cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/40849372
I’m looking at starting a small local Linux Users Group (LUG).
What are good easy ways to get started?
Seems like meetup.com is kinda anti-foss.
Are there better alternatives?
I tried to join in Nashville. IIRC, Meetup had lots of trackers showing on my query monitors. I quit trying immediately because of privacy issues whatever it was. I think I might make a shitty Reddit account on a throwaway email and try posting on R/Nashville or something. I just really hate Reddit though.
Maybe ask around and request to put up posters in a local library?
Also, see if your local university has a group already, and maybe if the age difference isn’t creepy, see if you can hang with them.
that’s actually part of the plan, but the library wants a signup, so need a digital tool
You could do signup through a form and just throw a QR code on a poster.
My university Linux Users Group usually uses Crytpad (which is FOSS and seems federated, and has a flagship instance) to create forms for votes, so that might do the trick for you.
I highly doubt there’s anything pro-foss that’s actually going to have any shot at forming a local group. Federated tech is niche, odds of 2 people in the same 300 mile radius is pretty slim. Let alone trying for 2 that are looking for the same kind of meetup etc…
So yeah sadly I think you pretty much gotta go with a garbage service like meetup, or even worse, facebook groups. Good federated services have to kind of lean heavily into the fact that we can pull from an international pool to make the userbase workable. Once you go down to local levels… you are pretty screwed.
It’s not that bad. I live at the ass end of nowhere and there are still several people in my area, although they are probably not in my town exactly. I’d assume they would be in the nearest metro area, but I’m lonely enough to make the drive if I can find someone.
I mean are you talking people that would show up for an LUG, Federation users, or people that fall into both categories (Yeah I’m aware these 2 things do go together more than most, but still probably no more than 25% of either does both.
Have you looked at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobilizon and https://gancio.org/ ?
