[plug] PLUG Upcoming Events

[James Henstridge]

On Thu, 17 Sept 2026 at 09:17, Daniel Di Rado via plug <plug at plug.org.au> wrote:
>
> Hi all,
>
> Why are there no links for OpenMeet?  Plug in the Pub has an event set up there, but the only links in the email are for Google Calendar, Meetup and Luma.  It's getting confusing how many services we are using here...

This is the script I use to generate the event reminders:

https://github.com/plugorgau/calendar-check

It started out as a script to compare the main PLUG calendar with
Meetup, and it was pretty easy to extend to Luma since all three
provide data in iCalendar format. I couldn't see anything similar for
OpenMeet.

Then there is also the question of where we want to direct users. We
have occasionally posted events on Facebook, but I haven't included it
in these emails. Partly because dealing with Facebook's APIs is a
pain, but also because someone would likely miss a lot of PLUG events
if they were relying on the Facebook events page.

The links provided are fairly reliable ways to keep updated on PLUG events:

* Google Calendar: what we currently use as the ground source of truth
for scheduling, and have embedded on the PLUG website.
* Meetup: what we've been using for years. Brings in engagement (i.e.
people interested in general tech meetups in Perth, and have our
events surfaced to them).
* Luma: a newer service in a similar vein to Meetup.

At some point we might drop Meetup from this list: its prices have
been increasing, and the engagement we get from it has been going down
as other groups leave the platform. At some point it won't be worth it
from both a money and time perspective.

James.