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The Little Meetup That Could
A Rails Girls Atlanta Scrapbook Kylie Stradley & Pamela Vickers
@RailsGirlsATL
Great Wide Open 2016
But before there can be a leadership board…
there has to be a meetup.
And before there can be a meetup…
there has to be a need.
Rails Girls Workshops
• Founded by Linda Liukas & Karri Saarinen
• November 2010 in Helsinki, Finland
1st Atlanta Workshop
•December 2012
-Everyone
what now?
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
-Us
Workshop round 2
•May 2013
what now?
-Everyone
¯\_(ツ)_/¯Come to our monthly meetup!
-Us
• Paid Meetup.com account
• 🍕
• Confirmed venue
• Tweeted
January 2013 (1st Meetup)
• Assigned “homework”
• Scheduled a speaker
January 2013 (1st Meetup)
January 2013 (1st Meetup)
• ~20 people came
• People said nice things
• Used Google Hangouts for out-of-town workshop attendees
Short Lessons
• Set expectations early
Short Lessons
• Set expectations early
• Order vegetarian options
Long(er) Lessons
• Not every talk is for every attendee.
1 month later
February 2013 Bug Fix
•🍕+🌽🌿🍄 🍅
February 2013
• Handpicked Project Euler problems
• Handpicked Project Euler problems
• Lower attendance despite higher RSVP count than first meetup
February 2013
🏆 First Recruiter 🏆
Short Lessons
• RSVP count != Attendance count (ordering food is hard)
• Recruiters will find any technology meetup (but that’s not always bad)
Long(er) Lessons
• Not every talk is for every attendee.
• There’s no formula for predicting attendance numbers.
• Not every talk is for every attendee.
• There’s no formula for predicting attendance numbers.
• Don’t make assumptions about recruiters.
Long(er) Lessons
1 month later
March 2013 Bug Fix
🏆Our Treasurer’s 1st RGATL 🏆
• Not every talk is for every attendee.
• There’s no formula for predicting attendance numbers.
• Don’t make assumptions about recruiters.
Long(er) Lessons
• Not every talk 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
2 months later
May 2013 ✨New feature✨
• Rolled out ToDo List project assignment
• Slowly introducing Rails into the monthly assignments
1 month later
June 2013 ✨New feature✨
• Offered milestone 1 of the Todo List as public Github repo
🏆 RGATL’s half birthday 🏆
🏆 Kylie’s 1st RGATL 🏆
2 months later
August 2013
• Continued working through and reviewing ToDo List milestones
• Bootstrap talk from ATLRUG’s Patrick van Stee to prepare for front-end focused milestone
🏆 Our Event Facilitator’s 1st RGATL 🏆
2 months later
October 2013
• Jordan Killpack gave talk on building silly apps to prep for our November “Silly Hacks Only” aka “Wackity Hack” event
🏆 1st Absentee Organizer & Community Facilitated Meetup🏆
1 month later
November 2013 ✨New Feature✨
• Regularly scheduled meetup was too close to Thanksgiving
• Saturday afternoon hack event
The good news:
The less good news:
Not a lot of people came to enjoy our coffee, snacks, and prizes. 😿
Short Lessons
• Set expectations for events, especially when hoping beginners will come to a hack event
1 month later
December 2013 ✨New Feature✨
• Talk given by one of our regularly attending members
🏆 First year of RGATL 🏆
🏆 Smallest Attendance of the Year 🏆
🏆
First time handling the “but I saw that you had other male members, so I figured it was fine for me to come”
situation.
🏆
• You’re going to have awkward encounters when you organize community focused groups
• Set clear expectations for who should attend your meetup
Short Lessons
• Not every talk 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
• Not every talk 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
• Not every talk 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
1st Year Retrospective
• Worked on projects and assignments as a group
• Built membership base
• Saw core members begin contributing in small ways
Release Notes
• Improved food ordering
• Improved expectation setting for all events
• Improved meetup content
Release Notes
• Improved food ordering
• Order vegetarian options
• There’s no formula for predicting attendance numbers
Release Notes
• Improved expectation setting for all events
• Who should come
• What they should bring
• What they will learn
Release Notes
• Improved meetup content
• Not every talk is for every attendee
• Recycle good talks
Release Notes
• Improved food ordering
• Improved expectation setting for all events
• Improved meetup content
1 month later
Hothlanta 2014
January 2014
Let’s try this again
1 month later
February 2014 Bug Fixes
• 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?”
February 2014
(With special guests from Atlanta chapters of PyLadies, WomenWhoCode, and Systers)
Short Lessons
• Joint community events are fun
• No experience required content == higher attendance and engagement
Long(er) Lessons
• Time set aside for just conversation builds stronger community connections.
1 month later
March 2014
🏆 Our Membership Outreach Coordinator’s 1st RGATL 🏆
Long(er) Lessons
• Time set aside for just conversation builds stronger community connections.
Long(er) Lessons
• Time set aside for just conversation builds stronger community connections.
• Our small meetup is a great place to foster new speakers.
And now for something completely different
April 2014 ✨New Feature✨
Later that month
April 2014
• ⚡ Lightning talks from four members ⚡
🏆 Our Sponsorship Coordinator’s 1st RGATL 🏆
Long(er) Lessons
• Time set aside for just conversation builds stronger community connections.
• Our small meetup is a great place to foster new speakers.
Long(er) Lessons
• Time set 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.
1 month later
May 2014
• ⚡ Lightning talks ⚡
again.
1 month later
June 2014
• ⚡ Lightning talks ⚡
again?!
Long(er) Lessons
• Time set 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.
Long(er) Lessons
• Time set 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.
1 month later
July 2014
• Attempted to revive project based meetup
• Goals: make open source contributions more accessible, work on project as a group, renew excitement around shared progress
July 2014
• Attempted to 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
🏆 Our Meetup Facilitator’s 1st RGATL 🏆
Long(er) Lessons
• Time set 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.
Long(er) Lessons
• Time set 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.
Over the next several months
Early Fall(ish) 2014
• Several great talks
• Hit-or-miss on engagement
Short Lessons
• Just because a talk is great doesn’t mean it is great for our meetup
Long(er) Lessons
• Time set 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.
Long(er) Lessons
• Time set 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.
At the end of the year
2nd Year Retrospective
• Talk based format
• Became an established Atlanta meetup
• More core members, and more core member involvement
Release Notes
• Improved expectation 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
Release Notes
• Improved expectation setting for events
• No experience required content == higher attendance and engagement
• Time set aside for just conversation builds stronger community connections
Release Notes
• Patched hole 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
Release Notes
• Increased speaking opportunities for members
• Our small meetup is a great place to foster new speakers
• ⚡Lightning talks⚡ are less intimidating for 1st time speakers
Release Notes
• Improved talk 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
Release Notes
• Improved expectation 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
1 month later
January 2015
• New Year, New Environments!
• Got everyone set up to do actual Ruby on Rails development in anticipation of working through a curriculum as a group
Long(er) Lessons
• Members who aren’t served directly by our content appreciated the opportunity to gain knowledge by volunteering.
1 month later
Hothlanta 2015
February 2015
1 month later
March 2015
• Community member presented on Ruby tool
• Worked through RailsBridge curriculum
Long(er) Lessons
• Members who aren’t served directly by our content appreciated the opportunity to gain knowledge by volunteering.
Long(er) Lessons
• 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.
Long(er) Lessons
• 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.
1 month later
April 2015
April 2015
• Held our 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
Short Lessons
• Stuff happens (like a power outage resulting in no lunch 😭😭😭)
1 month later
May 2015
• Held a meetup to keep working on the workshop materials
• Ticket Giveaway for Github’s CodeConf in Nashville (several members attended)
Long(er) Lessons
• 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.
Long(er) Lessons
• 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.
Long(er) Lessons
• 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.
• Going to a meetup alone for the first time is intimidating; going to a conference alone for the first time is more intimidating.
1 month later
June 2015
• Presentation: “Git Workflow: Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Ogre”
• Workshop: “Git-it Git & GitHub”
June 2015
June 2015
Short Lessons
• It is possible to have too much of a good thing
1 month later
July 2015
• One of our most popular presentations “A Day in the Life of a Full Time Developer”
July 2015
🏆 Communication Coordinator’s 1st RGATL 🏆
Long(er) Lessons
• 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.
• Going to a meetup alone for the first time is intimidating; going to a conference alone for the first time is more intimidating.
Long(er) Lessons
• 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.
• 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.
1 month later
August 2015 Bug Fix
August 2015
• Try out “new” study group/team ongoing project format
• Provided opportunity for members to sign up as participants or coaches
August 2015
August 2015
2 months later
October 2015
• Andy Lindeman presented “Intro to Automated Testing with RSpec” (requested topic)
Long(er) Lessons
• 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.
• 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.
Long(er) Lessons
• 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.
• 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.
2 months later
December 2015
Short Lessons
• We still don’t know how to host a hackathons
Long(er) Lessons
• 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.
• 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.
Long(er) Lessons
• 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.
• 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
3rd Year Retrospective
• Structured-learning-with-occasional-talks based format
• Hosted a RailsBridge workshop
• Put plans in motion to share organization responsibilities
Release Notes
• Improved volunteering opportunities for members
• Provided space for members to request content
• Improved food ordering
• Added opportunities for community members to organize and lead
Release Notes
• Improved volunteering 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
Release Notes
• Provided space 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
Release Notes
• Improved food ordering
Release Notes
• Improved volunteering opportunities for members
• Provided space for members to request content
• Improved food ordering
• Added opportunities for community members to organize and lead
Release Notes
• Improved volunteering opportunities for members
• Provided space for members to request content
• Improved food ordering
• Added opportunities for community members to organize and lead
Chae, Treasurer
Megan, Communication Coordinator
Britni, Event Facilitator
Mallory, Membership Outreach Coordinator
Kristin, Meetup Facilitator
Anika, Sponsorship Coordinator
Kylie, Co-Director
WIP
• Board terms and responsibility handoff
• Sponsorship
• Attaining
• Maintaining
• Processing and accessing funds
• ✨https://opencollective.com/railsgirlsatl✨
WIP
• Setting up formalized conference buddy system when we’re given tickets (thanks GWO for all the tickets!)
• Hackathons: how even
🐦 @RailsGirlsATL
💰 opencollective.com/railsgirlsatl
Kylie [email protected] Engineer MailChimp@kyfast
Pamela [email protected] Engineering ManagerMailChimp@pwnela
ⓚ ⓟ
