Talk:Meetup/London/64

Venue change[edit]

There have been proposals to change the venue for months if not years, but previously clear agreement has not been reached on any change. At London 62 there was a viable proposal to move the venue to another nearby pub, the Shakespeare's Head, which has a better internet service than the Penderel's Oak and would only mean moving the venue a short distance. The response to this idea was either indifferent or supportive on the whole, however concerns over the required notice for any change came-up twice and ultimately killed any change for that meetup. To resolve this problem, I have started this page with the pub stated as the Shakespeare's Head from the start so there is zero risk of confusion, meaning this issue should not come-up again.

I have set-up this up as a trial, as ultimately if the change is made permanent either a new version of Meetup/London/Template will need to be created, or old transclusions will have to be substituted with the template then being updated with the new information. For this meetup I have tried to update the pub and travel information as best I can, but feel free to improve it. CT Cooper · talk 20:30, 7 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Yeah. Templates. Good idea? Gordo (talk) 15:15, 23 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

We could change the template to make the venue a parameter and make the Oak the default, then old pages wouldn't need to be changed. That solution would also be future proof.--Tango (talk) 22:23, 2 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]

That's a good idea - we've now got two templates at Meetup/London/Template and Meetup/London/Template2, however these could easily be merged with a parameter added, although my knowledge of template syntax is limited. CT Cooper · talk 15:19, 3 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Wifi.[edit]

I have just been asked to complete an online survey for a recent connection to the Cloud Wifi at another Wetherspoons pub (my local). So it looks like they do care about the service, and a complaint to managers at the Penderel's Oak would be timely. Gordo (talk) 21:08, 28 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

To be honest, I personally have never had a problem with the wifi at the Penderel's Oak - my Acer laptop could somehow manage with the weakest of signals. I've just got a new laptop so it will be interesting to see if it can cope in the same way! I'm not sure if any of those that did have problems ever complained to the management, although a few comments about it at meetups suggests that the issue has been raised with them but nothing was done. CT Cooper · talk 14:16, 29 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Rexss has a wizard scanner on his phone for 802.11b/g channels!!! Gordo (talk) 14:20, 29 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I can confirm the wifi works! Bit of a shortage of Wikimedians today though. Chris Keating (The Land) (talk) 15:19, 9 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]

But the quality of Wikimedians was high! Gordo (talk) 20:20, 9 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]

So, where do we go from here?[edit]

I regretfully couldn't come due to health issues, but I'm glad many others did make it. So, the inevitable question, should we:

a) Stick with the Shakespeare's Head?
b) Go back to the Penderel's Oak?
c) None of the above?

The Shakespeare's Head clearly has the wifi going for it - are there any other advantages to this pub compared to the Penderel's Oak? What about disadvantages? CT Cooper · talk 20:05, 11 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]

b) Penderel's Oak[edit]

I vote for the Oak. More space, more flexible space. Did not Shakespeare's Head, which was noisy on Sunday (by chance). I cannot attend the January wikimeet, but I suggested we regroup at the Oak... Gordo (talk) 11:47, 12 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]
The Oak get's my vote too. I think the more flexible space is important for the sort of fluid dynamics we develop as people move around and chat in different groups. The one time I went to the Wagglesword's we were quite boxed in. Leutha (talk) 21:14, 17 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]
I prefer the layout at the Oak. Mind you we have sometimes had problems there such as when they insisted on keeping the doors open and the traffic was so loud it disrupted things. Really we ought to try and find a non-Wetherspoons pub for contrast. WereSpielChequers (talk) 02:04, 19 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]

c) Other/None of the above[edit]

I'm neutral as I haven't seen the Shakespeare's Head - I've missed both that were there, so I will go with the flow, whatever it is. Penderel's Oak seems to be the favourite but I would suggest waiting until at least the start of the new year to give others the chance to comment - some don't check the meetup pages very often. CT Cooper · talk 12:28, 23 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Don't mind Johnbod (talk) 17:28, 23 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]
There is another good option available - the Knights Templar which is nearby just down the Chancery Lane. It's quite spacious too.--Merlaysamuel (talk) 19:37, 23 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Knights Templar is closed on Sundays. Gordo (talk) 10:39, 24 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]
I'm open minded about trialling another new pub, although I would suggest that it waits until February with the decision take a long way in advance to avoid problems. CT Cooper · talk 15:52, 24 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]
So.... what is the choice for January 2013? Gordo (talk) 20:24, 24 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Penderel's Oak unless there is a massive swing of support to the Shakespeare's Head within the next few days. CT Cooper · talk 00:08, 25 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]
I'm going to mark it as the Penderel's Oak within the next 24 hours unless anyone has any objections. CT Cooper · talk 20:23, 31 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]