I just got finished with the SysAdmin Hangout that I mentioned on yesterday’s blog. It was a big success!

Overall, 11 of us hung out, chatted about work, security, and all kinds of things for an hour. At the end of the conversation, everyone agreed that it was a worthwhile endeavor, and that we should continue to do it.

That’s not to say that it was without problems, though. We were hitting the maximum number of people allowed in the room (10) pretty much constantly. The quality was hit or miss per camera/microphone, but overall, it was a good experience.

I’m going to do it again, but I’m not setting a date yet. Here are the things that I need to iron out before I feel good doing this repeatedly:

Make the conversation available to more people More structure Determining who gets to take part

This is definitely something that I’m going to be thinking more about. I like the idea of keeping it on Google Plus, if only because it’s a widely-available network. Even if we end up going with the “conference panel” mode, I want part of the events to be where non-panelists come on and talk about things.

This should not be some “talking down to people from a mountain” kind of thing. It’s much more about hearing other people’s thoughts and opinions.

Drop me a comment and share your ideas!