Great stuff!
I'm starting another thread, we are getting off of Jason's specific request for help regarding presenting Lisa Xenix.

Very true. I agree that the variety at VCF ensures that we cover a broader
interest. That being said, how do we get people to want to walk in the door
in the first place? Personally, I don't think that Facebook and blogs are
enough. Can we reach a larger audience?


On Wed, Jan 11, 2017 at 12:38 PM, Dave McGuire via vcf-midatlantic <
vcf-midatlantic@lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> wrote:

On 01/11/2017 11:54 AM, Chris Fala via vcf-midatlantic wrote:

Dave, I agree with you. However, what can be done to make serious

software

eye-catching? I personally am thrilled to look at spreadsheets all day
(well, maybe not thrilled), but I think that kind of thing would not grab
the attention of the average person. I think we have had similar
discussions here: how do we present our hobby in such a way to draw

people

in and help them appreciate it the way that we do?

  I think many people will be drawn in by their own curiosity about
history.  That's why people walk into museums.  The Smithsonian doesn't
have a guy outside trying to drag people in to play a game of "catch"
with an animated dinosaur skeleton.

  I agree that a lot of "serious software" can be boring to some people.
 So they'll walk by and head over to the table of personal computers
with games running.  There were real working physicists at the last VCF
at which I exhibited.  Two of them spent some time with my PDP-11s.
They probably walked right by the Commodore 64s.  That's the great thing
about VCF...there's something for everyone.  I personally didn't care
that most of the kids and spouses weren't interested in my PDP-11s...but
I loved the fact that the physicists were.

  I think it's a very bad idea to reduce it to "something for the kids"
when it's currently "something for everyone".

               -Dave

--
Dave McGuire, AK4HZ
New Kensington, PA