Even though I left engineering behind more than seven years ago, once a geek, always a geek.
I fondly recall how back in the day, we used to have “Lan Parties” – people would show up with computers (not an easy task, as laptops were mostly unheard of, as was wifi) and connect into one big Lan.
The original Lan parties I had the pleasure to attend were also known as “Linux Parties” and they were held in order for the more experienced hackers to show the initiated this new OS which runs faster and better than Windows. Mac OS was also unheard of. Later on, lan parties were held with the express purpose of playing games such as Doom in large multiplayer groups. With multiplayer games moving to the Internet, and Linux becoming so easy to use, Lan parties have quietly left the stage.
Such gatherings can be immensely useful. You can have a focus group dynamically spring up (or rather, lured by free beer) around an experienced hacker (or product expert) and get real spontaneous feedback from actual users in the field, without chasing down each customer. Imaging sitting in a room full of users, happily trying out your product and approaching you right there to show you any feedback or ideas. Compare that with setting up calls, doing a Webex, etc.
Think about this, and reach out to your users. You can have fun!
People hacking away at a Lan Party - CC Scrunchleface
