Got a topic to present? Seeking more speakers for the CF Meetup (online CFUG)

If you're interested in speaking, you probably have a few questions. In this note I try to address them:

• Why should I consider speaking?
• So what is the ColdFusion Meetup?
• How often do you meet?
• When do you meet?
• Where do you meet?
• Are your meetings recorded?
• What topics are welcomed?
• What next dates are available?
• OK, so how do I become a speaker?
• What if I'm nervous about presenting?
• How can I support the group?

Why should I consider speaking?

People enjoy presenting to the CF community for a variety of reasons: to share experiences and discoveries, to help solve problems they've faced, to share new tools, or even to promote something they've written.

There are certainly many CFUGs the world over, and we support them fully, but some people may not be close enough to speak to one. And though they may know that some CFUGS welcome remote presenters, many presenters don't know where to turn or which to try to present to first.

The CF Meetup is really a great place, whether to present a talk for the first time or even if you've presented it to other groups live or remotely before.

In the case of a new talk, you can use it to work out the kinks (some find it easier to talk in front of a mic rather than standing before an audience). Also, other CFUG managers can see your talk and then may ask to have you present it to their group, whether on-site or online. (They may prefer that to telling their members to just go watch your recording.)

And if you have a talk you've presented before, well consider that some may not have seen your talk when presented before, again even if you recorded it. Also, you can use this as a chance to revise a talk done previously (practice makes perfect), or to reprise a previous talk you did that you think some groups may feel is old news. We have room here for classic subjects!

Finally, another benefit for you is that we record all our meetings (more on that later), so you can share the URL of recording on your site, in emails, in your materials, etc.

So what is the ColdFusion Meetup?

The Online ColdFusion Meetup is an online CF User Group--in fact it's the largest CFUG in the world with over 1,200 members. Don't let that scare you, though, as a prospective presenter. We tend to have less than 50 attendees at any one meeting (sometimes much fewer). It all depends on the topic.

As I've discussed in previous blog entries, the meetup was first formed in 2004 by Steven Erat, an Adobe CF support engineer who had to step down about a year ago. Ray Camden and I both stepped up earlier this year expressing interest in reviving it. We decided to take it on together, and the plan was that we'd split the hosting every 6 months, with me taking the first half of the year.

Well, it's been 9 months now (with a bit of a break in the summer, more in a moment) and no surprise Ray's super busy. We discussed it recently and, commending my effort so far, he asked to step back to just being backup host, which is fine by me, and which in fact I needed this week (again, more later).

We've had 17 speakers so far, including several previews before cf.Objective() and CFUnited. I even tried to arrange them before Max but it just didn't work out. Indeed, we had a bit of a hiatus around that time, with that and the release of CF8 stealing time and attention from prospective presenters.

But things have really started to pick again and we've had 4 speakers the past two weeks and have more to come, which will be announced each week as part of our new "Fall lineup".

So how often DO you meet?

Well, most CFUGs meet monthly, but being online we have the luxury to meet as often as we like. :-) We seem to be settling into a pattern of weekly meetings. There are enough presenters, topics, and audience members that I don't see the well running dry.

It may not be the same folks attending week to week, which is fine, really. That's the beauty of being an online group. People will come if the topic interests them. No crowd is too big or too small.

Ray and I have also decided that we'll commit to presenting at least once a month each if needed, so we can know we'll always have at least 2 talks each month from now on.

When do you meet?

But we can be flexible on the time and even the day. It's just a pattern to give familiarity, but it's not set in stone. In fact, this week, Ray's speaking at 4pm and we've already got 32 RSVPs after announcing it only this morning! :-) Of course, he's a draw, as have been many of our presenters.

But really anyone is welcome to present, whether you're an old hand or a first-timer.

Where do you meet?

Again, we're an entirely online group. We never meet in person and we have members all over the world. The group always meets at http://experts.acrobat.com/cfmeetup, an Adobe Acrobat Connect meeting room which is opened only for the meetings (typically a few minutes before and after, just like a room in "the real world").

(I should mention that we also have both a message board and mailing list, for members to ask each other questions outside of the meetings themselves. See the Meetup site for more.)

Are your meetings recorded?

Yes, they are. And as I mentioned above, that's a real benefit of speaking at the Meetup, if you're interested in being able to have others see your presentation after the fact. We post the URL for all our meeting recordings for anyone to watch.

And we owe a debt of gratitude to Adobe for their provision of a free Acrobat Connect account as well as the space and bandwidth for holding and presenting the recordings. This is an offer they make to all official Adobe User Groups. For more info on that (if you're a UG manager or want it for your user group), see the other blog entries I've done, starting with this one/.

And while we're on the subject, let me note that to find these and many other recorded presentations, see my repository of recorded user group presentations, UGTV, which has hundreds of hours of presentations by presenters the world over, which anyone can view for free.

What topics are welcomed at the Meetup?

Getting back to being a speaker on the Meetup, we welcome pretty much any topic related to CFML, whether on an advanced or a beginning topic. The beauty of the online format is people can come or not. And again, logistically, no audience is too large or too small.

Going back to a point I made before, we can even have you present some classic topic that you think some audience may appreciate, but that you'd fear presenting before a live audience because of the risk it may not bring out enough attendees. Sure, maybe in any one city there may not be that many CFers interested in that topic, but across 1200+ members, you may find your kin here! :-)

What next dates are available?

We have meetings lined up this week, and next week, and then will take the following week off for Thanksgiving (a US Holiday).

I'm lining up speakers for the rest of the the last week of November, all of December, and into next year. I welcome even expressions of tentative interest (if you're not quite ready to set a fixed date).

OK, so how do I become a speaker?

What if I'm nervous about presenting?

Don't be. This is a friendly place. And I'll guide you through the entire process. As a veteran presenter of hundreds of user group talks myself, both live and online, I've helped our Meetup presenters (veterans and newcomers alike) with issues as varied as helping firm up a compelling title and description to sharing tips on how to present effectively online, including helping you sound good and even helping pick out good choices for headsets or mics--we don't bother with cameras. For all we care, you can speak in your underwear. :-)

As for hardware and software, you don't need anything special. You'll just show your screen. Whatever you show, we'll see. You don't need to upload anything, or offer a preso in some particular format. And Adobe Connect works with Windows, Mac, and Linux. As for hardware, a USB headset works great, but even an older analog one can work. While the mic and speakers in your laptop will work, it would be better if you use earphones or a headset to prevent echo from your computer mic picking up your speakers.)

How can I support the group?

Hey, we could always use your support, whether as a speaker or just in helping "spread the word" on the group. :-)

If you're a blogger or belong to a mailing list and want to promote the Meetup as a place for prospective presenters to consider, we'd be grateful. Feel free to point them to this blog entry that you're now reading.

You can point potential members to the Meetup site (coldfusionmeetup.com). Again, it's free to join the group. Or feel free to use this nifty Flash badge that also always lets folks know when the next meeting will happen:

Here's the code for that:

I meant, "how can I support the group monetarily?"

Ah, well how nice of you! :-) Seriously, though, we're not setup to take in donations for now (nor are we setup as a non-profit).

I will say I pay a monthly fee for the meetup.com site, which otherwise is used by groups that meet in real life, to help them organize and promote such meetings. It's worth it for the, and for us. Our URL really just redirects to a specific section of their site, devoted to our group. I'm torn about whether it would be cheaper to build out all its features on a site of our own. Even with the many excellent free tools from Ray and others, it still would take time to do and to manage, and time is money, of course.

And indeed running the group itself is already a time commitment of its own. Still, running the CF Meetup is really a gift to the community, and just another part of the many wonderful ways that we all learn from each other in this great CF community.

But since you're really pressing me :-), I'll point out that both Ray and I have Amazon wish lists.

No, thank you!

But really, thanks for your support whether you're a speaker or an attendee, or if you do anything to help promote the group. It sounds trite, but as with all CFUGs it really is your group. You can help make it what you want it to be, and by promoting it to others, you make it all the more compelling a place to "watch and be watched".

I welcome your feedback and comments, and I hope to "see" you at an upcoming meetup.