[SoCoSA/discuss] Re: Sys Admin group forming

[Steve S.]

On 1/20/06, Eric Eisenhart <freiheit at socosa.org> wrote:

> This topic seems more appropriate for the SoCoSA.org discuss mailing list,
> so I'm going to Cc: a copy there.  Let's try to continue discussion there.

<nod>
Done...


> > Q:  What other places is SoCoSA being advertised?  Obviously, it's going
> > to be *very* linux-centric (at least to start) if this is the only
> > substantive, local venue hearing about it...
>
> Well, NBLUG's a friendly crowd, so I thought I'd start out here.

Oh, I've no complaints!  Unless the LUG is, as I say, the only "substantive"
local recruiting effort...  My fear is that a too-heavily-*NIX start may be a
(percieved if nothing more) disincentive to the non-*NIX crowd.  Holy wars,
& all that... the "hobbiest" and "ivory tower" reputation of *NIX, etc; anyone
who wanted a Linux group could've hooked up with NBLUG a long time ago.

I fear it could take a long time to overcome a startup that's mostly
*NIXgeeks...
if that makes any sense?


> Actually,
> first I started out with talking to sysadmins I know.  The "seed" board has
> people who work with: Linux (multiple flavors), Solaris, MacOSX and Windows,
> though everybody on the board does have Linux experience.

That's 3 (or more, if you count the linuces separately) *NIX variants.
D'you know, offhand, how many WinWhatever's are represented?
XP, 2003, 2000?  Any Novell?  Others?

Also, what about the "network engineering" crowd?  Folks who've got either
cerificates/experience with Cisco & the like?


> Where else to advertise/promote is an item on the board meeting agenda.

Cool.
<reminds self:  *board* meeting, not "general" meeting>
So, is "the public" welcome to come and comment?


> I wanted to kind of spread the word slowly until
> we'd figured out things like our meeting schedule.  Much easier to get
> people interested if you can tell them when the next meeting is, where it's
> at, and what the topic will be.  (or at least some likely topics)

I can understand that!  I'd just ask you to consider which might leave a more-
negative impression, d'you think:

   "Oh, they're just getting started and don't have schedules/locations/topics
   extablished yet."
or
   "Oh, they're just getting started and don't have any non-Linux people yet."

To my ear, the first seems reasonable (though perhaps disappointing), but
the 2nd leaves an unpleasant implication...  YMMobviouslyV!


> Definitely willing to take suggestions on how to get the word out.  For
> instance, I know there's a bunch of tech companies in Petaluma and Novato,
> and they've gotta have sysadmins, but I don't know how to find them.

May I suggest the old-fashioned "networking" schtick?  A.K.A. the famous
"six degrees of separation" idea -- back on NBLUG, ask for everyone to just
"pass it on" and for THEIR friends to "pass it on" -- with some "counter" of
some kind so it doesn't go forever!

Like --

   Dear NBLUG'er:

   The new SoCoSA group may not be to your taste or needs;
   but, as a favor to those of us trying to get it off the ground,
   please pass this note on to ALL your "regular circle," asking
   them to deliver it in turn to (a) any "SA's" of any flavor, of
   course! & (b) to THEIR "regular circle".

   New SysAdmin group getting started in the North Bay --
   please visit us at:   http://socosa.org/

   But one IMPORTANT NOTE:  we don't want to start one
   of those damnable "eternal" chainmail spam's!  SO, if this
   letter is already at generation SIX or higher, do NOT
   forward it EXCEPT to any SysAdmin's you know.  If the
   generation is LESS than six, then increase it by one,
   and send it along.

   The current generation of this letter is:  ONE.

   Many thanks!

   Sonoma County Systems Administrators (SoCoSA)
   http://socosa.org


I do also know a MS-Win admin at a mortgage firm, and
one of the HP-UX folks at Agilent.  I used to have contacts
down at Fair,Isaac (San Rafael) -- no idea if they're still there,
but I'll check.

Other ideas for the Board -- Google for some key job-skills
+ terms like "707," "415," "Sonoma," "Santa Rosa" &c...
Resume's are distinctly Google'able.

Also, dare I suggest... the Yellow Pages?  Just call (or mail
a flyer) to relevant-seeming places listed under "Computers"
and "Consultants" &c.  Googling as above will surely find
some of these, too...


> I'd like to avoid it being too *nix-centric, but I think there'll be a
> slight tendency in that direction no matter how hard we try, simply because
> it seems that the "System Administrator" label is applied more consistently
> to *nix (or mainframe, OS/390, MVS, VMS, etc.) sysadmins than to Windows
> sysadmins.

May I suggest being open to a name-change?  Particularly in advertising or
promoting the group?  Or a less ANYTHING-centric term, like "Computer
Systems Manager"


> There's also potential topics we could get speakers for that aren't really
> centric to any one OS.  Sysadmin-y applications that run on windows and *nix
> platforms, "soft-skills" sysadmin-related presentations, etc.

<nod>
I could certainly use some "soft skills" -- I *am* the "IT department" in my new
job (they had been going with a mix of a couple of semi-techie people in-house
(who each had other, full-time jobs) plus an outside contractor at need, about
once per month).  Now, I'm trying to figure out how to pitch "doing it the right
way" things -- I dread what a decent security-audit will find, but I'm
getting the
tools together to perform one anyhow... *BUT* my preliminary "feelers" on this
topic to my new boss indicate a "talk a good game, but don't commit resources"
attitude, i.e. "I'm certainly in favor of security" but implementing
any sort of packet-
examination tools -- even port/protocol logs via fee/cheap tools is gonna take a
big-ass ol'  "business case" analysis, if you'll pardon my French.   :-(

How to present that sort of thing to mgmt would be VERY appreciated over here!

Similarly, *interpreting* management's sometimes-inscrutable directives...


> > I'm a *NIX-geek by preference/background... but mostly-Win2K by necessity
> > (i.e. employer) these days, and I'd LOVE a  good suite of Windows
> > resources like I've got on my bookshelves, magazine-subscriptions, and
> > from LUG's, etc... the experience, obviously, will only come with time.
>
> Wanna help SoCoSA be useful as a resource to Windows sysadmins?  ;)  We
> could use a Windows-centric sysadmin on the board.

I'm NOT one -- at least, not yet.  I've done commercial *NIX'es (mostly Sun, but
also AIX, HP-UX, Tru64, Ultrix, IRIX, SCO, and others) for close to 20 years.  I
have done *SOME* bits of MS-Win in there, but frankly it's a pittance compared
to my *NIX.


- Steve S.