Seems the definition of "local" needs to be addressed. (And I'm betting as I type this, someone else is, or has already defined the term.) Local, in the context of this long-running faction of an organization is loosely defined as an area as big as it needs to be for many to reasonably and regularly attend the organization's events. Special events like VCF-East have certainly been an exception to that, but VCF-E is a Vintage Computer Federation event, run by volunteers and members of the local organization in Wall Township, NJ. It was already discussed by many, and nearly officially by Tony B., that Mid-Atlantic covers a VERY large swath on the Eastern seaboard and nearby inland states. Unless anybody has an issue with the use of "local" to define that, then let's stick with using the term local as having such a broad reference. While we won't kick anybody from Nebraska away who comes to one of our Workshops or Festivus, or a future hackathon, that Nebraskan would probably not make regular trips to Wall Township, NJ on a near monthly basis. As such, we probably wouldn't consider Nebraska "local", but they are more than welcome to join the group and/or mailing list if they wish. So Bill, you ARE local in the broadest sensible sense of the term. You're certainly far more local to this area than to the sister group in California's Bay Area. I live further from Wall Township, NJ than you, but I would call MARCH (sticking with that name for now) my local retro computer club. We have members in Virginia who think the same way. As for the same 7 people. That's just because those people choose on their own to attend these events on a regular basis, or even a volunteer, or docent. It is not a defining requirement for membership and never has been. Any group or organization will have its "regular" members, but as far as attendance at our regular Workshop events, the invitation is always there. The simple rules are: - Sign up on the Google Sheet that's sent via announcement to this message list - Pay the daily Workshop fee of $15 - Understand that attendees will not (always) fix your stuff for you, but many help as much as they can. This is an opportunity to learn how to restore your own stuff. - Be kind and courteous - ENJOY YOURSELF! - Clean up before you leave As "MARCH" defines more suitable ways to get the word out to the retro hobbyist about these regular events, there is hope that more people would learn about our volunteer opportunities, and not feel that they are not welcome to participate in anything "MARCH" does. Jeff Salzman On Tue, Oct 29, 2024 at 1:38 PM RETRO Innovations via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic@lists.vcfed.org> wrote:
On 10/29/2024 12:08 PM, David Gesswein via vcf-midatlantic wrote:
My point was more of "should folks like myself be on the list at all, since we are not local"? I asked because one of the most recent list emails was about "the same 7 people come to events, few help out..." and I think there was an implication that the list members should be take a more active role in the org. I'd love to assist, and I do for other VCF-like orgs closer to home, but I can't help be a docent or set up for the swap meet, and neither can the others on the list who are far flung. That was my intent.
Jim