Joomla! Documentation™

There are many aspects and questions which need careful consideration when running a Joomla! User Group. Here are a list of common questions you might need to address further.

Should we accept corporate sponsors for our group?

Yes it is ok to allow corporate sponsorship of meetings to fund food, beverages, venue costs, and other expenses. That's not to say that every sponsorship offer should be accepted, the JUG organiser should use their discretion to ensure that the companies values are aligned with our open source community.

Some sponsors also wish to attend the meeting and present to the group, but you should ensure that this is not just a sales pitch for their product or service and is related to a topic of interest to your members.

How do we find speakers for our group?

Just ask local proffesionals, they often are happy to share their Joomla! knowledge.

Ask your regular atendees, one of the topics most requested in the Netherlands is 'Docter Joomla' where the atendee's that have a problem or question can share their problem. Often that problem is solved on the spot.

How do we keep our meetings interesting for all levels of experience?

The skill level of attendees can vary from absolute beginner, through to experienced Joomla user or developer. To keep everyone interested, it can be useful to have multiple presentations at each JUG, with one beginner focused talk and one advanced talk, and well as a general discussion where all sorts of issues can be discussed.

How often should we meet?

Many JUG groups meet on a monthly basis, but you could also meet less frequently, such as bi-monthly or quarterly. It is often helpful to set a regular meeting schedule, such as the second Tuesday of each month, so that regular members will know when to expect the next meeting.

¿Qué equipo se necesita y cómo se puede prever que los equipos?

El requisito principal es tener un proyector y una pantalla o pared para proyectar al usarse en sus presentaciones. Muchos sitios tiene este equipo, sin embargo si no lo tienen, hay varias maneras con las que puede conseguir el equipo. Una opción puede ser la de pedir prestado el equipo de un miembro del grupo, o a una empresa cercana. También se puede alquilar un proyector mediante una pequeña cuota. Dependiendo de la estructura de financiación del JUG, se pueden plantear la compra de un proyector con excedentes de los fondos recaudados.

An Internet connection is often required by presenters, or to show sites during group discussions. Some venues can provide an Internet connection, or you could potentially use a mobile broadband connection or mobile phone tethering to provide Internet access.

How do I manage people booking to attend my meetings?

If you are using meetup.com, this handles all the RSVPs and allows you to easily see who is coming and who cannot make it.

How do I communicate with my members?

Meetings should be announced on appropriate social media channels such as Twitter, Facebook, Google Plus.

If you are using meetup.com, it has inbuilt meeting announcement that will notify members when the meeting is scheduled, as well as an automatic reminder one week prior to the event and the day before the event.

Some JUG groups use an email mailing list to communicate with their members.

Adding your meeting to events.joomla.org is another communication channel, which has the added benefit of giving visibility to our PR Team.