Need advice on starting a Python group

[Steve Holden]

Jean-Michel Pichavant wrote:
> News123 wrote:
>> Jonathan Gardner wrote:
>>  
>>> On Thu, Mar 11, 2010 at 6:57 AM, gb345 <gb345 at invalid.com> wrote:
>>>    
>>>> And even when we've had volunteers, hardly anyone shows up!
>>>>
>>>> Any suggestions would be appreciated.
>>>>
>>>>       
>>> Two things: One, only you and your friend really care. Let that sink
>>> in. No one is going to carry the group but you two, at least
>>> initially.
>>>
>>> Two, there's a lot of people at movie theaters and the county fair.
>>> Why? Because it is interesting and fun. Scientists work the same way.
>>> Yes, a lot of people are interested in Python. Why don't you do a bit
>>> of snooping around and see what people want to know about?
>>>
>>> Let me give some examples:
>>>
>>> * Interactive numeric programming with Python
>>> * Rapid website development with Pylons (Trust me, everyone wants to
>>> make a website.) Show how you are showing off data from one of your
>>> experiments of projects and how easy it is to organize and manage
>>> data.
>>> * How you used Python on your latest and greatest project
>>>
>>> Don't expect the audience to participate, except to show up and ask
>>> questions.
>>>
>>> If you want to build a Python support group, then form an informal
>>> group with your friends. Start a public mailing list and offer Python
>>> advice and support for free. Integrate whatever code your org has with
>>> Python, and manage and maintain that code so others can use it.
>>>
>>> Finally, advertise. The more people see "Python", the more they will
>>> be interested. Coca-cola and Pepsi are really good at this!
>>>
>>>     
>>
>>
>> attendance will be very low and be sure nobody cares to check whether
>> anything happened on this group.
>>
>> My suggestion is:
>>
>>
>> I'd suggest to setup a group, to which one can subscribe with mail
>> notification and for all the old ones perhaps even via nntp ;-) and of
>> course via a web front end (though I personally hate web groups)
>>
>> Afterwards you can 'friendly-fore-subscribe' some collegues. ;-)
>> Just talk about your new cool group during lunch, etc.
>>
>> Be sure, that most will be to lazy to unsuscribe.
>>
>> Start discussing interesting topics on this group and then . . .
>> maybe others start joining. maybo nobody cares and you have just to
>> accept it.
>>
>> bye
>>
>>
>> N
>>   
> Python is not interesting enough by itself to grab students attention.
> It's just a tool to solve some technical problems.
> 
> So, either python has a direct benefit on the study itself (meaning it
> can help getting better results), or you'll have to make it intereseting
> as a hobbit. But python is not music, video, dance nor it is related to
> sport, sex or whatever things that usually interest people. So I really
> don't know how to make it interesting, I'm not sure it's even possible
> nor desirable.
> 
> Good luck anyway.
> 
> JM
> 
> 
All the advice you have had is good. You need to turn around your
enthusiasm and look at it from the potential visitor's point of view -
what's in it for them?

You don't say where you are (and your invalid domain doesn't really help
identify that), but if you have any of the superstars from the
scientific Python world around you, invite one of them as a guest speaker.

Take a look on the web - e.g. in pycon.blip.tv, where all the PyCon
talks for the last two years are available. Maybe you could start each
meeting by showing one of those videos? Also take a look to see what
SciPy conferences have made available (though I don't think they do
videos yet).

The PSF has invested hugely in making that information available, and
the more they get used the happier we will be. But mostly it's a matter
of focusing on what your community needs from the group, and providing that.

Good luck!

regards
 Steve
-- 
Steve Holden           +1 571 484 6266   +1 800 494 3119
See PyCon Talks from Atlanta 2010  http://pycon.blip.tv/
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