Any PPC user in the DFW area?

[bleeman]

I'm in Frisco too (Hi Sofatater) and used to participate in the old DFWPPC users group. Unfortunately, it lost it's MS sponsor so we couldn't meet at the MS offices any longer. In addition, both of the original organizers ended up being pulled away by their jobs. We tried periodic meetings at different restaurants around the area and ranged from 5-10 people showing up for them from time to time. I *think* the last meeting was last June during Tech-Ed at the CompUSA on 75 and Plano Parkway.

I don't know what the answer is regarding keeping a group active, but I think one of our problems was trying to find the right night and right location. As you can see from the messages on this thread we appear to be spread all over the Metroplex. I know it was a long haul for me coming out of Frisco to get down to the MS Office in Irving. Especially at "rush" hour. Not to mention about 25 miles each way.

I don't want to discourage anyone and I'd love to participate again, just not sure how/where we could do that.

[bleeman]

I'm in Frisco too (Hi Sofatater) and used to participate in the old DFWPPC users group. Unfortunately, it lost it's MS sponsor so we couldn't meet at the MS offices any longer. In addition, both of the original organizers ended up being pulled away by their jobs. We tried periodic meetings at different restaurants around the area and ranged from 5-10 people showing up for them from time to time. I *think* the last meeting was last June during Tech-Ed at the CompUSA on 75 and Plano Parkway.

I don't know what the answer is regarding keeping a group active, but I think one of our problems was trying to find the right night and right location. As you can see from the messages on this thread we appear to be spread all over the Metroplex. I know it was a long haul for me coming out of Frisco to get down to the MS Office in Irving. Especially at "rush" hour. Not to mention about 25 miles each way.

I don't want to discourage anyone and I'd love to participate again, just not sure how/where we could do that.

[Falstaff]

What was teh problem with meeting at the MS campus? Was it just that the person sponsoring the group there left MS or moved? I can ask my dad for a contact at that office. He might know someone, he was down there today in fact, some monthly MCSE meeting, or something. I'll ask my dad and post a reply here.

[bleeman]

I don't know all of the particulars and perhaps if we had a group again, it could be worked out. The original sponsor relocated to Redmond and another person covered for awhile. What I heard (and this is all second-hand) was it was a combination of security issues, you have to be chaperoned in the building and on a pre-approved list to get in (meaning someone has to coordinate who's coming and turn it in to MS) and that the new sponsor wasn't into PocketPC's so there wasn't a lot of incentive to stay after work for an additional 3 hours or so.

Personally, I also think losing the two original "founders" didn't help and the location/time was an issue. I knew of 5 other PPC users that either couldn't make the 6:30pm Tuesday night meetings or weren't interested in the 25 mile (one way) drive during rush hour.

[Falstaff]

I just checked, and the DFWPPCUG is still listed on M$'s site (http://www.microsoft.com/mindshare/F...ugid_det=12907). If I can find an e-mail contact in Las Collinas, I'll send them an e-mail. Anyone think I should start a Yahoo group for Dallas PPC users? That way group messages would go to your e-mail, just a thought.

[bleeman]

Oops, I forgot all about the Yahoo Group Falstaff as it's been so long since there was any activity on it. To subscribe just send mail to dfwPocketPCusers-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.

The contact on the Microsoft page you found, Corey, was one of the original founders (and not a Microsoft employee). He owns PocketPCMinds.Com and at one point tried to drum up interest in the group again (He setup a forum for it on his website) but there never was much activity on the board.

I'm not sure how many, if any, people from the old group are still members of the list. The last message on the group board was November 3rd of last year. We were discussing Microsoft's road show possibly coming to the area. Never heard anything more about it so I assume Corey never got enough responses to show MS there was support for it coming, but don't know for sure.

[Falstaff]

I just subscribed to the Yahoo group, there are 89 registered members! How is the group not active with that many people expressing at least some interest? Do not all of the people live in DFW or what?

[bleeman]

To be honest I don't know. I think a lot of it had to do with losing the meeting place at Microsoft at the same time that the two founders were pulled away by their careers. We were a pretty new group and only had maybe 5 or 6 regular meetings at the same place and same time, when we lost the meeting place and the founders. Several people made some valiant attempts to keep things going (I wasn't one of them as my schedule wouldn't permit it) by trying for get togethers at different restaurants in different locations. I was only able to make one of those because of work committments. I also think a lot of us are spread out all over the metroplex as I remember a lot of comments about, I could make it if it was in (enter your city here), so a lot of the "rotating" meetings usually only had between 6 and 8 people that happened to live nearby.

[Falstaff]

I just set up a poll about meeting timeson the yahoo group, so everyone intested should join that, all you have to do is register a yahoo account (if you don't already have one) and send an e-mail to the adress listed above, or just go to http://groups.yahoo.com and search for dfwPocketPCusers.

[Mona13]

You might want to add a poll on location. I tried to keep the group alive and I really miss the meetings. I drove from White Rock Lake area to Las Colinas for the meetings and then to various restaurants around town.

Since I work in Plano, I go through quite a few areas of town on the way home, so I'm pretty open to location, although quite a few others aren't.

The Microsoft location was awesome, but like Bleeman said the security issues got too much for the person sponsoring us, especially since she wasn't crazy about PPC anyway. Corey was going to try to get us back in, but I guess it didn't work out. I never heard anything back either.

Restaurants were OK, but at times they were noisy, they didn't really save our reservation & we had to share a room, some places charge, etc.

CompUSA was very gracious, but some people wouldn't attend there. Conflict of interest or something like that.

Good luck. I'm on the distribution list, that's how I found out about this thread. I'm very interested in attending a meeting a month or even every other month.

[Falstaff]

I'm trying to get a contact at Los Collinas from my dad, he's down there about every month, so I may have some luck there. I'll keep you posted.