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The Little Meetup That Could
This document is a scrapbook detailing the history and evolution of Rails Girls Atlanta, starting from its founding in November 2010 in Helsinki to various meetups and workshops over the years. It highlights key events, innovations, challenges faced in attendance and engagement, and the development of community structures within the group. The retrospective sections emphasize lessons learned regarding content selection, community needs, and the importance of fostering participation and leadership among members.
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The Little Meetup That Could
- 1. The Little Meetup ThatCould A Rails Girls Atlanta Scrapbook Kylie Stradley & Pamela Vickers @RailsGirlsATL Great Wide Open 2016
- 3. But before therecan be a leadership board…
- 4. there has tobe a meetup.
- 5. And before therecan be a meetup…
- 6. there has tobe a need.
- 8. Rails Girls Workshops •Founded by Linda Liukas & Karri Saarinen • November 2010 in Helsinki, Finland
- 11.
- 15.
- 16.
- 17.
- 18.
- 19. ¯_(ツ)_/¯Come to ourmonthly meetup! -Us
- 20. • Paid Meetup.comaccount • 🍕 • Confirmed venue • Tweeted January 2013 (1st Meetup)
- 21. • Assigned “homework” •Scheduled a speaker January 2013 (1st Meetup)
- 23. January 2013 (1st Meetup) •~20 people came • People said nice things • Used Google Hangouts for out-of-town workshop attendees
- 26. Short Lessons • Setexpectations early
- 28. Short Lessons • Setexpectations early • Order vegetarian options
- 29. Long(er) Lessons • Notevery talk is for every attendee.
- 30.
- 31. February 2013 BugFix • 🍕+🌽🌿🍄 🍅
- 32. February 2013 • HandpickedProject Euler problems
- 33. • Handpicked ProjectEuler problems • Lower attendance despite higher RSVP count than first meetup February 2013
- 34.
- 35. Short Lessons • RSVPcount != Attendance count (ordering food is hard) • Recruiters will find any technology meetup (but that’s not always bad)
- 36. Long(er) Lessons • Notevery talk is for every attendee. • There’s no formula for predicting attendance numbers.
- 37. • Not everytalk is for every attendee. • There’s no formula for predicting attendance numbers. • Don’t make assumptions about recruiters. Long(er) Lessons
- 38.
- 39.
- 40. 🏆Our Treasurer’s 1stRGATL 🏆
- 41. • Not everytalk is for every attendee. • There’s no formula for predicting attendance numbers. • Don’t make assumptions about recruiters. Long(er) Lessons
- 42. • Not everytalk is for every attendee. Why are some talks better than others for our meetup? • There’s no formula for predicting attendance numbers. • Don’t make assumptions about recruiters. Long(er) Lessons
- 43.
- 44. May 2013 ✨Newfeature✨ • Rolled out ToDo List project assignment • Slowly introducing Rails into the monthly assignments
- 45.
- 46. June 2013 ✨Newfeature✨ • Offered milestone 1 of the Todo List as public Github repo
- 47. 🏆 RGATL’s halfbirthday 🏆
- 48. 🏆 Kylie’s 1stRGATL 🏆
- 49.
- 50. August 2013 • Continuedworking through and reviewing ToDo List milestones • Bootstrap talk from ATLRUG’s Patrick van Stee to prepare for front-end focused milestone
- 51. 🏆 Our EventFacilitator’s 1st RGATL 🏆
- 52.
- 53. October 2013 • JordanKillpack gave talk on building silly apps to prep for our November “Silly Hacks Only” aka “Wackity Hack” event
- 54. 🏆 1st AbsenteeOrganizer & Community Facilitated Meetup🏆
- 55.
- 56. November 2013 ✨NewFeature✨ • Regularly scheduled meetup was too close to Thanksgiving • Saturday afternoon hack event
- 58.
- 60. The less goodnews:
- 61. Not a lotof people came to enjoy our coffee, snacks, and prizes. 😿
- 62. Short Lessons • Setexpectations for events, especially when hoping beginners will come to a hack event
- 63.
- 64. December 2013 ✨NewFeature✨ • Talk given by one of our regularly attending members
- 65. 🏆 First yearof RGATL 🏆
- 66. 🏆 Smallest Attendanceof the Year 🏆
- 67. 🏆 First time handlingthe “but I saw that you had other male members, so I figured it was fine for me to come” situation. 🏆
- 69. • You’re goingto have awkward encounters when you organize community focused groups • Set clear expectations for who should attend your meetup Short Lessons
- 70. • Not everytalk is for every attendee. Why are some talks better than others for our meetup? • There’s no formula for predicting attendance numbers. • Don’t make assumptions about recruiters. Long(er) Lessons
- 71. • Not everytalk is for every attendee. Why are some talks better than others for our meetup? Recycle good talks. • There’s no formula for predicting attendance numbers. • Don’t make assumptions about recruiters. Long(er) Lessons
- 72. • Not everytalk is for every attendee. Why are some talks better than others for our meetup? Recycle good talks. • There’s no formula for predicting attendance numbers. Holidays make it even harder to predict. • Don’t make assumptions about recruiters. Long(er) Lessons
- 74. 1st Year Retrospective •Worked on projects and assignments as a group • Built membership base • Saw core members begin contributing in small ways
- 75. Release Notes • Improvedfood ordering • Improved expectation setting for all events • Improved meetup content
- 76. Release Notes • Improvedfood ordering • Order vegetarian options • There’s no formula for predicting attendance numbers
- 77. Release Notes • Improvedexpectation setting for all events • Who should come • What they should bring • What they will learn
- 78. Release Notes • Improvedmeetup content • Not every talk is for every attendee • Recycle good talks
- 79. Release Notes • Improvedfood ordering • Improved expectation setting for all events • Improved meetup content
- 81.
- 82.
- 83. Let’s try thisagain
- 84.
- 85. February 2014 BugFixes • Made meetup location private for non-members • Added some leading questions for new members: “Are you a lady? If not: who are you here with?”
- 86. February 2014 (With specialguests from Atlanta chapters of PyLadies, WomenWhoCode, and Systers)
- 87. Short Lessons • Jointcommunity events are fun • No experience required content == higher attendance and engagement
- 88. Long(er) Lessons • Timeset aside for just conversation builds stronger community connections.
- 89.
- 90.
- 91. 🏆 Our MembershipOutreach Coordinator’s 1st RGATL 🏆
- 92. Long(er) Lessons • Timeset aside for just conversation builds stronger community connections.
- 93. Long(er) Lessons • Timeset aside for just conversation builds stronger community connections. • Our small meetup is a great place to foster new speakers.
- 94. And now forsomething completely different
- 95. April 2014 ✨NewFeature✨
- 96.
- 97. April 2014 • ⚡Lightning talks from four members ⚡
- 98. 🏆 Our SponsorshipCoordinator’s 1st RGATL 🏆
- 99. Long(er) Lessons • Timeset aside for just conversation builds stronger community connections. • Our small meetup is a great place to foster new speakers.
- 100. Long(er) Lessons • Timeset aside for just conversation builds stronger community connections. • Our small meetup is a great place to foster new speakers. ⚡Lightning talks⚡ are less intimidating for 1st time speakers.
- 101.
- 102. May 2014 • ⚡Lightning talks ⚡
- 103.
- 104.
- 105. June 2014 • ⚡Lightning talks ⚡
- 106.
- 108. Long(er) Lessons • Timeset aside for just conversation builds stronger community connections. • Our small meetup is a great place to foster new speakers. ⚡Lightning talks⚡ are less intimidating for 1st time speakers.
- 109. Long(er) Lessons • Timeset aside for just conversation builds stronger community connections. • Our small meetup is a great place to foster new speakers. ⚡Lightning talks⚡ are less intimidating for 1st time speakers. • Recognize organizer fatigue.
- 110.
- 111. July 2014 • Attemptedto revive project based meetup • Goals: make open source contributions more accessible, work on project as a group, renew excitement around shared progress
- 112. July 2014 • Attemptedto revive project based meetup • Goals: make open source contributions more accessible, work on project as a group, renew excitement around shared progress • Results: blank stares, intimidated members, no movement on any of the goals
- 113. 🏆 Our MeetupFacilitator’s 1st RGATL 🏆
- 114. Long(er) Lessons • Timeset aside for just conversation builds stronger community connections. • Our small meetup is a great place to foster new speakers. ⚡Lightning talks⚡ are less intimidating for 1st time speakers. • Recognize organizer fatigue.
- 115. Long(er) Lessons • Timeset aside for just conversation builds stronger community connections. • Our small meetup is a great place to foster new speakers. ⚡Lightning talks⚡ are less intimidating for 1st time speakers. • Recognize organizer fatigue. • Shape content around community’s immediate needs.
- 116. Over the nextseveral months
- 117. Early Fall(ish) 2014 •Several great talks • Hit-or-miss on engagement
- 118. Short Lessons • Justbecause a talk is great doesn’t mean it is great for our meetup
- 119. Long(er) Lessons • Timeset aside for just conversation builds stronger community connections. • Our small meetup is a great place to foster new speakers. ⚡Lightning talks⚡ are less intimidating for 1st time speakers. • Recognize organizer fatigue. • Shape content around community’s immediate needs.
- 120. Long(er) Lessons • Timeset aside for just conversation builds stronger community connections. • Our small meetup is a great place to foster new speakers. ⚡Lightning talks⚡ are less intimidating for 1st time speakers. • Recognize organizer fatigue. • Shape content around community’s immediate needs.
- 121. At the endof the year
- 123. 2nd Year Retrospective •Talk based format • Became an established Atlanta meetup • More core members, and more core member involvement
- 124. Release Notes • Improvedexpectation setting for events • Patched hole in Atlanta women’s meetups landscape with supplementary social meetup • Increased speaking opportunities for members • Improved talk selection based on our community’s needs
- 125. Release Notes • Improvedexpectation setting for events • No experience required content == higher attendance and engagement • Time set aside for just conversation builds stronger community connections
- 126. Release Notes • Patchedhole in Atlanta women’s meetups landscape with supplementary social meetup • Joint community events are fun • Time set aside for just conversation builds stronger community connections
- 127. Release Notes • Increasedspeaking opportunities for members • Our small meetup is a great place to foster new speakers • ⚡Lightning talks⚡ are less intimidating for 1st time speakers
- 128. Release Notes • Improvedtalk selection based on our community’s needs • Just because a talk is great doesn’t mean it’s great for our meetup • Recognize organizer fatigue. Otherwise, content can suffer • Shape content around community’s immediate needs
- 129. Release Notes • Improvedexpectation setting for events • Patched hole in Atlanta women’s meetups landscape with supplementary social meetup • Increased speaking opportunities for members • Improved talk selection based on our community’s needs
- 131.
- 132. January 2015 • NewYear, New Environments! • Got everyone set up to do actual Ruby on Rails development in anticipation of working through a curriculum as a group
- 133. Long(er) Lessons • Memberswho aren’t served directly by our content appreciated the opportunity to gain knowledge by volunteering.
- 134.
- 135.
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- 137. March 2015 • Communitymember presented on Ruby tool • Worked through RailsBridge curriculum
- 140. Long(er) Lessons • Memberswho aren’t served directly by our content appreciated the opportunity to gain knowledge by volunteering.
- 141. Long(er) Lessons • Memberswho aren’t served directly by our content appreciated the opportunity to gain knowledge by volunteering. Volunteering is easier when you have expectations about what you’ll be helping with.
- 142. Long(er) Lessons • Memberswho aren’t served directly by our content appreciated the opportunity to gain knowledge by volunteering. Volunteering is easier when you have expectations about what you’ll be helping with. • Beginners like structured learning and opportunities to get help.
- 143.
- 144.
- 145. April 2015 • Heldour first RailsBridge workshop with many of the coaches coming from our own Rails Girls community. • Held a meetup to keep working on the workshop materials
- 146. Short Lessons • Stuffhappens (like a power outage resulting in no lunch 😭😭😭)
- 147.
- 148. May 2015 • Helda meetup to keep working on the workshop materials • Ticket Giveaway for Github’s CodeConf in Nashville (several members attended)
- 149. Long(er) Lessons • Memberswho aren’t served directly by our content appreciated the opportunity to gain knowledge by volunteering. Volunteering is easier when you have expectations about what you’ll be helping with. • Beginners like structured learning and opportunities to get help.
- 150. Long(er) Lessons • Memberswho aren’t served directly by our content appreciated the opportunity to gain knowledge by volunteering. Volunteering is easier when you have expectations about what you’ll be helping with. • Beginners like structured learning and opportunities to get help.
- 151. Long(er) Lessons • Memberswho aren’t served directly by our content appreciated the opportunity to gain knowledge by volunteering. Volunteering is easier when you have expectations about what you’ll be helping with. • Beginners like structured learning and opportunities to get help. • Going to a meetup alone for the first time is intimidating; going to a conference alone for the first time is more intimidating.
- 152.
- 153. June 2015 • Presentation:“Git Workflow: Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Ogre” • Workshop: “Git-it Git & GitHub”
- 154.
- 155.
- 156. Short Lessons • Itis possible to have too much of a good thing
- 157.
- 158. July 2015 • Oneof our most popular presentations “A Day in the Life of a Full Time Developer”
- 159.
- 160. 🏆 Communication Coordinator’s1st RGATL 🏆
- 161. Long(er) Lessons • Memberswho aren’t served directly by our content appreciated the opportunity to gain knowledge by volunteering. Volunteering is easier when you have expectations about what you’ll be helping with. • Beginners like structured learning and opportunities to get help. • Going to a meetup alone for the first time is intimidating; going to a conference alone for the first time is more intimidating.
- 162. Long(er) Lessons • Memberswho aren’t served directly by our content appreciated the opportunity to gain knowledge by volunteering. Volunteering is easier when you have expectations about what you’ll be helping with. • Beginners like structured learning and opportunities to get help. • Going to a meetup alone for the first time is intimidating; going to a conference alone for the first time is more intimidating. • The best talks for a technology meetup aren’t always technology focused.
- 163.
- 164.
- 165. August 2015 • Tryout “new” study group/team ongoing project format • Provided opportunity for members to sign up as participants or coaches
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- 169. October 2015 • AndyLindeman presented “Intro to Automated Testing with RSpec” (requested topic)
- 170. Long(er) Lessons • Memberswho aren’t served directly by our content appreciated the opportunity to gain knowledge by volunteering. Volunteering is easier when you have expectations about what you’ll be helping with. • Beginners like structured learning and opportunities to get help. • Going to a meetup alone for the first time is intimidating; going to a conference alone for the first time is more intimidating. • The best talks for a technology meetup aren’t always technology focused.
- 171. Long(er) Lessons • Memberswho aren’t served directly by our content appreciated the opportunity to gain knowledge by volunteering. Volunteering is easier when you have expectations about what you’ll be helping with. • Beginners like structured learning and opportunities to get help. • Going to a meetup alone for the first time is intimidating; going to a conference alone for the first time is more intimidating. • The best talks for a technology meetup aren’t always technology focused. • Make it easy for your community to tell you what they need.
- 172.
- 173.
- 174. Short Lessons • Westill don’t know how to host a hackathons
- 175. Long(er) Lessons • Memberswho aren’t served directly by our content appreciated the opportunity to gain knowledge by volunteering. Volunteering is easier when you have expectations about what you’ll be helping with. • Beginners like structured learning and opportunities to get help. • Going to a meetup alone for the first time is intimidating; going to a conference alone for the first time is more intimidating. • The best talks for a technology meetup aren’t always technology focused. • Make it easy for your community to tell you what they need.
- 176. Long(er) Lessons • Memberswho aren’t served directly by our content appreciated the opportunity to gain knowledge by volunteering. Volunteering is easier when you have expectations about what you’ll be helping with. • Beginners like structured learning and opportunities to get help. • Going to a meetup alone for the first time is intimidating; going to a conference alone for the first time is more intimidating. • The best talks for a technology meetup aren’t always technology focused. • Make it easy for your community to tell you what they need. • Sometimes, Rails Girls just want to have fun
- 178. 3rd Year Retrospective •Structured-learning-with- occasional-talks based format • Hosted a RailsBridge workshop • Put plans in motion to share organization responsibilities
- 179. Release Notes • Improvedvolunteering opportunities for members • Provided space for members to request content • Improved food ordering • Added opportunities for community members to organize and lead
- 180. Release Notes • Improvedvolunteering opportunities for members • Members who aren’t served directly by our content appreciated the opportunity to gain knowledge by volunteering • Volunteering is easier when you have expectations about what you’ll be helping with • Beginners like structured learning and opportunities to get help
- 181. Release Notes • Providedspace for members to request content • The best talks for a technology meetup aren’t always technology focused • Make it easy for your community to tell you what they need
- 182. Release Notes • Improvedfood ordering
- 183. Release Notes • Improvedvolunteering opportunities for members • Provided space for members to request content • Improved food ordering • Added opportunities for community members to organize and lead
- 184. Release Notes • Improvedvolunteering opportunities for members • Provided space for members to request content • Improved food ordering • Added opportunities for community members to organize and lead
- 186.
- 187.
- 188.
- 189. Mallory, Membership OutreachCoordinator
- 190.
- 191.
- 192.
- 194. WIP • Board termsand responsibility handoff • Sponsorship • Attaining • Maintaining • Processing and accessing funds • ✨https://opencollective.com/railsgirlsatl✨
- 195. WIP • Setting upformalized conference buddy system when we’re given tickets (thanks GWO for all the tickets!) • Hackathons: how even
- 197. 👋 hello@railsgirlsatl.com 🐦 @RailsGirlsATL 💰opencollective.com/railsgirlsatl Kylie Stradley kylie@railsgirlsatl.com Software Engineer MailChimp @kyfast Pamela Vickers pamela@railsgirlsatl.com Software Engineering Manager MailChimp @pwnela ⓚ ⓟ