Can we help a Canuck abroad? [Fwd: Starting a Ubuntu User's Group]

[Maurice Murphy]

I would love to help, but with my limited technical knowledge, about the 
best I can do is provide moral support.  Others, no doubt, will be able 
to provide more tangible help.
Maurice

Peter Whittaker wrote:
> Folks, I don't know how many of you read Sounder, so apologies if you
> are seeing this again....
>
> Michael Richter, a Canuck living and teaching in China, is interested in
> starting a LUG for his students - refer to original email, below - and
> is hoping to benefit from the experience of other LUG founders, given
> that this is new to him.
>
> I know there are several active LUG members/leaders/founders on this
> list, and so thought there might be collective experience we could share
> with Mike.
>
> I'll leave it to you to decide how best to follow-up: here, in Sounder,
> or both. (Directly to Mike is perhaps the least attractive option, since
> the rest of us will then learn nothing.) Sounder and other Ubuntu
> mailing lists can be found at https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo
>
> Thanks all,
>
> pww
>
>
> -------- Forwarded Message --------
> From: Michael T. Richter <ttmrichter at gmail.com>
> Reply-To: ttmrichter at gmail.com
> To: sounder at lists.ubuntu.com
> Subject: Starting a Ubuntu User's Group
> Date: Sun, 11 Mar 2007 14:36:31 +0800
>
> So, my students are beginning to show an interest in Linux, seeing as
> how I run it on the laptop I teach from.  As a result several of them
> have downloaded and tried Ubuntu and several more are expressing
> interest.  I'd like to foster this interest further as I lead them away
> from the dark, desolate world of Java and ASP.NET.  As a result I'd like
> to set up an Ubuntu User's Group.
>
> I've fired off an order to shipit for 300 Ubuntu CDs for my classes so I
> can give them something tangible to start with.  After that....  Well,
> not being user group material, I'm not actually sure what a user group
> does.  Can anybody provide suggestions (or pointers to suggestions) for
> activities and such that I could put my students through to pique
> interest in Ubuntu (and the broader world of Linux/FOSS)?  Some points
> to consider: 
>       * university students studying software (Wuhan University
>         International Software School) 
>       * I want to lead them away from the cloying world of Microsoft
>         that dominates this country 
>       * these students aren't computer-newbies, but they are almost
>         universally UNIX-alike newbies 
>       * most of them are 19-21 years old, but young for their age
>         (typical of Chinese students)
>
>