[AUUG-Talk]: AUUG2007 speakers

[Adrian Close]

On Wed, 7 Feb 2007, Arjen Lentz wrote:

> Nor can one keep leaning on past accomplishments. What is happening NOW.

We are attempting to organise this year's conference.

> I should mention that the AUUG conference is quite expensive compared to the

An often-debated point.  How much do you think it should cost?  I've also 
heard people say it's cheap.  I heard people say it should cost more.

Members, how much do you think it should cost?  Let us know and we can 
something to that budget.

> The AUUG board does not decide what AUUG is interested in, (potential)

Of course not.  That is why I'm here, soliciting member input.

> I was intrigued by the statement from the board that there had been no motion 
> to disband AUUG at the AGM.

There was talk of such a thing, by people who were notably absent from the AGM.
They may indeed have voted with their feet, which is just fine by me.  I 
would like to think that those who remain are interested in helping AUUG 
do something useful.

> Speaking for myself and taking on board the points made here earlier, I think 
> most people have left; it seems a bit silly to spend >$100 and such merely to

We offer associate membership at the cost of an email address.  If you're 
getting this mail, you're a member.  If you want to vote, you must pay. 
If you want the best deal on conference pricing, you must pay (or present 
a paper or tutorial at the conference - and I thank you for your past 
contributions on this front).

> Organisations need to serve (and be seen to serve by others) a purpose other 
> than validating their own existence. When they stop doing so, it is time to

Oddly enough, I have no desire to be president of (or even involved in) an 
organization that exists simply to validate its own existence.

We exist to serve our members.  Our members want a conference.  We're 
putting on a conference.

Thank you for your comments.  I have read and absorbed it all, even if I 
can't afford to spend the whole day debating the fine points.

Now, please, can I get some speaker/theme suggestions?  The 
debating-about-running-conference phase is over.  The 
suggesting-conference-content phase is on now.

Adrian.