Membership Program & Application

effective 2021, is a single membership that grants you access to all our user-groups

… being updated for 2024

our goal …

to nurture a vibrant & helpful community … therefore, quality (not quantity) of members matters.

quantity never mattered, as we never sell/give our member-list … we are Pro-Privacy!

Attention: our fine-print (is not in fine-print)

our lessons learned & applied …

After 13+ years we have learned ... those who want & value us

(a) APPRECIATE what we offer

(b) RECOGNIZE our calibre, efforts, and built-in standards (e.g., Pro-Privacy, being upfront & clear)

(d) GIVEBACK to our community & provide us polite & constructive feedback

(e) READ & FOLLOW our notices/instructions … especially, RSVP's

… and therefore, benefit the most from us & what we offer

… we welcome these local & non-local folks as members … for they nurture a vibrant & helpful community!

Membership Program Gist

in just 5 questions

1) what can I expect/get?

1 ▹ here's proof (not just words) of what we have been doing for 13+ years ...

PRO-PRIVACY to the point that we have NEVER given out our members' info (e.g., name, emails), even though it costs us.
access to free software, tools, tips, hear from folks who straddle research & industry.
we go through a lot of effort & expense to offer things of value … e.g., featured events
Social media sites (e.g., Meetup, Linkedin, Twitter, etc.) are only one-way communications, "event announcements".
As always everything (e.g., event registration, comments/questions, etc.) is via this site/Contact-Us, (or via the HCCUG.org™ App)

2 ▹ Applying here means you are applying to become our member, and upon confirmation, you become our/HybridCloudGroup.org™ Registered Member, making you eligible for member-only benefits, such as,

access to member-only Offerings & Programs,
access to member-only Exclusive-events, Preference when seats are limited for open-events,
access to member-only Digital-Assets, Bump, Funding, Outreach, and more

3 ▹ some new Member-only Benefits … to help members grow … e.g., grow their personal brand & generate revenue for themselves

HybridCloudGroup.org™ platform : our offerings & expertise that members can leverage to generate revenue for themselves :-)
HybridCloudGroup.org™ outreach : expand our outreach now via our members (e.g., beyond the 1:1 direct assistance that exploded in Mar-2020/covid)
HybridCloudGroup.org™/HCCUG.org™ bump : GDG Houston (not GDG Cloud Houston) had failed twice before Valentino accepted Google's request to run the new GDG "Cloud" Houston. Looking into ways to give a similar bump to our members, so they can grow :-)
HybridCloudGroup.org™/HCCUG.org™ funding : we have been funding upfront & in-full all events & now meetup.com of the official/recognized Google Cloud User Group for Houston, GDG Cloud Houston, as Google's GDG Team had budget constraints, and this group is being run by our members. Similarly, we are open to help select members grow/startup/accelerate, etc.

DISCLOSURE: Houston Google Cloud User Group (a.k.a GDG Cloud Houston) is an example of our effort to support our members' efforts (click here for more info)

2) what do I have to do?

Remember our focus is on quality, not quantity, of members … to nurture a vibrant community that helps each other grow!

1 ▹ Three simple pre-requisites for your application to be eligible for review & confirmation.

(a) when applying, ensure you use the same email & phone number that you used in your application as the app will use that for security.
(b) subscribe to our YouTube channel … click here to subscribe,
(c) download our phone app [coming soon]
▸ Upon confirmation from us, you are considered a HybridCloudGroup.org™ Registered Member — Congrats on making the choice to grow!

2 ▹ Exceptions for 2021:

We are continuing to offer non HybridCloudGroup.org™ Members access to events, plus option to apply for our membership, at no charge.
All HybridCloudGroup.org™ Registered Members are granted HybridCloudGroup.org™ Active Member status for 2021
Those who braved traffic/weather/etc., over the years and attended multiple events prior to 2019 –with– at least "3" events between 2019 & Mar-2020 — upon completing the NEW membership application, we are happy to award you the HybridCloudGroup.org™ Enthusiast (Member) status for 2021 & 2022, and related benefits.
[we strive to reward those who stand by us]

3 ▹ To maintain HybridCloudGroup.org™ Active Member status (and be eligible for auto-renewal at the end of the year), all you have to do is,

(a) be subscribed to our YouTube Channel & keep your HybridCloudGroup.org™ App updated to the latest version, so you can benefit from the latest :-),
(b) just RSVP (yes/no) when announcements are made via HybridCloudGroup.org™ App ~or~ HybridCloudGroup.org™ site (NOT via other social sites), and
(c) attend at least "6" in-person/online events in a year — just "6" events in 12-months. Exception for 2021: this is only "3" events (not "6").
▸ … it is that SIMPLE to keep & auto-renew your 2022 Membership for FREE :-)

3) what about special considerations?

1 ▹ Since 2008, all our offerings (e.g., events, consulting, etc.) have been FREE for anyone …

we are expanding the FREE tier, while looking into ways to help our members grow themselves/other!

2 ▹ While looking into how to offset increased costs, those who know us know, we strive to make things feasible for all, and especially for,

1. Fulltime Students,
2. Those between gigs/job-seekers.
3. Our Veterans & Military, Law Enforcement, School Teachers/Educators — we appreciate your service!

NOTE ▸ we welcome any ideas/suggestions on how we could waive/significantly-discount some things! click here to provide suggestions

4) what do you do for those who support/help you?

▹ Those who know us know, we are always looking for ways to offer more for our members, and additional benefits for those who are outstanding! e.g., to recognize those who contribute to our efforts — among other things, they will receive a HybridCloudGroup.org™ digital asset with "use rights" (not edit or other rights) to display on their Linkedin, Resume, Facebook, Blog/Website, etc.).

▹ We will review & recognize … a select few individuals/entities in recognition of their efforts! This is not given out to anyone who just mentions something about/to/for us, it is not something you can apply for.

▹ This is a preview & subject to change …

HybridCloudGroup.org™ Success Story (Member): applies to members who leveraged us, achieved, came back & said "thank you" and are giving back to our efforts — we have just launched the showcase segment to recognize them & give them another HybridCloudGroup.org™ bump (the bump does not stop :-) … those of you who prefer to stay anonymous, no worries, we are happy for your achievements!

HybridCloudGroup.org™ Proponent (Member): applies to members who give back in our name/HybridCloudGroup.org™, e.g., speak at events, contribute to open-source, help our members (e.g., get jobs), etc. … recognizing our generous members nurturing a vibrant community!

HybridCloudGroup.org™ Enthusiast (Member): applies to our members who exceed the requirements of Active Member status … our way of recognizing pro-active members nurturing a vibrant community!

HybridCloudGroup.org™ Advocate: applies to anyone (member & non-members) who advocates for us and helps us grow!

HybridCloudGroup.org™ Advisor: applies to anyone (member & non-members) for guiding us at different points in time & helping us grow!

5) How can I help you help others?

1 ▹ HybridCloudGroup.org™ Supporter: applies to anyone (members & non-members) who supports us by contributing whatever they can.
▸ click here to contact us for more info

2 ▹ HybridCloudGroup.org™ Speakers: applies to anyone (member & non-members)
▸ click here to contact us for more info

3 ▹ Partners, Sponsors, Advertisers: are anyone (member & non-members, individual or entity);
▸ Note: we are PRO-PRIVACY and therefore extremely selective of whom we highlight or associate with, click here to contact us for more info