We only have 3 "Yes" RSVPs so far for tonight's Meetup. Our Meetup is
going the way of Starchild's Direct Action Forum and a bunch of other
LPSF regularly scheduled events. Dwindling numbers eventually
followed by cancellation. I'd like to avoid that if possible.
We currently do Second Tuesdays. That often conflicts with SFDebate
at Commonwealth Club INFORUM (which I know is what keeps Jeremy from
attending, and what ought to keep me from attending, since I'm on
INFORUM's Board). What other night works for you all? We have to
find a night where we can guarantee at least a few of our big-time
activists will attend if we want to keep this going. Is there any
night of the month when you're pretty sure that you could attend
perhaps 8 out of 12 Meetups in a given year?
Also, I've heard complaints about Thirsty Bear being too noisy. Of
course, last month we moved the event to my home, which was nice and
quiet, and it was even less well attended than Thirsty Bear typically
is, so I'm thinking the noise was more of an excuse than a real reason
for people not attending. If we move it to somewhere else in the same
neighborhood (Cha Am Thai at Third and Folsom, for instance), which is
quieter, would you commit to attend perhaps 8 out of 12 each year? Or
do we need to move it to another neighborhood, or even somewhere in
the same neighborhood that's even closer to BART/Muni?
Please give me feedback. I'm attending these even when there are only
a couple of RSVPs Yes other than myself, because I think it's the
Chair's duty to do so. But that ends in February. Once I'm no longer
Chair, I'm not going to waste time attending something that none of
the other activists feel is worth attending.
Please help revive our Meetups. Or they will end in February. This
is not a threat -- it's merely a fair warning of my inability to prop
up this outreach tool single-handedly anymore.
I wish it could be in the daytime, on a weekend, so I could get there by bicycle. I don't use my bicycle in the dark.
I would love to have come to your apartment, and I would have, except by the time I got out of Michael Moore's talk, it was so late, I had to bicycle home immediately or I would have been trapped in the dark.
At our last business meeting, the plan was for someone to call Jerry's car cell phone, because I was driving back from Humboldt County and that is the only legal way for me to be talking on the phone while driving. Unfortunately, his cell phone ceased to work somewhat earlier on Saturday, so when you tried to reach me, that didn't go through.
Yes, you have been trying pretty much by yourself, for which I express my admiration. However, as a veteran of other groups trying to find interesting events that people will attend, I have invariable witnessed pretty rapid loss of interest in any repeating event. People seem to like what is new. If the population reached by a group, say the Commonwealth Club, is large enough, they can succeed in having regular events. But our population is pretty small in comparison. So, I have never committed to LPSF regular events.
Maybe you might want to consider scheduling the LPSF Drinking Freely night in conjunction with other groups' Drinking Freely nights at the same location; sort of like piggy backing.
If there's no interest in a regularly scheduled event, then I'm thinking
that we try to get a hold of Rachel and ask her to turn off the automated
Meetup function that auto-schedules them for the 2nd Tuesday each month.
Then, I'm happy to organize socials less often -- perhaps quarterly and
perhaps with a good excuse/occasion (Constitution Day, Election Day, Tax
Day, etc.).
For a few years I was organizing an LPSF semi-annual dinners at local
restaurants with a mini-awards ceremony. They were usually well-attended,
(averaging 10-14 people). I think this bodes well for what you're
suggesting.
I sent out announcements for each twice, the initial one about a month or so
in advance.
