User Groups: The Gateway to Apache

Explore the power of user groups as gateways to Apache in this insightful 40-minute conference talk by Bob Paulin, an independent consultant. Discover how user groups can be leveraged to promote open source ecosystems, particularly within the Apache Software Foundation (ASF). Learn effective strategies for engaging communities, securing speakers, organizing activities, obtaining sponsorships, and fostering member growth in software communities. Gain valuable insights into successful practices, potential pitfalls, and innovative ideas to enhance your local software community. Delve into topics such as building for the future, Apache's mission, growing the community, mentorship, and the unique challenges of running user groups. Benefit from Paulin's extensive experience with the Chicago Java User Group as he shares practical advice on encouraging open source contributions, organizing hack nights, and running successful user group events.

Introduction
About Bob
Building for the future
How did you get here
What makes Apache special
Apaches mission
Growing the community
survivorship bias
joining a mailing list
incubators
beer and pizza
facetoface interactions
average user group attendee
user group folks
speakers
mentorship
street credibility
role models
user groups
theyre not all created equal
user groups often get stuck
specific or general user groups
building a community
think big
venue
growing membership
encouraging open source contributions
holding hack nights
getting into opensource
giving a talk
podcasts
how do you run a user group
load test
questions