[ale] membership drive

[Jim Kinney]

As I've mentioned before the ALE list membership has fallen from its decade
+ norm of around 1600 to its current low of 459.

The landscape of online communities has changed in the past 10 years. Some
changes were good, other were not. A walled garden like Faceplant is the
antithesis of what Linux is about.

ALE has certainly changed over the years.

What can be done to get people involved in ALE? By 'involved' I mean on the
list and participating (on topic mostly), coming to meetings, doing
projects like installfests or mentoring or other stuff.

Aaron and I and others had discussed public service like setting up and
maintaining Linux-based kiosks in community centers and elderly homes as
well as providing regular classes for training people how to use them.

Philosophically, the need for ALE has shifted as Linux as grown in
acceptance. We used to be about "how do I..?" but now maybe more "here's
how to ..." is more appropriate.

A lot of now professional Linux people got their start with ALE. We have a
respected jobs list and now a LOPSA affiliated group is reaching critical
mass.

How can we leverage the talent we have for extending the community use of
Linux while broadening the ALE user base? Bake sale? Door-to-door "Can I
talk to you about using Linux?" campaigns? Throw an annual "We use Linux!"
party and invite every comp-sci major for 100 miles? Adopt a school and
maintain their computers for students and teachers using nothing but Linux?
Offer free classes in how to use different application in most distros as
replacements for welded-hood applications? Outreach to women specifically
how?

Thinking caps on please and fork this thread for ideas when needed.

-- 
-- 
James P. Kinney III

Every time you stop a school, you will have to build a jail. What you gain
at one end you lose at the other. It's like feeding a dog on his own tail.
It won't fatten the dog.
- Speech 11/23/1900 Mark Twain


*http://heretothereideas.blogspot.com/
<http://heretothereideas.blogspot.com/>*
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