How is a regional team functional?...I ask how is not essential?

[RAV TUX]

With in the Nu Ubuntu Team, we encourage and promote within our region the creation of new State and City Teams...the viability of US Ubuntu LoCo teams can only be held together by regions...

within each region our state and city teams come together to help each other out to be more viable overall...

Especially in the Northeast US this is successful and necessary, as you can read our forum and find empirical validation of the NU Ubuntu Team as a model of success in LoCo teams....

here The Pittsburgh, New York City, Connecticut, Boston, Maine, and many other teams have been born and our vast network commands a region whose viability is paramount to the success of effective Ubuntu LoCo team management,....

This can not be achieved by simply splintering into 50 different LoCo teams by states, this is just much too much of a simplistic focus. In reality economies and communities in the USA are defined by Regions, then within these regions are States, and within these states are cities...

I have heard some "new" talk about region vs states....this is ridiculous,....it is not anything vs anything.....the Regional leadership works as a catlyst and a binding glue for the state and city groups within the region..

It is a basic concept and should be utilized as a tool of cohension for a overall better systematic structure...

I just read talk against the LoCo teams based on regions, headed by a few who what to redefine and put a spin on the reality that already exist and has been working,...instead of these people consulting and learning from the regional teams that work and working with existing regional teams to help the Ubuntu LoCo teams to come together and work as one unified entity I have read words from people I have never meet or talked that question the viability of a regional team.

So I invite you to come here to a regional team that works and explain your point: is it political? is it merely the thrill of redefining what already exist? or do we need to teach marketing and US economics so that you may have a greater understanding of the viability and success of a regional team? are you out to destroy the success of regional LoCo teams?

please do not do your dirty work behind closed doors come here and lets let the community of ubuntuforums.org discuss this in the open, instead of a couple of individuals who seem bent on destroying successful US regional LoCo teams....

I specifical refer to the meeting by the new "#ubuntu-us" entity a very, very new entity that is coming on to redefine the US LoCo teams according to them...

here it begins:

--- Log opened Sat Jan 20 09:54:01 2007
09:54 * | atoponce looks about the room...
09:54 --> | meatballhat [n=dbuch@unaffiliated/meatballhat] has joined #ubuntu-us
09:54 --- | ChanServ sets modes [#ubuntu-us +o meatballhat]
09:55 * | Rinchen wonders what a meatball hat looks like.
09:56 <@meatballhat> | it's mostly appalling
09:56 * | Rinchen laughs.
09:56 <@ atoponce> | what kind of meat? beef? chicken? pork? fish?
09:56 <@ Zelut> | Rinchen: I always think of that show on Adult Swim, with that meatball guy
09:57 <@ atoponce> | well, i'm thinking it's just about time to start

then:

10:51 <@ atoponce> | some teams are covering large regions. *very* large regions
10:51 < sn9> | second thing would be a consistent migration path for teams set up prior to the requirements
10:51 <@ atoponce> | there is the pacific-northwest team, the midwest team, and the northeastern team
10:52 <@ atoponce> | all 3 cover many states
10:52 <@ atoponce> | the problem i have with this convention, is the inability to hold in-person meetings
10:52 <@ atoponce> | however, with that said, there are some states where the demographics just don't support a state loco team
10:53 < sn9> | well, in some states, that problem would persist even with a state team
10:53 <@ atoponce> | so, i'm open to suggestions on this. i would like to see each team have it's own state loco, but that might not be possible
10:53 < sn9> | in-person meeting problem, that is
10:53 < JoeyStanfor> | I agree this is a problem. sn9 is also correct. I am not in favour of massive multi-state groups because by definition they cannot be effective.
10:53 <@ atoponce> | and with some states, even as sn9 poined out, it's still very difficult
10:53 <@ atoponce> | like texas
10:54 <@ Zelut> | I prefer the method of a state-based overall team and regional localization within
10:54 < sn9> | or AK, or CA
10:54 <@ atoponce> | sn9: exactly

http://ubuntu-utah.org/logs/us-teams/20jan2007.txt

so we have a meeting that goes from talking about what kind of meat to people just starting to try and redefine whole regional teams, based on what pretense? that supposedly that the regional teams won't be able to hold in person meet ups....yet nothing is based in reality?

Please gentlemen before you start trying to subject your narrow definitions of reality in your IRC meeting that limit attendance by only having a small window of time for anybody to participate, first come here to the open community forum where people can read and re-read what you write and respond appropriately

IRC dictatorship I strongly disagree with, in the form of re-defining LoCo team reality that already exist.

Please if it is not broke why are you trying to break it just to rebuild...I am not impressed.

[justin whitaker]

You point out something quite valid RAV...last night, we were told that if we wanted to create a "Boston" team, we had to make it a state based team, despite the fact that many other cities have their own teams, wikis, etc.

I don't mind heading up a State team, but where is the consistency in the decision making? How is Boston a second class citizen to Chicago, or any other city in the US? Because we are late to the table, we have to call ourselves Massachusetts?

My thought would be: if you want it to be state based, then fold all existing city teams into state teams, and be done with it. That sort of thinking I can understand.

If not, then I really question the intent of the whole LoCo program. I can't see how arbitrary standards can be put in place ex post facto to define how we, the users of an open source and community based project, decide how to approach how we congregate.

[Vorian]

Justin,

There are two approved US LoCo teams, that are City based. The CC recognizes city based teams, and you should start one if you feel so inclined

[justin whitaker]

Justin,

There are two approved US LoCo teams, that are City based. The CC recognizes city based teams, and you should start one if you feel so inclined

Thanks Vorian, I'm just trying to "go along to get along."

[Vorian]

The point RAV TUX is trying to make is that of the need for Regional LoCo teams. Jono Bacon would like to see LoCo teams no bigger than state level.

As for MA and Boston, If you need help, just let me know

[justin whitaker]

The point RAV TUX is trying to make is that of the need for Regional LoCo teams. Jono Bacon would like to see LoCo teams no bigger than state level.

As for MA and Boston, If you need help, just let me know

Well, I can see the point I guess. And thanks for the offer, I will take you up on that at some point!

[RAV TUX]

You point out something quite valid RAV...last night, we were told that if we wanted to create a "Boston" team, we had to make it a state based team, despite the fact that many other cities have their own teams, wikis, etc.

I don't mind heading up a State team, but where is the consistency in the decision making? How is Boston a second class citizen to Chicago, or any other city in the US? Because we are late to the table, we have to call ourselves Massachusetts?

My thought would be: if you want it to be state based, then fold all existing city teams into state teams, and be done with it. That sort of thinking I can understand.

If not, then I really question the intent of the whole LoCo program. I can't see how arbitrary standards can be put in place ex post facto to define how we, the users of an open source and community based project, decide how to approach how we congregate.

Justin I think you should do both,....start a state and city team.

there is no reason why you can not head both the Boston and Massachusetts LoCo teams...

I am overwhelming happy that the NU Ubuntu Team has been instrumental in bringing together people in our region so that we can help grow LoCo teams both within states and cities within or region.

Jono has yet to contact me for some reason, I have been wanting to discuss and share with him the success of our regional team so he can hopefully be inspired by and use this template effectively. This model should be utilized effectively internationally, at the very least here in the US.