salt.  :-)

On 02 Apr , 2009, at 11:24, Theresa Hepburn wrote:

>
> > At our last meeting we decided to investigate a few possibilities  
> for
> > a new meeting location.
> ...
> > * The Rate is $40/hr for nonprofit groups. For 4+hours, $30/hr. 50%
> > deposit to make a reservation.
>
> This is crazy! We shouldn't have to pay to all meet together! Why  
> don't we hold meetings at different member's houses? I think that  
> would be a positive experience for a couple reasons:

While Theresa hits some good reasons and points, I have to say with my  
experience as a meeting coordinator that meeting in peoples homes is,  
in general, a VERY bad idea.

1) People like a stable meeting place. They know where the meeting  
place is and don't have to continually find next months meeting place  
as it rotates between people's homes. Not having a stable meeting  
place in general is a recipe for having meeting attendance plunge.

2) New people appreciate not only a stable meeting place, but a public  
meeting place.

3) A public meeting place gives a more professional and stable  
impression of the group.

> I know there are a lot of people in the Boston area without cars but  
> the commuter rail reaches all the way to Worcester and  
> Providence,RI. I don't think it'll be an issue to have someone pick  
> people up from a commuter rail stop to get to meetings.

While the commuter rail does reach into some interesting, far-flung  
areas, due to its schedule it is probably not a stable way of getting  
to meetings in the evenings. The fare on the commuter rail itself,  
depending on the distance, would be about half the meeting cost per  
person, round trip. Getting to from point A to point B via the T  
(including buses) is, in general 45 minutes to an hour. You need to  
double those times with the commuter rail.

Again, please take with a metric ton of salt, but these are the issues  
I see.
---
Richard "Doc" Kinne • Rikardo «Dokĉjo» KINNE, BA, MSc., AMAAS
<kinnerc @ gmail.com>
"I'm the Doctor, and you're in the biggest library in the universe.  
Look me up!"
- The Doctor
"Forests of the Dead," Doctor Who



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