I’ve been more or less leading the local Microsoft user group since 2002, although for the last year and half, haven’t really pushed to find speakers or call meetings.
Our membership has been +- 7% or so over that time period, and we are still pretty small, about 153 people on our current mailing list, with maybe 8-10 people showing up when we do have meetings.
Still, it’s been worth it to hang on, because we do get real benefits from our sponsoring organizations, including software licenses and review copies of technical books.
Some cool people have participated in the group over the last four years. Some have left the area, others have left the profession, and others rarely show up, probably because they accomplished the goal that brought them there in the first place, finding a local job.
I haven’t “run” an organization before, so maybe the phenomenon I’m about to describe is typical of any group, but every time I send out an email, or, worse, call a meeting, I have to steel myself for an encounter with at least one patronizing know-it-all.
It’s people like that which make tech a personally challenging business to be in. Having a profession which is a daily exercise in intellectual problem-solving is a gift. It’s just a shame that so many low EQ-ers occupy the same space.
My son has blogged about this from time to time. Lucky him, he gets to hear from a vast sea of opinionated morons who spout their nonsense in the “Comment” portions of his online articles.
Next month, I’m biting the bullet and giving a presentation myself. Recently, I finished a project with a technology that I haven’t delved into before, a PocketPC application. It had its challenges, but it was also fun.
Moreover, I thought the User Group members might enjoy seeing a presentation on an end-to-end project, rather than a sliver of a technology they may or may not use. It’s my intention to address the challenges and to convey practical information – a total rarity in the world of Microsoft presentations.
I’ve timed the meeting for the week before Christmas, figuring a manageable crowd will show up and the non-committed will find the date a good excuse to pass.
Meanwhile, next week, I’m giving a second presentation to the Falmouth H.S. Junior Career Day.
Glutton for punishment? Perhaps, but you never know until you try.