22 Sep
2016
22 Sep
'16
12:18 p.m.
On Thu, 22 Sep 2016 10:13:55 -0700
Patrik D'haeseleer <patrikd(a)gmail.com> wrote:
Don't expect that to be a solution though. As you
know, CCL schedules
all its meetings through Meetup, which has an RSVP system baked in.
What we see is that most people (especially the regulars!) just don't
bother to click the RSVP button. Which sometimes leads new folks to
think that meetings will have a very low turnout, so they don't
bother coming. We've also had instances where the meetup organizer
changed the schedule last-minute, and only emailed the people who did
RSVP.
So unless you really hound people to use the RSVP system, RSVPs are
typically inaccurate and misleading.
They may or may not still be a net positive overall. But having an
RSVP system would definitely not have solved the issue with a new
prospective member showing up, pie in hand, to an empty sudo room...
All very good points. I certainly don't expect a simple RSVP system to
solve this problem, but I still suspect it might be a net positive, or
at worst a neutral change.
Another thought: allow members to sign up to act as greeter for the
weekly party. Each week, we try to always have one greeter signed up,
and their job is simply to definitely attend the weekly party and say
hi to people when they show up. Just a simple "Hello! Are you here for
the Sudo Room party?" would be sufficient. You'd just need to promise
to be present and greeting whoever arrives from say 7pm to 9pm.
Additional thoughts/ideas/critiques are definitely welcome. I just hate
that we're accidentally unwelcoming to prospective members. Seems like
something we really need to fix.
--
Charley Sheets