Art, and everyone else...

Art says the RUG is the member and the member is the RUG -- exactly!

I refuse to believe that RUGs are dead because of the Internet (a/k/a
HP3000-L and web resources).  I have to believe that either people are just
busy as hell, or just become complacent.  Added to that are short-sighted
employers who will not pick up the tab for a meeting, which then becomes a
choice - the member pays themselves, or not go.

Busy as hell could be it -- there is a hot issue this year, and it's
200-some-odd days away, and it's called Jan 1, 2000.

A misconception that companies will pay for this type of meeting.  Let me
say that there are many companies which think of these things as "headhunter
breeding grounds" - especially in THIS tight labour market.  They refuse to
pay for a meeting that could result in the loss of an asset that would be
very hard to replace.  Of course this is bogus (well, sort of <g>) but the
purpose of RUGs is to provide advocacy on a much more local level than
Interex, and to provide training programs and forums for people to gain
expertise.

I'm sorry - I refuse to believe that a RUG can just die.  Members or the
board makes it die.  There are a lot of things that go into a RUG.  I wish I
had more time to devote to my local RUG (hence the "busy" part).  Busy is a
legitimate reason for not attending, as is the dreaded disease
"lack-of-fund-itis" - complacency is not, that's just plain lazy.  I would
be willing to bet that the split between busy and being complacent is 50/50.

Yesterday's thread about voting in the Interex SIB.  Interex is a MEMBERSHIP
organization.  So is your LOCAL RUG!  They go hand-in-hand, and need the
support of the members.  Without members, the RUG dies (which gets back to
Art's comment).

BWRUG was teetering (Nick, can you report on how BWRUG is doing?) and
hopefully they are coming back, because they are one of my RUGs away from
home (which is NECRUG, which is doing quite nicely).  NEORUG is another RUG
away from home where I can count a lot of friends, and it seems to be
holding its own.  MARUG is yet another RUG away from home that does quite
well.  What's being done in PA/NJ/DE (NECRUG), Northeastern Ohio (NEORUG)
and the Carolinas (MARUG) that's not being done elsewhere?  Who knows -- but
someone in these RUGs needs to find out.  Maybe the leaders of successful
RUGs can be mentors to those that are struggling.  Even email correspondence
between these leaders.  Just some $0.02 worth considering.

I still refuse to think that just because people are connected globally,
that we can't get together locally.  Reminds me of a phrase I saw on a
bumper sticker once, although it wasn't directed at RUGs:  Think Globally -
Act Locally.

Cheers,
Joe