Request for Topics / Ideas
It seems the PHP UG has been struggling for membership over the past year. As the group manager I hope this is due to people not knowing about the group and not the quality / relevance of the discussion topics. In an effort to bolster participation and to broaden the discussions I am asking for input from any interested parties. I have a few possible topics listed below, but would also love to get input from participants as to what they want to talk about.
Possible Topics:
- PHP - Jquery ( ajax )
- php mysql security
- MYSQL / PHP Tuning
- PHP Command Line Tools
- Using non mysql datbases ( sqlLite, postgreSql )
Additionally I think sort of a show and tell / ask session about php sites and issues.
If there is anyone out there that has a topic they wish to present on? ( A cool site , interesting problem ) Or knows someone please let me know. You can either post here or email me directly at thad@transitid.com
Thanks and hope to see everyone this year.
Hi all. MySQL topics would be quite interesting. Also consider:
•OOP techniques and patterns in PHP
•PHP 6 features and changes
•Safe and effective interactions with host operating systems
•Web service authoring
Oh, I hadn't thought of web services but that would be a great topic to cover as well.
I suggest our first meeting be held in one of our State's many fine taverns where we may lament that there are about 4 PHP developers in the State. I will buy the first round.
Seriously, I will go to the September meeting, will anyone be there?
Hi Thomas,
from a year old thread... ouch ;-)
The names that you saw on the PHP Users Group page are volunteer managers for the group. TechMaine relies on dedicated volunteers to keep the groups active and relevant...and we put their names right up front!
Thad Wheeler, TD Bank
Michael Reid, Portland Webworks
Jamie Peloquin, Jamie Peloquin Design
Special thanks to Thad, Michael, and Jamie (our PHP UG managers) and all of our volunteers for keeping the meetings informative and engaging.
Your point is well taken in that the TechMaine site can be a bit overwhelming to navigate and sometimes difficult to drill down into the information that you want. If you were signed in as a User Group member you would have seen additional options - one of which would have linked you to a list of the 27 'official' group members.
Many folks who attend the User Group meetings are not 'official' User Group 'members'. As you see below, becoming a User Group 'member' opens up a bit more information to you. Signing up to become a 'member' of a user group is free and open to everyone. You aren't required to be a TechMaine Member to join a UG or SIG - though we hope that UG members are or will become TechMaine Members.
There are various levels of engagement on the TechMaine site:
Anonymous Users - basic functionality exists for non-logged in visitors
Authorized Users - all visitors with an online account have extended permissions:
.....Register for programs and events
.....Purchase online courses
.....Post "People in the News" updates
.....Post "TechConnect" requests
.....Create a basic Industry Directory listing (upon approval)
.....Post a resume(s)
.....Sign up for Job Alerts
.....Create a 'folder' of favorite content
.....Post job openings (upon approval)
User Group 'members' permissions include:
.....All of the above
.....Ability to start forum topics
.....View the other 'members' of the group
.....See all of the UG/SIGs that they belong to on their "MY ACCOUNT" page
.....Subscribe to UG/SIG notifications and edit subscriptions from within their "MY ACCOUNT" portal
.....Edit the frequency of notifications; from immediate to 5 digest formats
TechMaine 'Members' have exclusive access to data with the following online benefits:
.....All of the above
.....Purchase discounted online courses
.....Create an enhanced Industry Directory listing
.....Create an Employer Profile
.....Review resumes
.....Research detailed salary and wage data
.....Post Press Releases
.....Post White Papers
.....A seat in the online reference library
.....View list of registered attendees for various events
We're working on new functionality for the site and trying to determine if the community wants us to open up personal contact forms so that folks can reach each other through the TechMaine site. Individuals would have the option to opt-in or opt-out if this moves forward.
So, Thomas; please join the PHP User Group and we look forward to seeing you at the September meeting!
I wonder if there are too many UGS and not enough techs to go around. Might it be better to combine some of the UGS into larger disciplines till there is demonstrated need to be more granular?
Just a quick scan: Drupal, PHP and Web designers could be folded into a general Webworks category. Surely a ton of potential topics overlap.
We do sometimes consider consolidating groups. Actually, there is a regular "churn" over the years, with some groups dropping off, other new ones forming, and others changing focus.
But overall, the target for the meetings is topics and presentations that are aimed pretty deeply into the subject matter. So, the PHP topics are aimed at PHP developers, and the Drupal topics are aimed at people who are actively building Drupal sites.
So, for instance, a presentation on theme development in Drupal wouldn't necessarily appeal to the typical PHP User Group attendee. It would tend to be way too much specific information on something they aren't doing. Likewise, a presentation on PHP frameworks wouldn't appeal to the typical Drupal User Group attendee, but only to those who are doing PHP development as well.
It's always a balancing act: You need to get enough people to make it worthwhile to run the groups, but to get the people to come, the topics have to be informative to what they're actively working on.
--Todd
5pm start time is optimistic. If you do not get out of work till 5 and are not located directly on the peninsula you miss the meeting or at least short shrift the first speaker(s).
Sorry -- that was an error in the listing. (Strange things happening lately, with CiviCRM...) The meeting starts at 6:00. I'll send a note to the group contacts list later today or tomorrow. Note also that we're meeting at Portland Webworks (not in Westbrook).
From my perspective, I would definitely be interested in the first three topics you listed. Maybe some of the more advanced MySQL functions like stored procedures, triggers and transactions. Also, some details on MySQL like when to use the different table types. The last two topics seem fairly specific and, in my opinion, would have less broad appeal than the first three topics.
I would also be interested in learning more about PHP frameworks. I saw the introduction to Symfony. I would like to see a presentation on Cake, perhaps. A lesson in object-oriented PHP would be useful for me. I'd also like to see a series of talks about "best practices." How to handle large projects, for example, or how to deal with error trapping. That sort of thing.
Sincerely,
Scott