Promoting Technical Users Groups?

An anonymous reader asks: "I'm trying to promote a technical user group in my area. We have great sponsorship and have had great speakers. I know my town has a lot of software developers employed, however I'm at a loss as to how to announce and get the word out to them. As a software developer working for a company, how do I get information to you? SPAM? Surely you delete those. Mail? I suspect my ad will never get beyond the mailroom. Should I post in bookstores? Put ads on the radio? Please help!"

Comments

Post to Slashdot of course.

[rednip]

I've got a great idea, submit your question to Slashdot! Oh, yea. here we are...

AKA,

• Travel to your nearest users group and ask around, I'll bet even money that you'll find some people from your area
• but more importantly get to know that organizer, and find out that they do to be successful.
• Get to know the local University or College, post in the lunch room perhaps even take a night class.
• Post to online forums, I hear people get good success from Craig's list.
• Put a magnetic sign on your car, announcing your group.
• Get a booth at the local flea market.
• hang signs where ever you can. Take inspiration from the "loose weight now" signs you see posted on public property. (if it's legal where your at)
• Go door to door like a Jehovah's witness (ok that's a little over the top).
• Go to the nearest Scifi convention, and spread the word.
• Talk to the nearest computer hardware providers, ask them to put up signs, they might even 'sponsor' your group!
• Meet with as many people as you can muster, even if it's one or two, but do so in a public place like the coffee area of a bookstore, chances are someone will wander by and ask what's going on.

Well, first...

[EvilMagnus]

...when trying to pimp your group on Slashdot, it is vital to include the *name* of the group, the location and time of the meetings! Yeesh, you just passed up the chance for a few tens of thousands of pageviews! :-)

Hot Women!

[maxogden]

Just hire a hotel heiress to stand on a desk during your meeting and spin around while wearing scantily clad clothing (if any). Put it in a commercial, and profit!

Go to SWAP meet

[Dark Coder]

To do this like the olden days of computing yores (before email was in vogue), try the following:

1. post bulletin/flyers at the
a. Computer Swap meets,
b. Flea Markets,
c. computer stores (talk to managers)

2. Visit stores, approach people staring at components, thrust the flyer in their hand after confirm their hobby interest.
a. computer stores
b. electronic stores

3. Take a classified Ad in the paper (that still works)

4. University bulletin boards, those are great but usually
requires Student Union approvals.
Check the QUADs/square or engineering department boards.

5. Visit other user groups

6. Try Craigs List. (exception to the email yores)

Justs alot of footwork, before the word of mouth gets around.

If you really want to demonstrate technical proweness, then construct a Bat Signal and advertise lightbeam-writing on the nite clouds.

Never fails for me.

Do it the Internet way....

[jimpop]

Join mailinglists for other local groups in the geographical area in which you are interested. For example, if you wanted to launch a technical user group in Atlanta you might announce it to the Atlanta Linux Enthusiasts, the Atlanta Perl Mongers, the Atlanta .NET User Group, or the Atlanta Java User Group. Even though your new group might be unrelated to some other groups, there will undoubtably be members who are interested or know someone else who is interested. If you are concerned about posting to those groups, just contact the respective mailinglist admins to ask their opinion.