Local User Groups/Start a LUG

From openSUSE

Want to start a openSUSE Local User Group in your area? This page will tell you how. Before setting up your new group, join the opensuse-project mailinglist, where you can join in the discussion about the Local User Group program.

Starting your Group

Write your wiki page

Start a wiki page for your group from the Find LUGs page in your appropriate continent (you may need to add your country). That page should include information about Upcoming Events, Discussions, Member lists, and a Group Contact, however it's your team's page so do what you wish with it.

Set up your group

The team should include one Group Contact, or someone who can be contacted for information about the group. Generally this will be the founder of the group.

Find members

To find members, you may wish to send emails to the mailing lists of a local Linux User Group. Be sure to make it clear in your letter that the openSUSE Local User Group is not intended to compete with their Linux User Group. We want to supplement them with specific discussion about openSUSE and spreading openSUSE specifically, but we hope our groups and the general Linux User Groups can work together, co-hosting events possibly, etc.

Face to face meetings

One of the unique advantages of Local User Groups is being able to meet your fellow openSUSE community members face to face. Planning a meeting starts with deciding what type of meeting you wish to have. You can meet with just your fellow group members, or you could have an event in which the group gets together to spread openSUSE.

If you're planning to have any type of meeting, it's a good idea to have the meeting in an area that is family friendly. Although you may wish to (and can) meet in your local pub or bar, make sure group members planning on attending can join in (e.g. if planning on going to a bar, make sure no member is under the legal age to enter). Also, generally it's a good idea to keep the meeting in a public area, not at a private home.

Public meetings

Another type of meeting is one that helps spread the message of openSUSE. The public can arrive and talk about or learn more about openSUSE. For these types of gatherings, it's a good idea to locate an area that allows for plenty of room and good access for the public. If you'd like openSUSE PromoDVDs for your event, visit here. Also a good idea is to put up fliers for the event.

You may want to contact a local university about using a room of theirs for the event.