PA NERD HERD NEWS

February 2012, Issue #6
Circulation 445,  114 Past Meetups

Welcome to our newsletter. We will try to publish one every month. The goal of this newsletter is to help you get the most out of your membership in our group! This group is about fun. There is no charge to join but some events may have a cost associated with them. Everyone is welcome.



 

Happy Valentine's Day!

HERE ARE THE EVENTS CURRENTLY LISTED ON OUR MEETUP SITE!

We have 8 items listed as of today.

The Nerds Vs. The Bacon... Brunch Time II

Sun Feb 05   10:00 AM

Nerds vs Academy of Natural Sciences Mega-Bad-Movie Night

Thu Feb 09  6:30 PM

MS3TK Time Chasers in Phoenixville

Fri Feb 17  9:45 PM

The Nerds Vs. The Chopsticks II - All You Can Eat Sushi!

Sat Feb 18  1:00 PM

Nerds vs Gal-bi!!!! (Best Gal-bi in Greater Philly)   Gal-bi is Korean BBQ and it is really good.

Sun Feb 19  12:00 PM

The Nerds Vs. The Microphone - KARAOKE

Sat Feb 11  9:45 PM

The Nerds vs. Phoenixville: Pre-MST3K meetup at Molly's

Fri Feb 17  7:00 PM

Nerds vs Lunacon SF/F Convention

Fri Mar 16  4:00 PM

Steampunk World's Fair

Fri May 18  7:00 AM

AND MORE COMING SOON….

INTERNET VIDEOS OF THE MONTH

This month we are a bit steampunkish in order to get everyone into the mood for the world’s fair.

What is Steampunk?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txKVfKnOdfA

From member Barbara – Steampunk gears

Yes, Steampunk rappers are common.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFCuE5rHbPA

Interview with Phil Foglio

If you are comic book collector then you should know about Phil Foglio.  He has done a lot of work with a very distinctive style and there is a good chance you have seen his work even if you don’t know his name.  I actually own the painting that was used as the cover for one of his comics.  I highly recommend his free web-comic www.girlgenus.net  Phil is a popular person in the Steam Punk world.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuAdAVeL_bU

NAVIGATING NERD HERD MEETUP HOME PAGES

Here are a few things that will make your membership more rewarding!

1. Login and look at the home page every week. At the bottom of the listed UPCOMING events don't forget to press the link that reads "MORE MEETUPS". Not all of the meetups are listed and this allows you to find the other scheduled events.
2. Create your own meetup event! Yes, you have the power to create events. All you have to do is to contact any of the Organizers listed on the site with the event title, description, date/time and location.
3. Don't forget to look under Recent Meetups to see what you missed! If you really wanted to attend something that you missed then maybe others will too and you can just recreate the event.  Please do not duplicate an event that already exists.
4. The Discussions Board (button near the top of the home page) can be a fun place to discuss events or even just talk to other members about topics of group interest. Don't forget to look under MORE and PHOTOS for other fun things to see.
5. Don't forget you can contact Meetup, me or any member of the Leadership Team if you have a problem that we can help with.

HOW TO MAKE SUGGESTIONS FOR MEETINGS

You may be scratching your head and doing a pixel by pixel search on the Meetup page for our Suggest a Meetup link.  You could have sworn you saw it somewhere...  Well, stop looking.  It's gone.

Why, you ask?  Do the organizers hate suggestions?  Nothing could be further from the truth.  We love suggestions.  We hunger for suggestions.  If there was a cheerleader squad made up on suggestions, we'd want to sneak into their dressing room.

However, the problem with Meetup's suggestion feature is that you can put up a suggestion... and it can become a meetup even... but it doesn't require a time or a place.  So unless someone is willing to step up and figure out those small but important details, it sits there, and sits there, and sits there.  Maybe even a few more people sign up for the event that may happen someday, someplace and somehow.

So rather than have lots of unrealized meetups listed on the page, we took away that link.  However, if you have a suggestion... please contact Pete or Kyle.  Even if we aren't able to host it, if you're willing and have a time and place... we can set it up for you and even make you that event host.  Have so many suggestions they're spilling out of your head like a slo-mo scene from Scanners?  Pete will be happy to make you an event organizer so you can hosts lots of them.  So yes, the suggestion link is gone.  But we still want your suggestions.  So email us... we like that.  It will make our day.

PLANNING A NERD HERD MEETUP EVENT

Are you the host or hostess with the most?  Prove it!  Talk to one of the leadership members about setting up an NH event of your very own.  Kyle and I are always open to ideas.  Here is what you need to have your very own event:  Have a leader (you) and an idea for an event, have a place for the event along with a date and time.  As long as the event fits in with the NH we should schedule it, you will be recognized as the leader of that event and most of all you will have some great fun doing something you want to do with people you like.  Here are a few common sense rules that you should consider when creating an event.  Most people work on weeknights so anything that is late at night may not be well attended.  These meetings are open to the public so while you may like everyone that shows up you don’t know them and it’s not a good idea to have meetups in your home.  Public venues are always best. 

As we move into the winter doldrums there always appears to be less things to do but that's not true.  What is true is that we need more people to get involved in setting up events.  Hold a book discussion group at a local bookstore (if you still have one), have a special Dr. Who event at an English Pub (yes we have them in the area), get an ice skating group together, anything that belongs.  Don't forget to ask other meetup groups that are doing things we would be interested in to cross-list with us.  In short, help us spread the wealth of fun the winter season really is by getting involved.  I promise that if you get more involved I can keep the Nerd Herd Demonstrators away from where you live!

Thanks for being a member,

Pete & Kyle and the rest of the Nerd Herd Leadership Team