Boston Flex Application Incubator Group
We're Not Your Typical User Group!
BFAIG's mission is to help people learn to create Flex applications. We aim to help budding Flex programmers grow and flourish. Our main focus is on helping new programmers to create example applications, because having a sample that one can show off is the best route to getting one's first programming job.
Reversing The Usual User Group Roles
At most user group meetings the presenter is the expert and the audience is there to learn. The Incubator model is different. Learner-Presenters present some aspect of a project that they are working on, and the rest of the group - including other learner-presenters, Attendees who don't present, and Mentors - do their best to help. Input can take a number of different forms, from feedback on the presenter's general approach to answers to specific technical questions.
But We're Flexible
We're also open to other scenarios such as more experienced developers showing projects that they're working on, and seeking feedback from their peers, and individuals at any level presenting material that they've found interesting or instructive.
Also, the roles defined above aren't rigid. People attending our meeting may be wearing all three hats at different times during a single meeting. And we expect that Learner-Presenters will evolve into Mentors as their skills and knowledge grow.
A Non-Structured Structure
BFAIG doesn't attempt to cover the bases of learning Flex programming in an orderly, structured way. Participants are expected to study Flex programming through other channels such books, classes, and online resources. Instead, we offer the opportunity to show your current work to others and get feedback and mentoring on a regular basis.
But we do have a structure:
- Learner-Presenters are strongly encouraged to post materials relating to their presentation in advance on our blog. See our Presenting At BFAIG page for info on what kind of materials you might post.
- All attendees are strongly encouraged to view/read these materials before attending.
Where & When Do We Meet?
BFAIG meets weekly on Monday evenings from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM. The first meeting of each month is a combined in-person/online meeting. The in-person component is held at the Massachusetts College Of Art in Boston. All other meetings are held online only. See our Attending BFAIG page and the meeting's announcement on our blog for the meeting's URL, etc. We also suggest that you subscribe to our mailing list to receive meeting announcements, cancellation notices, etc.
Cost
BFAIG is free.
An Open Process
"The best steal from the best."
The Incubator is based on open sharing of information. Presenters share the details of their projects with the group. We encourage presenters to post code, specifications, and architectural diagrams to the group's blog before presenting.
We also encourage people to take others' best ideas and use them in their own work. Presenters who don't wish their materials to be copied outright should indicate this clearly with a copyright statement. Otherwise we'll assume that shared materials have been released to the public domain. Of course, we suggest that users give proper credit regarding their sources.
Group Infrastructure
Website
This website contains relatively basic, non-dynamic information, such as this overview.
Blog
All active members will be given posting privileges on the BFIAG Blog. (Request privs here.) Blog posts can be used for anything for which a blog post is more appropriate than a post to the mailing list. Some examples:
- Code, specifications, and/or architectural diagrams that you're going to present at a meeting
- Thoughts on how the group should work
- A solution to a problem posed at a recent meeting
Mailing list
We use our mailing list for meeting announcements, discussion, to announce new blog posts, etc.
Want To Be Involved?
See our Attending BFAIG and Being A Learner-Presenter pages for more details.