PowerShell User Group - Next Steps

In a recent article, I posted about a UK PowerShell User Group (UKPSUG?). I was hugely gratified to see the comments that readers posted. There have been 13 comments thus far, which is awesome!

Based on the great feedback here, and support in email, we can move forward - so thanks for your input. Culminis is also being highly supportive which should make it easier to get the user group off the ground - they have offered to supply some web space for the group as well as lots of support. Thanks!!

Richard and I are meeting this week to discuss details, but I am hopeful we can get organise an inaugural meeting for sometime in January. My firm, Global Knowledge, has kindly allowed me to use the canteen at our Wokingham offices (and I am hopeful that I might be able to twist some arms to get them to supply the beer and pizza), at least for the first meeting. We can hold 20-30 people which is probably as many as I'd expect at first.

I've also spoken to Microsoft, who are happy to get Jeffrey over to talk to the group once we get it up and functioning - so that's pretty cool. We'll probably need a bigger space for Jeffrey's talk, but we can cross that bridge when we come to it. If you work for a company that can offer the group space for an evening meeting, and better yet the beer/pizza, please let me know - all offers most welcome.

Once we agree on the date for the first meeting, I'll post it here and anywhere else we can find to do so, along with details on how to join in the fun.

Feel free to leave comments to this post concerning what you'd like to see at a UKPSUG meeting, what you'd like to see/do, what information you might like to see on the web site, and any other comments you might have around the activities of this group. Here a set of areas in which comments are most welcome:

1. What sort of an organisation is this?  By this I mean  what is it's legal status if any? Does it even matter?
2. Who runs it?  How should we organise ourselves? Should we have a committee, with a committee chair, and a couple of other officers? Or do we need some other organisational structure?
3. Who pays for it? A user group does cost something to run-if only to pay for the beer and pizza. And of course the second you start to talk about money, the first two points above take on much greater importance. With money comes governance, etc.
4. Where, when, and how do we meet? What do folks what? Monthly seems ambitious, but with enough extra volunteers to help out it could be done. Maybe once every two months? I'd also suggest we meet in the evenings, mid week in a space to be provided.
5. What does it actually do? I see it as providing a community for PowerShell users in the UK. That would include regular meetings, some web space, and a strong pointer back toward the MS PowerShell news group (where the product team and  MVPs hang out).
6. What does it offer and to whom? I see it providing some help and support to anyone in the UK that wants to get more out of PowerShell. I'd hope that members will come to the web site, come to the meetings, and come to the newsgroup to share problems, solutions and fun.

There are probably more things to think about - so comments are most welcome.

 

Technorati tags: Microsoft, Powershell, UK PoweShell User Group, Culminis, Global Knowledge