Blue Monday meetup notes and next week's agenda

This time, more people joined. It was a delight to meet more DUers. Most fun of all was being joined by a fellow who saw us there, got curious, and got interested. That's the way to do it!

For the next time, I think it would be a good idea to have a rough agenda, just to be sure we get to the topics that we intend to discuss. Please, post here any topics you'd like to discuss or hear about during next week's meetings.

This time, we got to see pictures of tavalon's decoration of Waiting for the Interurban, and hear stories of how that went (and a fun interaction with a Duck full of tourists!)

Also, we talked about how to get a cohesive centralized message out through decentralized means. Examples given using conventional communications were offering articles to small local newspapers/ad vehicles, local noncommercial radio distribution of half-hour pre-recorded segments, and public access cable distribution of half-hour pre-recorded television segments. Direct communications possibilities discussed included performances of poetry, spoken word, speeches, and music (available from a central source) at open mic nights, poetry jams, open jams, and by permitted street performers. Also mentioned was the idea of extending tavalon's use of the commonly-decorated Interurban sculpture to other towns also having similar focal points, for example providing easy to paint graphics and slogans to be painted on -legal and commonly accepted- graffiti walls (emphasis on legal and commonly accepted, as in places where it is traditional and customary to paint such as Gainesville FL's 34th street wall, avoiding damage or vandalism to private or public property). We spoke about how to conduct flyering campaigns, maximizing message while being careful to avoid vandalism or littering.

Another point we discussed was spreading the core Democratic message (as has been so well expressed by the Brand Democrat items) to Republican-trending target groups using non-political language. Specifically, this involved writing tracts in a Southern Baptist style for distribution at churches, explaining core Democratic values not as such, but as Christian values.

Of course, we also discussed politics. We shared our experiences and thoughts of 9/11 and the days after, as well as the difficulties and conflicts involved in being visibly politically active. There was beer cider and sodas, food and fellowship, and (I hope) a good time was had by all.

For next Monday, when we will have an even larger group, we should set up in the front, nonsmoking room of the pub so that we can spread out to more tables. Also, parking was a bit tight this time, so it may be a good idea to meet up with others and do a park-and-ride, or even meet up at a place that has good parking and share taxis.

Thanks, everyone! See you next week!

I really want to continue the discussion of how to get the message out, especially the newspaper-article idea. I'd like to get into the who and how of it.

Tucker

#%@^!!! I was originally planning to show up, but then it sounded like you all had decided to wait until you figured out a different day.

Is there still going to be one next week? (That's 12/6, if I recall correctly.)

I'm sorry. It was more like "keep meeting on Mondays, and if we need to add other days for people who can't make it on Mondays, we can do that too." :-) Hope to see you there next Monday!

It's the People's Pub's least-busy night. So it makes sense to bring some business to them on that night.

If you stay till 11 or later, you can meet everythingsxen! He works till 11 on Mondays, but shows up after work.

Tucker