An update on HERFS, the sidebar, and you.

Hey guys,

We experimented with HERF announcements and planning in Dec. by placing them in the announcements section and adding them to the sidebar. I think this has worked really well and I'd like to make this somewhat official. However, I would like to request that we adhere to a somewhat more rigid process for things moving forward. That way it's easier for me to keep the sidebar and announcements updated. Also, it should make the HERF go easier for you.

Here are my recommendations:

Planning a HERF? Here's a quick guide:

1. Submit a post that you are planning a HERF/meetup. Be sure to include the city and date in the post title.
2. PM the mods and we'll sidebar the link and note it as "planning"
3. Try to keep all discussion about the HERF planning in the original post. Don't post anything new about the herf until details are solidified. This way, people following the discussion won't be confused.
4. Be sure to call the establishment to check for things like available space, whether rsvp is required, whether they'll offer discounts and if they need to setup reserved seating.
5. Once the details of the herf are finalized (date, location, number of available slots), post an announcement. Be sure to include the city, date, and location in the title. Don't forget to setup some sort of rsvp system if there is limited space available.
6. Again, try to keep the discussion regarding the HERF in the announcement post via edits and comments. This way people don't get confused. If you do have to post a new post (e.g. the location changes or the date), then PM the mods and we'll update the link. Also, be sure to update your previous post(s) and link to the most recent one in case people bookmarked it or something like that.
7. PM the mods and we'll update the sidebar link with the date and location.
8. Be sure to take some pics and post a follow-up about how things went.

NOTE: Moving forward, HERFs that sit without an update for >1 month from the original post date will be removed from the sidebar unless other arrangements are made. Sorry, sidebar space is limited (literally), so we need to keep the clutter out. I'll try to make sure we pm the HERF organizer if this is about to happen.

To be clear, I'm in no way saying that the above is some sort of requirement or rule. I just wanted to let everyone know what I think has worked well thus far. It does make it easier for us though if people are more or less following some sort of process.