[Balug-admin] [Balug-announce] October 18 2005 meeting, etc.

[Michael Paoli]

Well, I'm rather certain I asked roughly week(s) or so ago on our "admin"
list <balug-admin-balug.org@lists.balug.org> if we'd gotten confirmation
on the "regular" meeting room, would have microphone, etc.
I never got a response on that.  I'd give a URL(s) to that item in the
archives, but at present lists.balug.org. isn't pingable and isn't responding
on TCP port 80.

I called the restaurant this Monday afternoon asking if BALUG had the
3rd Floor Banquet Facility: "The China Room" available and reserved for
our regular meeting.  Well, perhaps with some language issues and
confusion, I seemed to get something that implied we had the room, but perhaps
they might've got confused and thought I was some other party
trying to reserve the room, or who knows what, ... though I did clearly and
repeatedly mention and ask regarding BALUG, and regular monthly meeting we
usually have in the 3rd Floor Banquet Facility: "The China Room", etc.

If we're sending relatively last minute stuff to the "announce" list that
we don't have the larger room, and may not have AV capabilities and
microphone and such, ... we might (rightly or wrongly) be scaring people
off.  Of course if we show up with 40 or more people (not infeasible, but 25
to 30 is probably more probable), that could be a fair bit of an "issue" if it
is in fact the case that we don't have the
3rd Floor Banquet Facility: "The China Room" available (and AV hookup
and microphone).

Okay, ... now lists.balug.org is responding again, here's the URL where I
asked earlier:
http://lists.balug.org/pipermail/balug-admin-balug.org/2005-September/000087.html

This meeting's been fairly well publicized, so the turnout could be on the
largish side (presumably a topic a fair number of folks are interested in,
reasonable timing of earlier announcements to the BALUG announce lists,
some mention on other lists, etc. ... I think I've also got at least
3 co-workers that I know of that are planning to attend too).

So, ... what can we do to reduce these communication SNAFUs?, e.g.:
Last month there was nothing on the web site or sent to the lists about
speaker (well, except one item that went out less than 7 hours before the
meeting), so when I sent earlier "final" announcement out prior to the Sept.
meeting, it indicated we had no speaker - then we have speaker show up at
the meeting, indicating he'd confirmed apparently quite a while earlier.
At the Sept. meeting, that we had a speaker was apparently a complete surprise
to everyone (except the speaker himself)
who showed up at the Sept. meeting.  At the Sept. meeting, apparently no one -
or at least no one that showed up at the meeting, was aware that the
3rd Floor Banquet Facility: "The China Room"
wouldn't be available to us for that meeting (apparently they were working
on some remodeling up there).
I asked weeks ago (2005-09-30) regarding Oct. meeting and if we'll have
3rd Floor Banquet Facility: "The China Room" (and microphone and AV stuff).
Until hours ago, I'd gotten no e-mail that addressed that.  Based on
observations that, excepting once, we'd always had our meeting on the
3rd floor, and prior assurances that we'd not be without microphone
availability again - and also what response I got when I called the
restaurant this Monday afternoon, I was working on the presumption
that we'd have the 3rd Floor Banquet Facility: "The China Room",
microphone, etc., available to us.  Then less than 24 hours to the
meeting, and we've got e-mail going out, including to the announce list,
stating that we don't have the 3rd Floor Banquet Facility: "The China Room".

references/excerpts:
http://lists.balug.org/pipermail/balug-announce-balug.org/2005-September/000041.html
http://lists.balug.org/pipermail/balug-announce-balug.org/2005-September/000046.html
http://lists.balug.org/pipermail/balug-admin-balug.org/2005-September/000087.html
http://lists.balug.org/pipermail/balug-announce-balug.org/2005-October/000049.html
http://lists.balug.org/pipermail/balug-talk-balug.org/2005-October/003509.html

Quoting Larry Platzek <larryp@inow.com>:

> Dick Verna recieved a call this evening saying our usuall meeting room 
> will not be available for the October meeting. We can meet in the main 
> dining area. I know may/will have impact on A/V use I hope will still work 
> without the projector. I  think can still have a good meeting and see 
> those who make it to the meeting!
> 
> We do have important change information, Will post after the meeting for 
> those who do not make it to the meeting.