by Saundra (Sandy) Foderick, Editor | May 14, 2020 | Leaders, Resources, User Group How To
Groups are always looking for a great presentation and this month Nicholas Pyers of AppleUsers.org offers valuable insights into ways to find guest presenters. His recent article, the fifth installment in his “Working with Presenters” series can help you reconceptualize the process and increase your ability to organize great meetings. Want to know more? Check out all five articles in the series.
Thanks as always to Nicholas for these wonderful resources!
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by Saundra (Sandy) Foderick, Editor | Jan 12, 2020 | Leaders, Members, News & Events, Resources, User Group How To
Randy Singer, leader of the 9.000+ member strong MacAttorney User Group, co-author of multiple editions of the well-loved Macintosh Bible, author of the ABA’s The Macintosh Software Guide for the Law Office, writer of the MacAttorney Newsletter, and popular presenter, recently commented that it can be hard to find all of the alternatives for Macintosh accounting software. He notes that, “even though the myth that “there are no accounting programs for the Macintosh” is prevalent, the truth is that this has always been one of the Mac’s better covered areas.”
So, he has created a page covering currently-available offerings. The page is in the early stages, and it is incredibly informative.
Check it out – maybe even contribute to the conversation:
http://www.macattorney.com/accounting.html
Visit MacAttorney.
http://www.macattorney.com/
by Saundra (Sandy) Foderick, Editor | Nov 14, 2019 | Leaders, Resources, User Group How To
written by Tom Piper, Past President of appleJAC User Group and Head of the Apple User Group Vendor team
One of the most valuable services provided by Apple User Groups to their members are the “question and answer” sessions. For the past 35 years of our existence, appleJAC has evolved through a variety of Q&A processes. This How-To session will describe each of the successful methods that we have used.
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by ugabadmin | Oct 12, 2019 | Leaders, Resources, User Group How To
By Rick Ortiz
Apple User Groups have always been a great resource for help outside of the normal Apple support system. Besides the in-person meetings, some user groups offer online support resources and email discussion lists. User groups seem to always answer those tough and hard-to-find solutions, for its members. But user group members sometimes need support beyond that, and in the past we would call Apple for help. But as technology changes, so has our Apple support options. This “How-To” is more of a resource article for user group leaders as well as for members themselves. (note: Apple Stores are a great resources for help, but not everyone has a store near them, or can go into a store for support. This article will focus on online support options.)
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by Saundra (Sandy) Foderick, Editor | Aug 3, 2019 | Leaders, Members, User Group How To, User Group Meeting Materials
[Note: The premiere of Graeme Moffatt’s ‘Mr Mainline Steam‘ documentary was shown recently and the documentary has received amazing reviews and organizational recognitions.]
Filmmaker Graeme Moffatt of Capital Video Productions Ltd. is a member of the Wellington Macintosh Society, and he is also the Apple User Group Regional Liaison for New Zealand, Australia, and Oceania. You can find more than a year of his group’s Wellington Macintosh Society (WelMac) meeting videos at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmJBMCRuX6iyV8smOu2iApw/videos
By Graeme Moffatt:
I became involved with a group in the United States that is doing live internet broadcasts, initially just using an iPad and soon they moved to a much more sophisticated system.
This new system allowed them to use multiple screens, cameras and microphones and the quality of the broadcasts became much more sophisticated and interesting. I sent an email to the person who was coordinating all of this, an ex Hollywood filmmaker, and asked him what software he was using and received a reply stating that it was an iPad app called Switcher Studio.
I did a search online and soon found the app and downloaded a free trial version and tested it out. I found it to quite amazing as to what it could accomplish (more…)
by Saundra (Sandy) Foderick, Editor | Nov 13, 2018 | News & Events, Resources, User Group How To, User Group Meeting Materials
written by Tom Piper, Vendor Liaison
appleJAC Apple Users Group has been video streaming each of its meetings for most of 2018 with great success. This replaced prior digital recordings and CD/DVD distribution, which had limited success due to manual steps, overhead, cost and distribution.
We elected to use Facebook Live for the integration with our existing appleJAC Facebook page, with built-in notifications and the ease of reaching our audience.
Equipment requirements have been minimal, with our videographer utilizing an iPhone and tripod stand or light stand. An optional external battery ensures continued Live Broadcast for the entire two-hour meeting. Getting started with a Live Broadcast requires minimal steps, including a short introduction and a brief overview about what we will cover during the meeting.
If you are a Facebook member, then the live video can be watched.
After the meeting, anyone can watch the stored meeting videos, without being a Facebook member. This has been very successful with 3-9 people watching live, and many more afterwards (both user group members and non-members).
Interested groups and members are welcome to view our meetings by going to facebook.com/appleJAC.org
Your feedback is most welcome.
by Saundra (Sandy) Foderick, Editor | Oct 6, 2018 | News & Events, User Group How To
Over the years, some of the best ideas for user group leadership have come from the worldwide community of user group officers, the hard working leaders and experts who ensure that their groups survive and thrive.
This month’s How To features one of the most popular presentations ever presented at a User Group University session. In his session, Dr. Scott Pelok talked about the various sorts of difficult people we encounter in our groups and in everyday life. The Board still gets letters asking about the presentation and we have heard from folk who say his tips helped resolve challenging situations in their groups. Use the link below to download his presentation.
Difficultpeople
Thanks Dr. Scott!
by Saundra (Sandy) Foderick, Editor | Sep 10, 2018 | Leaders, Members, User Group How To
Written By Rick Ortiz, Courtesy of Maui Apple Users Society (Maui Mac)
Preparing your technology for a hurricane
With Hurricane Lane fast approaching, it is time to get your technology prepared for such an event. Some key areas to think about are: backups, batteries/power, and other tech tips.
Backups
Now is the time to make sure your computer backup is in place and completed. This is typically an external backup drive or your data in the cloud. If an external backup drive, do one final backup and then unhook it and put it in a safe place. If you have access to a weatherproof safe, that would be ideal. If not, placing it in a ziplock bag or some place that can avoid water damage can help protect your data. If you are required to evacuate, take your backup drive with you. If you have a mobile phone, you can back it up to your computer as well, or use the cloud service backup built into the phone. Remember the 3-2-1 rule of backing up. Data in 3 places, 2 locations, 1 offsite.
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by ugabadmin | Aug 13, 2018 | Leaders, Resources, User Group How To, User Group Meeting Materials
By Rick Ortiz
Apple users have for the most part been protected from many of the viruses and malware issues experienced on the PC. But with the popularity of Apple products over the past decade, those wanting to take advantage and compromise your computer use experience has grown. Most recently, applications, search engine hijacks and web browser plug-ins are the culprits of what many Mac users think are “viruses.” This has become a popular discussion topic at user group meetings. So to help user groups, we are providing group leaders with a meeting guide and how you can address and discuss this issue at your meetings. Click on read more below to continue.
I. Overview (more…)
by ugabadmin | Jun 13, 2018 | User Group How To
Does your group have an Apple User Group Ambassador? Not sure or maybe your group needs to update its information or assign a new ambassador. If any of this applies to your group, or you are a current ambassador and want to refresh on what resources are available, then read on.
What is an Apple User Group Ambassador?
Apple User Group Ambassador is the role assigned to one individual from each recognized Apple User Group in the Apple User Group Locator (database). Leaders from each user group choose a member from their group who will serve in this role. The Ambassador for the group serves as the link and primary contact to the Apple User Group program. A summary and downloadable PDF version of this article can be found here. (more…)
