In the second part (7:45 to 8:45) of this month's meeting, we're experimenting with a new format. We're going to try to arrange four or five different small discussion groups to be run concurrently, and you'll all get to choose which discussion you'd like to join. We'll break up into these groups, each of which will be led by either one or two moderators, and let the conversation carry where it will. These will be conversations, not presentations, so bring your ideas, questions, or other items you'd like to discuss with your small group (though you're welcome to just sit and listen if you prefer).
We're taking suggestions for the topics within the groups. Some ideas that have already come up:
Career development: How do you keep current with a training budget of zero?
Career discussion: How do I get a job as a <insert job title> without experience?
Social media: using blog, Twitter, and Facebook for professional networking and career improvement
Group resource: What benefits do you get from being a part of a user group, and how could NTSSUG be a better resource for your professional development?
Feel free to suggest other topics. We'll need a few people to moderate these groups, so if you'd like to lead a discussion on any particular topic, let me know.
Also, remember that we'll have our main presentation at the start (6:15pm) of the meeting, before the discussion groups.