<html><head><style type="text/css"></style></head><body><div style="font-family:lucida console,sans-serif;font-size:10pt"><div style="font-family: lucida console,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Quote:<br>This way<br>instead of having just one release party in Columbus we can five<br>around Ohio.<br>------------------<br>YES! We need this in Cleveland.  In fact The Cleveland Web Standards Association could host a party at one of our meetings. In this case you could expect a large showing just in Cleveland alone. I would suggest a presentation about Ubuntu, GNU/Linux and free software, including information on the new release, followed by the party. If no one is available to make such a presentation, I can do it myself. We meet at Tri-C and have a nice projection system for use that connects to our laptops, so we can even show off Compiz and other features of Ubuntu. <br><br>Having free distribution disks that are professionally done would be advantageous. As well as bumper stickers, Windows replacement logos for the computer and other goodies. But all of them must be professionally done. Other prizes would be useful as well as entertaining. But none of these things are *needed*. So far, for all of our presentations we have not does this yet, and all are still packed to seating capacity. However, having such things will encourage testing by members of the association afterwards. (Note: I am willing to personally pay for the CDs, stickers and other prizes...any ideas are welcome).<br><br>The Cleveland Web Standards Association is a new Professional Association in Cleveland. We formed because most of the other Web Associations in Cleveland seemed to be marketing tools of one or a couple of companies. So our members would have been unable to join these, due to conflict of interest situations. Thus we are company Neutral. We are putting together our own site, which, needing a back end, will be hosted on Ubuntu, (though as of now the domain is being hosted at Dreamhost, which is Debian based).<br><br>So, if we were able to demonstrate the standards compliant tools on Ubuntu for web design, then so much the better. Since we will already be using something Debian based, and will be moving to Ubuntu, the members already are aware of its benefits (they hear me talk about them all the time). So if Ubuntu speakers were available to fill in the gaps that I am lacking, this would provide an interesting place for evangelizing. Of course we have a lot of Mac users as well, so if presentations are made on Graphics applications...(GIMP? Inkscape?) then this would be exciting also. <br><br>Clearly not all of these can be done at once. But maybe each release of Ubuntu, we could highlight a certain feature of Ubuntu in a presentation at one of our meetings that month and of course combine it with a release party.  If this gains enough interest we could have a special Ubuntu meeting each month. <br><br>Comments and suggestions are welcome...but again big thumbs up to release parties in other cities..any help we can offer, we shall.<br><br>Best Regards,<br>Joseph James Frantz<br><br>(Note, I'm not sure how to change my settings, so I wont get any replies until tomorrow unless sent to me directly, due to my having subscribed to the digest)<br><br><br><br><br><br><br></div></div></body></html>