Open Stack

On Sep 1, 2013, at 7:01 PM, Tom Fifield wrote:

> With the massive growth of OpenStack, so too have our user groups grown. Not just in number, or attendance, but also in their skill at delivering material at varying levels of complexity.
> 
> With this, I felt it was high time we started a discussion on how best to continue to support those attendees just beginning their OpenStack journey while satisfying the needs of the burgeoning number of more advanced users.
> 
> In talking with the user group leaders around the world, I've heard many different techniques. From running simultaneous parallel topic streams, alternative monthly sessions, or having a 'n00b' hour prior to the start of the main event.
> 
> I'm keen to hear your ideas. What do you do to manage the different levels of achievement of those in your community? Do you have content? What would you like to see?

One strategy I've used for dealing with this is a whiteboard placed at the entrance to the meetup. Somewhere that can't be missed.

The whiteboard is titled "Your Level of OpenStack Expertise" there are 3 columns: "Beginner", "Intermediate", "Expert". Everyone adds a mark to a column when they enter.

Acting on that information is a bit more difficult but it does let the speakers know how to target their presentation. If you see you have a lot of n00bs coming in meetup after meetup then maybe it's time for a alternate monthly sessions or n00b hour or whatever.

Of course you can change the whiteboard to whatever suits your meetup. Less columns, different title, ask one question (take a poll), etc. You get the idea.

Regards,
Everett