[open-cobol-list] Add 1 Meeting Sunday Jan 25th. Topic: COBOL MAGAZINE. Be there:)

[Domain Admin]

Dear Folks,

We have a very important meeting on the 25th at 9am Eastern Zone (USA). Please look at my signature to make sure you are able to be there at the right time. (We have that silly time zone change so it gets confusing sometimes).

This week we will have a special guest presenter, Frank Gauthier of The Cobol Group and publisher of Cobol Magazine. Frank has years of experience with COBOL and is definitely a great evangelist for our cause. Our agenda is as follows:

1. Meeting in person. Those of you that live within a couple hours of Cleveland, if you are interested, should plan soon to meet Frank in person. Local members of the Add 1 to Cobol team from Cleveland and Erie Pa. are making plans. Join the meeting on Sunday to see if joining us is something you would be able to do, and interested in as well. The meeting will be in Akron Ohio.
   
   For those that are simply too far flung, we would like to talk about organizing local meetups in other parts of the globe. The benefits of meeting other COBOLers in person, whether members of the Add1 Team or not, cannot be overstated. Of course, if you are on the Add1 Team, and you would like to Evangelize for Open Source Cobol based projects, all the better. We'll be considering these topics Sunday.
   
   
2. Cobol's 50th Birthday Party. Yes it has been that long! Frank is planning a large affair in Akron, Ohio. As well he is already helping others to create satellite celebrations around the globe. More information can be found at:
   http://www.cobolanniversary.com/ so check it out and let's get the word out.
   
   
   
3. Cobol Magazine Submissions. Frank is looking for submissions for Cobol Magazine. More info here: http://www.cobolmagazine.com/story_submission.htm 
   IMPORTANT: If you want to have an article in Feb's edition, please have the title available by Friday (email me or contact Frank directly) and then the completed article by Next Weds (Jan 28).
   
   
4. Advertising in Cobol Magazine. I would like to start to get some ads going for Open Cobol and for the Add 1 to Cobol Team. The goal for both is to increase uptake and increase participation in Open Source Cobol projects. More info can be found here: http://www.cobolmagazine.com/advertise.htm
   
   
5. Cobol Certications. Frank will explain the current state of getting certified for COBOL, and explain some steps we need to take, so that we can create an OC specific certification.
   
   
6. Cobol Education. Frank will talk about his efforts to get Colleges and Mentors to focus more on COBOL. As well as what we might do to help educate the next generation.
   
   
7. Standards. This is something yall know more about. But the current state of the standards committees and increasing participation by small guys like us is something we need to focus on. Frank has some ideas, and I am sure the rest of yall do as well.

Alright so you can see we have a pretty full meeting. We'll be kicking it off at about 9am eastern as mentioned. I look forward to seeing many of yall there. (Info on how to attend in my signature, from the web or from freenode IRC directly).

Kind Regards,
-- 
Joseph James Frantz
(Aoirthoir)

http://www.add1tocobol.com
Regular add1tocobol meetings:
Where: FREENODE IRC
Channel: #add1tocobol
Access from the web: http://www.add1tocobol.com/chat.php
Date: Sundays
Time: 9:00am Eastern

::::::::NOTE IMPORTANT::::::::::
There has been some confusion as to the time. I believe this is because the United States uses Daylight Savings Time. On top of this the Government recently extended the dates that EDT (eastern daylight time) would run. So to be sure that you make it at 9am Eastern, I have this link:

http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/city.html?n=179

That shows the time in New York City at the moment of viewing. It also explains the current UTC offset for the Eastern Zone in the United States. Simply compare the current time that site states, with your current time and you will know how far off we are from you.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

We're there all of the time, even when we do not have a meeting. Stop on by for Open Cobol Support and chat.