Stout’s Bill Heitzeg is one of the driving forces behind a new software development study group. The concept: meet for one hour a week, bring your laptop, learn more about some hot topic in one hour than you would normally learn in weeks of unstructured, unmentored self-study.

Why does it work? Because the instructor for each one-hour session has already waded through the subject and can pick out the key, key, key things you need to understand. From there, you can make good progress on self-study because you already understand the fundamentals.

Imagine if our iPhone developer spent one hour guiding you through the maze that is iPhone development? If you have heard any of the horror stories about an iPhone submission, you have an idea about how much time that could save you. And that’s just the submission process!

So here is my question: if we figure out a way to make these live, interactive Webinars, would you be more interested? less interested?

The study group meets in Ann Arbor on Tuesdays during dinner hour. With a Webinar, we could probably do lunchtime study group sessions, saving commute time and time away from family. The downside is that the networking aspect isn’t nearly as prominent.

I’d be very curious to know your thoughts. Please post!