4 ms·

Of course; drinking establishments make good money on these events so they have a lot of incentive to make this as easy as possible. Come to think of it, that'

by mtrimpe 13y ago

Of course; drinking establishments make good money on these events so they have a lot of incentive to make this as easy as possible. Come to think of it, that's actually a really good example of an area where we can put in a bit more effort to create more inclusive events. In general it's about finding a format which lets attendees personally contribute to the venue's revenue, which sounds like a problem we should collectively be able to tackle.

jiggy2011 13y ago
What would a more inclusive event look like? Going to a bar and having people socialize with a no-alcohol policy? That gives off a weird puritan vibe. More formal/structured activities are likely to be more exclusionary since people have different ideas about what is fun. Or may not feel comfortable participating in things because of disabilities etc. In a bar at least people are free to make their own fun and come and go as they please.
- mtrimpe 13y ago
  Something that would quickly come to mind is something like dim-sum or high-tea adapted to evenings and crowds of varying size. Probably just changing the focal point from the bar to the buffet and encouraging seating instead of standing would create a completely different atmosphere. Another variable you could consider playing with is moving from self-service to being served; where the waiters are instructed to dial down the frequency when guests get too far along. Ironically enough unlimited drinks is something that could work fairly well in this context, as long as the implication that excessive boozing is discouraged and will not be enabled by the waiting staff.
yummyfajitas 13y ago
Personally I'm happy with bars and it seems like most people in the west are, so I'm not going to expend a lot of efforts fixing a non-problem. We don't need the alternative to have a tech community, and the fact of the matter is that any cultural choices we make will "exclude" some people. (I put "exclude" in scare quotes because it's self-imposed exclusion.) But if you find a good solution that might be deployable in India, let me know. Pune has a good tech scene but regular unstructured social events would definitely improve it.
- mtrimpe 13y ago
  I find the degree to which you're comfortable using generic statements to define the issue a non-problem for the entire industry quite disheartening. That you personally don't feel the need to spend energy on these issues I perfectly understand however since it would do little to advance your personal goals. When it comes to those my comments to jiggy2011 might help get you started. Just like what it would take to make tech events more inclusive; in your case it's also just about finding an existing pattern of behaviour your target demographic already displays which you can most easily latch on to and co-opt to help advance your personal goals: tighter interpersonal integration within the Pune tech scene. It's late here so I can't ask my Indian co-workers, but I'm fairly confident that their culture also already has patterns to enable spontaneous social interaction. My guess is that it involves food somehow ;)
  - yummyfajitas 13y ago
    The goal is to find something good enough for 80% of people - in the US bars are it and they are easy to organize. So for the US, it's a non-problem. In Pune, it's actually a bit more difficult to organize things. Whatever group activity you pick somebody won't like it. Last year my company had a relaxation day and went to a baseball game. I hate baseball. Rather than whining like a spoiled child about how it's unfair that they excluded me, I just hung out with a pretty girl, watched Dark Knight Rises and ate some Indian food.

by mtrimpe 13y ago

jiggy2011 13y ago

What would a more inclusive event look like? Going to a bar and having people socialize with a no-alcohol policy? That gives off a weird puritan vibe. More formal/structured activities are likely to be more exclusionary since people have different ideas about what is fun. Or may not feel comfortable participating in things because of disabilities etc. In a bar at least people are free to make their own fun and come and go as they please.

mtrimpe 13y ago
Something that would quickly come to mind is something like dim-sum or high-tea adapted to evenings and crowds of varying size. Probably just changing the focal point from the bar to the buffet and encouraging seating instead of standing would create a completely different atmosphere. Another variable you could consider playing with is moving from self-service to being served; where the waiters are instructed to dial down the frequency when guests get too far along. Ironically enough unlimited drinks is something that could work fairly well in this context, as long as the implication that excessive boozing is discouraged and will not be enabled by the waiting staff.

yummyfajitas 13y ago

Personally I'm happy with bars and it seems like most people in the west are, so I'm not going to expend a lot of efforts fixing a non-problem. We don't need the alternative to have a tech community, and the fact of the matter is that any cultural choices we make will "exclude" some people. (I put "exclude" in scare quotes because it's self-imposed exclusion.) But if you find a good solution that might be deployable in India, let me know. Pune has a good tech scene but regular unstructured social events would definitely improve it.

mtrimpe 13y ago
I find the degree to which you're comfortable using generic statements to define the issue a non-problem for the entire industry quite disheartening. That you personally don't feel the need to spend energy on these issues I perfectly understand however since it would do little to advance your personal goals. When it comes to those my comments to jiggy2011 might help get you started. Just like what it would take to make tech events more inclusive; in your case it's also just about finding an existing pattern of behaviour your target demographic already displays which you can most easily latch on to and co-opt to help advance your personal goals: tighter interpersonal integration within the Pune tech scene. It's late here so I can't ask my Indian co-workers, but I'm fairly confident that their culture also already has patterns to enable spontaneous social interaction. My guess is that it involves food somehow ;)
- yummyfajitas 13y ago
  The goal is to find something good enough for 80% of people - in the US bars are it and they are easy to organize. So for the US, it's a non-problem. In Pune, it's actually a bit more difficult to organize things. Whatever group activity you pick somebody won't like it. Last year my company had a relaxation day and went to a baseball game. I hate baseball. Rather than whining like a spoiled child about how it's unfair that they excluded me, I just hung out with a pretty girl, watched Dark Knight Rises and ate some Indian food.