Typically more of the latter, because of the stage the bio group is at, at the moment. But as long as we're making significant progress towards having a functioning DIYbio lab, it's all good.

We also have a "general meeting" for the East Bay DIYbio group (every last friday - coming up tomorrow!) that is more about making introductions, exchanging cool ideas, socializing, etc. Which is also essential for building a community, but if we only have that kind of meetings, we'd never get any of the boring logistics done.

"General meeting" and "working meeting" is just what I've started calling them, and nobody has called me on it yet ;-) For the first "working meeting", we set it up over email among some of the key members, because we wanted it small and focused enough to actually get anything done. But I think as long as we advertize that this is a *working* meeting, and that people will be expected to contribute and get something done, they will automatically self-select accordingly.