Location for Methodist Bloggers Meeting

So far 42: UK Methodist Bloggers Meeting introduced the idea (and the comments explored it a lot).

Then 42: First pass Dates for UK Methodist Bloggers Mtg started looking at the details so if you have not yet indicated date preferences please go and do so NOW!

Now here are some thoughts on Location (which in the comments to 42: UK Methodist Bloggers Meeting indicated a preference for M5/M42 and cheap). Some options after a bit of googling:

• Pick a Church, pay for an internet connection, sleep on the Church Hall Floor, 24 hour pizza delivery (please not!). More likely eat out Fri Night, cold pizza for breakfast, buffet for lunch. Total cost per person under £50 (if you eat cheap).
• Woodbrooke Quaker Study Centre. Bit closer to centre of Birmingham than we were thinking about, see multimap. Has internet access. Full board for 24 hours including meeting room is £85. No alcohol.
• Community for Reconciliation Barnes Close I got an answer to my enquiry (within 2 hours 15 minutes, late on a Saturday night!). £54 per person and WiFi is available. Available for some of our dates (the first two).
• Bromsgrove Hotel: Pedersen Hotels don't know about Wifi. Cost around £110 per person.
• Hillscourt Conference Centre in Bromsgrove, don't know about Wifi. Cost £125 per person.
• Travelodge - Tamworth M42 has a meeting room, does not yet have WiFi. Cost £26 per room plus all meals apart from breakfast, plus meeting room (plus detox needed after).

Feedback please. Are any of these promising? If not why not? Any more suggestions?

 

All my posts about the UK Methodist Bloggers Meeting are listed at:  42: Methodist Bloggers Meeting.

[Updates]

Added price and wifi support to the Community for Reconciliation option.

Comments

[PamBG]

I am too old to sleep on a church floor and my chiropracter might kill me if I do. :-) I have to say I'm not keen on the Travelodge either, but happy with the other options.

The first set of dates is perfect for me, the others are OK.

[Will]

The earlier the dates, the better. My daughters first birthday is in the last part of January. I don't mind sleeping on a church floor, but understand Pam's predicament, so will gladly yield, except the £125 and £110 options are a little pricey. You're great for getting this together, Dave!

[John Cooper]

I would have to plump for an under £100 option so I can afford to do it.

It is beginning to look like it could almost a methodist bloggers retreat for a an overnight 24hr period which looks most exciting a prospect.

Dates wise I would like to avoid the lead up to the first w/end in January and so the second or third dates would be best for me.

Warm Regards
John

[RubyB]

Hi this all sounds great fun and I hope it works out. Am really under pressure this year with lots of things being added to the busy schedule we already had on the prayer card. To say nothing of trying to do a full time job! So it won't be possible for me. Maybe next year! Look forward to hearing all about it.

[Methodist Preacher]

Well done Dave. You won't be available for restationing in 2009 by any chance.....Sorry getting off the case.

The Midlands is obviously fine by me. Ideally i would like to stay overnight but that will depend on my work commitments. For example sometimes I spend the entire week in the Leeds Travellodge and I wouldn't want to spent a further Friday night in Tamworth! So leave me out of the accomodation equation for now.

As soon as a date is agreed let me know and I will block it. I'll come back on accomodation later.

One other point: I'd like us to have a deliverable. It may be useful to have the Methodist Church webmaster join us. I want to know how we can make better use of YouTube, Facethingy and My Space.

I fear we are already behind the game - and we are Methodism's vanguard.

Thanks again for all your efforts. I'll talk to you about 2009 when we meet......

[Dave Warnock]

Ok I am about to write a progress update post so thanks for all the input so far.

Yes the travel lodge was a joke, given the prices of the two retreat centres I don't see the DIY option as being attractive or effective. So Pam your back should be safe.

John, nothing better than technology and theology through the night with plenty of coffee and coco pops. We can always divert into arguments with Will about mac's.

Ruby, I understand your crazy commitments for the coming months. What timetable will we need to follow to get a 2009 version in the next presidential diaries?

DavidH/MP, my first 5 years mean I am here til 2010 with circuit re-org in 2009. So you can go and find someone competent instead :-)

[PamBG]

One other point: I'd like us to have a deliverable. It may be useful to have the Methodist Church webmaster join us. I want to know how we can make better use of YouTube, Facethingy and My Space.

This is to the group, not to either David:

I don't mind having a session on how to use YouTube, Facebook or My Space, although really the best way to figure out how to use these is just to register and start using them.

I don't mind having a strategy session about how these tools could be used effectively.

However, if the weekend is going to turn into some kind of self-proclaimed policy session about 'Methodist blogging', then I'm really not interested. If everyone is enthusiastic that the weekend should be about 'deliverables', then I'd appreciate knowing so that I can make an informed decision about whether or not to come.

[Dave Warnock]

Deliverables? I am confused.

I have a number of goals that I want from this conference.

- personal relationships with people I have only met online

- learning from others about issues relating to Methodist blogging

- promotion of blogging within Methodism

- exploring how we can share and support each other in our blogging, ministries and lives

- considering how we handle conflict with Methodist bloggers and with other bloggers

- I would like Toby & others from the Methodist Church to be with us so that we can encourage and support each other

Yes it might be good to share experiences of social networking sites such as facebook, myspace. Maybe someone could demonstrate how we could do videos and podcasts to extend our blogging. But we are not a policy making body for the Church and I am not sure what a deliverable means in that context.

When we look on places such as facebook young Methodists are already very active and busy eg Gary Hopkins. None of the older generation of bloggers have much influence on facebook in comparison to younger methodists (who have a much bigger presence than the CoE). It would be good to get some of them to come and inspire us.

[Paul Martin]

As I have said before, I am OK except the last two weekends in January whn the thespian activities will be used to raise miney for charity.

Re price, hopefully not too high!

Good thinking on purpose of gathering, Dave.