Thank you to those who came out to our first CPFUG meeting last night. There were 26 in attendence and people seemed to be really excited about the group. I have a really good feeling that this group will take off and be a great community. We enjoyed some pizza (thanks JPL) and beer, although nobody touched the Seagrams (shocking). We discussed some ideas on how the user group should be structured and what topics would be covered. We gave out some great swag including books, t-shirts, and stickers. We also checked out some of the new features of Flash CS4, which you can check out here.
Another Benefit!
One of the Adobe benefits that I can’t believe I failed to mention (the beer might have played a role) was the bi-annual software giveaway. We as a group will be giving away two copies of CS4 every 6 months, where the price of each may not exceed $2,100. Which means any CS4 bundles except for the Jedi Master Collection. We will have a points system in place that is based on attendance and participation. [Insert applause here.]
In search of a Co-Manager
The group needs to have a co-manager to help plan and organize meetings and events. Along with this role comes some nice benefits from Adobe like access to NDA Adobe info, free certifications and software, and more. WARNING: It is a lot of work. So please only be interested if you have a passion for uniting local flashers in the area, and the time to do it. Email me if you are interested, along with ideas you may have and why you should be considered.
Meeting Notes:
List Serve: We had a request on having a list serve so we can all communicate together more easily. Good idea. I will look into it.
Business Neutral Meeting Place: There was a suggestion about holding our meetings at a business neutral location besides JPL. The theory was that some might not attend meetings if they look at JPL as their competition. I happen to know that JPL supports and encourages these types of user groups so local developers and designers can grow their skills and network amongst themselves. We are coming together as individuals, not companies. And based on the survey we held, 94% of the group prefer the meetings to be held at JPL. So we will continue to keep the current location.
Members Site List: We will have a page on the site were we will list any sites you may have. This will be a great way for those to gain exposure for potential employers and others interested. Just email me if you would like your site(s) on the list.
Book Library: As our sponsors send us free books, we will archive some of them in a shared library so we can all benefit. There will be a list of books on our site where you can see what is there, and check them out for a period of time. The majority of the group was in favor of this idea. We will see how this works out and adjust if necessary. We will still raffle off books as prizes as well.
Next Meeting
Our next meeting will be on Thursday November 6th. Please let me know if you have any suggestions on topics you’d like to see, or if you would like to help out. More info to come.
