012.30.2 DIGI - A Regional Internet User Group by Ruediger Volk Responding to an invitation mailed with a rough draft of proposed aims and activities for a German Internet users' group "Deutsche Interessengemeinschaft Internet" (DIGI) more than 150 participants from all parts of Germany came to meet in Munich on December 6, 1991. Participants came from academic and non-academic organizations in even proportions and also included representatives from public sector organizations. The Munich meeting was meant to assess the level of interest, to collect ideas, and to help identify persons and organizations who might get actively involved in shaping and running DIGI. The overwhelming number of participants proved that there is indeed considerable demand for activities as proposed for DIGI, and the discussion acknowledged the proposed programme as distributed with the invitation for the Munich meeting. A second meeting was held on March 16th 1992 in Hannover. During this meeting a proposal for DIGI bylaws was discussed and finalized, the formal decision to incorporate DIGI was taken, and the initial executive committee and some members of the initial board were elected. The initial activities will include working groups to work on some specific topics and a two day DIGI meeting planned for late November 1992. The legal registration process to make DIGI a subject under German law is underway. One notable topic was raised in Hannover: the scope of the term "deutsche" in DIGI's name: is that meant to refer to the use of the German language or to the federal republic of Germany? Foreign participants eloquently argued that stopping at a state boundary would not fit well with the open attitude of the Internet. So it was decided that DIGI will not be a national user group - hence the term "regional" in the headline of this article; however DIGI will be incorporated under German law. Also DIGI's mission to care for a German NIC service and organize national Internet administration targets only the Federal Republic of Germany. With this settled, in fact the first membership application submitted in Hannover came from a Swiss company.