The User Group Community Activity
Information describing the User Group community activity is organized into the following sections:
On This Page
Step 1: Creating a User Group
Reasons to start a User Group
What do you want to accomplish by starting this User Group? Is it to educate and consult? Is it to take advantage of peer-to-peer learning opportunities, or are you looking to better organize your get-togethers with others? Any or all of these are good reasons for starting a User Group. Having an articulated plan will help you to move forward in accomplishing it.
Determine if one already exists
First establish that a User Group does not already exist in your area. If one does exist, be clear to document what would differentiate your group from other similar groups. This will help potential members and speakers. Refer to the Finding a User Group section for information on how to determine if one already exists.
The User Group Identity
Consider putting together a simple mission statement and documenting the history of your User Group. This helps new users to familiarize themselves with your User Group identity. Along with this, take some time to decide on the User Group name and logo. This will be how your User Group is known to the public and to the rest of the community. Remember that your acronym may be the way which your group is typically referred to.
Finding Members
Like starting a business, contact people closest to you like family, friends, mentors, co-workers, peers etc.
Funding
Knowing what kind of expenses you plan on incurring is an important question to ask. Some typical expenses are room rentals, equipment, refreshments, advertising, postage, speaker expenses, and fees for website administration. Neither watching the books nor planning for costs can cause immediate and long term challenges.
Channels of communication
User Groups are unique in the community space because they focus on and promote face-to-face meetings as their primary mode of interaction. The other online community activities (such as newsgroups, chats etc) can augment this interaction (and visa-versa). Create a schedule for the meetings and a list of possible locations for hosting them, such as Public Libraries, Universities, or Microsoft offices.
Set up email addresses and a website for your User Group. The email addresses may be for general info or other types of requests and the website will usually be a structured portal which contains content (e.g. meeting notes, presentations, FAQ’s, schedules etc.), references to existing resources and tools which are useful for members, partners, and vendors. Also consider integrating your site into an existing site if that makes the most sense.
It is also a good idea to provide a place on your Website for members to provide feedback on speakers, topics, and content etc.
Note: The complexity of websites can range from simple to advanced and will depend upon what the User Group needs. Consider utilizing MSN Group sites as a quick and easy way to establish an online presence. These sites require no web building expertise and provide most, if not all of the basic features you need to support your User Group online.
Organizational structure and roles
Some User Groups have a President or Lead, while others have a Board of Directors. To some degree, you will need to formalize and document the role, their responsibilities, how the roles are filled, and the duration of the appointment/election. Other roles to consider identifying and filling are:
| • | A meeting facilitator (usually the President/Lead): Keeps the meeting moving and on track. |
| • | Treasurer: Responsible for designing a budget and plan for services offered, including dues, membership expectations, and alternative sources of income. The people in these roles usually change less frequently. |
| • | Recorder: Responsible for documenting the meeting minutes. It is not unheard of for the person in this role to change frequently (meeting to meeting). It is important to publish meeting notes on the User Group Website (according to whatever guidelines the User Group has adopted) for the benefit of those who could not attend and for enabling online searching. |
Other roles like Web master, speaker organizer, topic list organizer and partner liaison may emerge as needs arise. Depending upon what the group agrees upon, the people in these roles may change frequently or infrequently but either way, it is a good idea to rotate through the User Group membership.
Consider adopting guidelines
It may sound bureaucratic, but having a documented and published set of guidelines helps to proactively deal with disputes and misunderstandings as your group evolves and its members, officers and leaders change.
Step 2: Getting the Word Out
Publish your meeting/event schedule
It is a good idea to publish your meeting schedule and topic list. Start by posting this information on your Website and then refer to it in emails which are sent to your members and to potential users you have identified. You could also include a link in online postings and/or post it on local bulletin boards in libraries, universities or businesses. Also consider advertising in local newspapers or bulletins if you have the budget to do so.
Make every effort to sync up with other User Groups because you may find that collectively you can offer a much broader range of topics, meeting locations etc. Also when it comes to securing speakers, you will find it easier to secure top speakers by enabling them to book a tour of User Groups at one time.
If possible, consider letting your local Microsoft office know about your User Group.
Register your User Group
To help non-members find your User Group, it is important to register your User Group. Like search engines, there are User Group registration organizations which provide listing services on their websites. Refer to the Registering a User Group section for further details.
Speakers speak and also listen
Keep in touch with speakers whom have presented at your User Group meetings and send them a follow-up email which includes a reference to your website. While on speaking tours, they may have the opportunity to mention your group to their audiences so make it easy for them. Also, they may want to become members themselves.
Other ideas
Some User Groups print up business cards with their name and Website information and pass these out at various functions.
Step 3: Preparing for the First Meeting
Prior to your first face-to-face group meeting, consider sharing the proposals for Step 1 and Step 2 with the group. This will help to iron out any initial issues and to take the temperature of the fledgling User Group. The results can then be published and used as the agenda for the first meeting (and as one of your first historical entries).
Step 4: The First Meeting
Consider organizing your meetings to include the following topics:
| • | Introductions and informal conversation: It is always a good idea to give people a chance to do this and it’s a great ice breaker before the formal meeting starts. |
| • | Housekeeping announcements: |
1. Welcome new members
2. Financial updates
3. Event/meeting updates
4. Location updates
5. Topic list updates
6. Recruitment of speakers
7. Website/newsletter updates
8. Any other group-wide issues which need resolution
| • | Member presentation: This is a good way for members to learn about each other and to support the aspect of information sharing. |
| • | Breaks: Always remember to schedule these. |
| • | Training/Product/Company presentation: Cover a tool/technology which is pertinent to the group. It may be an update on existing info or on something brand new. It may also be a visiting speaker. |
Key point regarding capturing the discussion
| • | Consider capturing your notes so they can be shared on your website and in your newsletter |
And always facilitate and encourage an open discussion to find out what attendees are looking to get out of and contribute to the User Group.
Step 5 and Beyond: Have Fun and Keep it Thriving
Getting the word out
Prior to every meeting, refer to Step 2 in order to promote the event.
Locating speakers
Refer to the User Group Presenters section for ideas on how to do this.
Successful meetings make successful User Group’s
Make sure the topics to be discussed have a broad appeal to the members and try to avoid focusing an entire meeting on just one topic. Effective presentations are integral to a thriving User Group so make sure to gather member input regularly on how things are going. A suggested meeting format can be found in the Step 4 section. Consider also including any of the following in your format:
| • | "Ask the expert panel" |
| • | Along with live in-person presentations also utilize video and/or audio conferencing |
Retaining members
Sometimes member retention is the most challenging task for a User Group; especially since most if not all members are volunteers and may have many other events vying for their time. Here are a few recommendations to address this:
| • | Create a level of consistency with respect to date/time/location. Though these may change at times, the ability to remain consistent goes a long way toward keeping members engaged. Also keep in mind that if a User Group only plans to meet a couple of times a year, it will most likely not be considered worth investing time in. |
| • | Well-planned meetings are very much appreciated by the attendees and convey solid commitment for any newcomers who may be attending. |
| • | Some User Groups have polling questions on their website and ask members to vote on monthly topics, meeting times, and facilities to involve the majority of members in group decisions. |
| • | Give a user a reason to come back and visit your website. An online discussion forum or blog may be an excellent way to keep people returning to your site, where they can also see the agenda for the next meeting. |
Success starts at home
Fundamental to the long term success of a User Group, is the ability for it to be self-sufficient. It is important to encourage and support an infrastructure and a set of processes which enable the User Group to accomplish this. It is a worthwhile investment in the health and longevity of the User Group to continuously be on the look out for opportunities to improve a User Group's approach to funding, securing speakers, interacting with other User Groups, content etc. Also keep in mind that every group goes through a period of clarification and maturity which should also be encouraged and supported as a vital part of the process.
With that said, as a strong User Group you will discover partnering opportunities with other User Groups which are win-win for the groups involved. Such things as sharing best practices, and directing users to the correct User Group will start to become important tactics for keeping the entire User Group ecosystem thriving. These meta-community investments only further benefit your User Group on so many fronts.
Patience and fun
It will most likely take a few meetings to smooth out logistical details and the channels of communication, but this is expected. These first few meetings are where members are deciding if the User Group is worth their commitment and it is also where trust and relationships are being developed. Remain up-beat, committed and open-minded and it will be a fun and valuable experience for all.
Registering a User Group
The benefits to registering your User Group:
| • | First and foremost, your User Group gains visibility. Many people use these registration sites to find a User Group. These sites are also linked to by many other sponsor, partner and vendor sites including Microsoft. |
| • | User Groups which are registered may also have access to resources, trial software, speaker bureaus, newsletters, and product discounts provided by the registration sites. Check the specific site to determine what they offer. |
Visit the Microsoft User Group Information site for information on various User Group registration organizations.
Finding a User Group
Visit the Microsoft User Group Information site for various resources to help you find a User Group in your area. Also consider using web search engines as well as navigating directly to company and information websites for information on User Group’s which may not be registered.
Finding a User Group Event
A few of the registration sites publish lists of events so make sure to check there often. Also use the registration sites to locate a specific User Group’s website where their specific schedules are also published. It is also worthwhile to check the Microsoft Worldwide events site since this list may also contain User Group events.
User Group Presenters
A top request by User Group members is for quality presenters. Here are a few recommendations on how to address this request.
Anyone could be a presenter
Not that you want to have anyone present, but keep in mind that great presenters are all around you. Maybe a co-worker would make a great speaker or possibly even a client or customer you are working with. You may also be involved in a chat or on a newsgroup where there are knowledgeable posters whom you should consider asking.
Resources to utilize to find speakers
| Description | References | ||||||||||
Registration organizations may provide a speakers bureau service | Visit the Microsoft User Group Information site for additional information | ||||||||||
Locate an MVP: The Microsoft MVP Program is a worldwide award and recognition program that strives to identify amazing individuals in technical communities around the globe who share a passion for technology and the spirit of community. Microsoft MVPs are recognized for both their demonstrated practical expertise and willingness to share their experience with peers in Microsoft technical communities. |
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Don’t forget your community… |
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Once you have a speaker
If time allows, review your speaker's presentation prior to delivery. Be prepared with a backup plan in case of a last-minute speaker cancellation.
Joining a User Group
To join a User Group, first find a User Group which fits your needs and location then make contact both via email as well as by attending an event. Refer to the Finding a User Group section for further details.