this is a topic i've been thinking about for a while now. nolan erck just posted something to the south of shasta blog that prompted me to flesh out my thoughts a bit.

what can user groups do to promote regular attendance?

my first user group was the phoenix cfug back in 2002 or thereabouts. it was an awesome group to be a part of. decent attendance on a regular basis, and a real sense of "community". after the meetings, most of the attendees would go out for a drink or three and talk about coldfusion. what they were working on. or what obstacles/issues they were currently dealing with. it was a blast. i always enjoyed stepping out of "my" coldfusion world and hearing about what others were doing.

i left phoenix at the end of 2004, and have had the opportunity to be a part of a few other groups. one thing that i noticed is that after the meeting... people bolted. there was no discussion, no sense of camaraderie... just a few folks showing up, listening to the speaker, then heading home.

i've also noticed over the years that attendance seems to have gradually but steadily declined. i think a lot of this has to do with the fact that the meetings are generally broadcast over connect. i think this is a good thing, as it allows the speakers to reach a larger audience, but it also makes it too convenient for members who are local to head home, kick off their shoes, and watch/listen from home.

because most meetings are also recorded via connect, there's no sense of urgency to even catch the live broadcast. it'll be there whenever you feel like watching.

for me personally, i *like* being at the meetings. i enjoy the interaction and getting to talk to other developers. i'm one of the few that, given the option to telecommute, would rather be in the office. i do much better in that environment. that applies to user groups as well. i can easily watch the broadcast version, but that's a bit... "dry" (no reflection on the presenters). i want to be able to turn to the person next to me and say, "wow... that's pretty cool". i enjoy seeing the room react when a presenter "wow's" them. i enjoy going out for a drink after the meeting and talking about what we just saw. or about what somebody's currently doing at work.

for those folks who don't regularly attend... mind if i ask why not? is it the convenience of the breeze broadcasts or the convenience of being able to catch the recorded preso later on? is that what it's come to? if so, that doesn't bode well for the future of local user groups. are purely online groups like the online coldfusion meetup the way of the future?

i'm all for the online meetup group. not everybody has a local user group that they can attend. it definitely serves a purpse, as does broadcasting local user groups over connect. but in serving their purpose, are they contributing to the demise of face-to-face local user groups?

is it a lost cause or can anything be done to improve the attendance at local meetings? i mean the regular attendance. not the folks that show up once every six months for the software raffle (which is what prompted nolan's post). i'm in the process of trying to get an east bay cfug off the ground, which isn't an easy feat. i'm wondering if it's worth the effort. is the concept of a local user group antiquated?

if you have a user group local to your area, but don't attend regularly... is there anything that the group could do differently that would make it more appealing for you to attend in person?