Internetworkers: http://www.ibiblio.org/internetworkers/

["Thomas A. Beckett" <thomas AT tbeckett.com>]

        I noticed recently that Triangle InterNetWorkers has almost 300 people
on its various lists.  We've got more than 100 folks on this particular
list, [InterNetWorkers].  The group has grown tremendously in the past
year, and I hope that we'll continue to grow even more.  

        We talked about this growth the last time the [Inet-plan] group got
together face-to-face, and realized that there are probably a number of
folks involved here who came on at different times and may have
different ideas -- or no idea at all -- about what InterNetWorkers is
about.  After all, we have little in the way of a common reference
point, such as a mission statement, around which to develop the
collective vision.  (There's a good reason for this, which I'll get to
shortly.)  

        So we -- the planners -- thought it might be worthwhile to relate how
InterNetWorkers got started and what the initial point was.  I've
observed that there are a few competing notions of "the point of" INW,
and to my mind they are all equally valid.  I'm going to share my
perspective, and I hope that others will do the same.  I hope that folks
will contrast or even contradict my view with their own stories.  The
more stories, the better.  I'll probably ramble on a few paragraphs,
myself, but even a short anecdote is important and valid.  

        With luck, we'll develop a few common threads for the existence of 
this
organization.  Perhaps we'll even come up with some new ones that we
hadn't thought about before.  

        To this end, I invite everyone who reads this to respond with your own
InterNetWorkers story.  What led you to sign on with us?  Have you had
any interesting experiences?  Any memorable InterNetWorkers moments?  

                                *       *       *

        As for me, I first got involved in the fall of 1998, at about the time
I started working for catalogue.com.  It was Michael Thomas's idea, he
invited Dykki Settle, Jeffrey Hoffman, and a number of other folks to
have dinner together.  Mike thought that there were a lot of people
doing all kinds of interesting things in the Internet around here and
that we really ought to get together from time to time and compare
notes.  There was just too much opportunity for synergy going by the
wayside.  Michael also thought that the Internet work being done
Triangle deserved more attention in the national scene, and that perhaps
by getting organized we could change that.  

        The entry in my Palm Pilot for December 7, 1998 reads "Internet dinner
thingie".  The "thingie" was upstairs at the Carolina Brewing Co. on
Franklin Street in Chapel Hill, and maybe 20-22 people showed up, almost
all of 'em invited by Mike.  We were far outnumbered on the upper level
by a mixer for (I think it was) UNC rugby team.  Anyhow, we talked and
ate and rubbed elbows and a good time was had by all.  I think that was
the first time I met Paul Jones in person.  

        After the holidays, several of us got together -- at various times,
over dinner and by email -- and talked about the idea of an Internet
organization for the Triangle.  This included Settle, Hoffman, Jones,
Jill Newbold and Stephen Champeon.  (I hope the others involved will
forgive my senescent memory.)  We discussed the 2 or 3 previous attempts
at creating an Internet professionals group, all of which ended in
failure.  My own perception was that they all got hung up on
organizational issues before they even got going.  They couldn't agree
on their constituency or a mission statement -- "In-tra-net
professionals or In-ter-net profesionals?" -- and just got bogged down.  

        The upshot was that we felt it was worth trying again, and that we
would just avoid all of the organizational problems by putting off any
organizational decisions and simply inviting everyone we knew and
letting things happen as they may.  Other than *beer* being an important
organizational principle.  

        The next entry in my Pilot is January 20, 1999, for "interNetWorks" at
Tyler's in Carrboro.  The original core group invited everyone they
could think of, and a whole bunch of folks showed up.  It was noisy,
chaotic, and a lot of fun.  Paul Jones circulated and collected
everyone's business card.  Someone made name tags for the planners, the
"Internetworkers Conspiracy".  We ran the wait staff ragged.  A goodly
mix of people attended:  entrepreneurs and employees, Web designers and
programmers, techies and marketing types.  We've managed to maintain
that mix ever since, I'm glad to say.  

        Afterwards, we tested the waters for future gatherings by sending out 
a
survey to the 65 or so attendees.  We got a pretty positive response,
which I distilled and digested and posted on the Metalab site.  It's
still up, if you want to read it: 
http://metalab.unc.edu/internetworkers/archives/index_jan2099.html

        So that's how it got started and why we decided to continue. 
Continuing, now that's another story.  One involving structuralists,
anti-structuralists and ant hills!  And more beer.  

        Thanks for your kind attention to this humble epistle.  

Thomas Beckett