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User Group How-To's
User Group Leaders, are you looking to run a better meeting? These how-to articles guide you through a variety of topics.
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User Group News Bulletin
Randy Singer of MacAttorney: Macintosh Routine Maintenance
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 posted a link to his most-popular web site, covering routine Macintosh maintenance.
Mac Attorney: Routine Macintosh Maintenance
Interestingly, the site is just one of the many resources that Randy generously has been offering for free since 1996 via his MacAttorney pages. Here are a few others that are both popular and informative.
Macintosh Word Processing Software
Free Or Inexpensive Macintosh Software
Upgrading To The Latest Macintosh OS
Thanks for all you do for the Macintosh community Randy!
Tech Tips: How to Make a Simple Video Presentation Using an iPhone & iMovie
Many user group members know communications expert Garr Reynolds. His Presentation Zen books, seminars, and videos are best sellers, and he has been a leader in the user group community for years. With so many people working, and presenting, from home, Garr recently released a short video explaining how to make an effective presentation using tools you already have: iPhone, PowerPoint, and iMovie. You will be surprised at what you can accomplish!
How to Make a Simple Video Presentation Using an iPhone, PowerPoint, and iMovie
How To: Q&A Best Practices by Tom Piper
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.
Presentation Q&As
One of the most prevalent and persistent Q&A opportunities is during and after a topic is presented to the user group membership. We previously asked people to refrain from asking questions until the end of the presentation, but found that this unnecessarily restrained audience participation, which is an important aspect of user groups. Instead, we encourage questions at any time, but strictly adhere to a preset time limit (using a visible timer), which everyone is made aware of in advance. Questions must also remain “on topic” so the discussions do stray away from the theme of the presentation.
Today at Apple – At Home: New Sessions and New Ideas
Many groups have moved to online meetings. Still, it can be hard to find a meeting topic when members and presenters are doing their part to flatten the curve. The good news is that each Today at Apple – At Home session offers unique and helpful ideas so your members can get more from the software and hardware they already own and enjoy.
Current Today at Apple – At Home titles include:
- Turn your home into music with GarageBand
- Add a bit of magic to videos with Clips
- Add drama and style to your portraits with iPhone
- Make your videos more cinematic with iPhone
- Draw playful portraits with iPad
Each session is short – lasting only 3-5 minutes – and the tutorials are fun, clever, and easy.
Help your members learn a new skill today.
UGU Redux: Dealing with Difficult People by Dr. Scott Pelok
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 this 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.
Thanks Dr. Scott!
Michael Horton: 20 Years of Creating Community for Creatives
For more than 20 years Michael Horton, founder of the LA Creative Pro User Group (LACPUG), has brought storytellers together. In fact, over the last twenty years, Michael, leading LAPCUG, produced 220 events (WOW!). He started the LA Final Cut Pro group in 2000, was instrumental in groups moving from a single tool to a focus on the greater creative pro community, and was a co-founder of the CPUG Network and their SuperMeets. Over the past few years, there have been wildly popular SuperMeets in London, Austin, Amsterdam, San Jose, Boston and San Francisco, each with its World Famous Raffle and each offering another opportunity to enhance the lives and expand the networks of creatives across the world.
Congrats to Michael – The creative community are glad you are planning to stay on for at least one more year!
Michael Horton Lifetime Achievement Award at NAB 2019 read more…
Meeting Idea: Logic Pro X 10.5 – First Look
Looking for a meeting topic? Apple recently released a major update to Logic Pro X, with a professional version of Live Loops, a completely redesigned sampling workflow, and new beat-making tools.
Check it out: Logic Pro X – First Look (L574602A-en_US)
https://asw.apple.com/Salesresource/L574602A-en_US
Apple Ambassadors, June is a great month to check out ASW.
News to Use: Apple’s COVID-19 Website and Apple COVID-19 App
With so much misinformation and partial information regarding COVID 19, Apple has two new offerings that you can trust. Apple, in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the White House-led coronavirus task force, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, developed a useful and trustworthy COVID-19 app and website that can help you identify best practices and personally-tailored next steps during this difficult time.
The app and website provides a series of questions around risk factors, recent exposure, and symptoms for the user or their loved ones. Once the questions are completed, the user will receive clear and practical CDC recommendations, including guidance on social distancing and self-isolating, how to closely monitor symptoms, whether or not a test is recommended at this time, and when to contact a medical provider. This is not a COVID 19 test – it is a pair of wonderful resources that can help users access trustworthy information, decrease anxiety, increase safety, and identify next steps, all personally tailored to each user’s answers and experience.
Check these resources out today:
Apple’s COVID-19 website, available on any platform via your preferred browser.
https://www.apple.com/covid19/
Apple’s Apple COVID-19 App – currently #1 in Health and Fitness on the App Store:
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1504132184
Information about Apple Store Openings:
https://www.apple.com/store-opening-letter/
Thanks to Apple Engineer Dave Marra and OMUG President Steve Welsh for this great tip!
Global Accessibility Awareness Day 2020
Apple’s Accessibility home page says that the true value of a technology is not measured by how powerful it is, but by how much it empowers the user, and every Apple product contains amazing and empowering accessibility features right out of the box.
May 21 is Global Accessibility Awareness Day (third Thursday in May), accessibility is a popular user group meeting topic. From being able to take a perfect group selfie, write a text, or email without being able to see the screen; to VoiceOver to describe what is happening on any Apple device, display accommodations that can even assist with color blindness, Live Listen, closed captioning that displays far more than text, FaceTime and health tracking, LED iPhone notifications, Switch Control, customized gestures, AssistiveTouch, Guided Access, typing feedback, text-to-speech, fitness algorithms for wheelchair users, AirPods, and so much more, there are features to make every user’s tasks easier – truly empowering each user.
Want to make accessibility your group’s next meeting topic? Apple’s Accessibility Website, 17 YouTube videos on Apple Support’s Channel, and Today at Apple can make your next meeting a great one:
Apple Support’s YouTube Channel: Accessibility
Today at Apple Accessibility Sessions
Pyers Presents: Finding Guest Presenters
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!
Apple World User Group University: First Meeting Report by Tom Piper
Apple World User Group University: First Meeting Report
By Tom Piper, AWUGU Coordinator
Apple User Group Leaders:
Our kickoff AWUGU online gathering of Apple user group leaders was held at 8:00pm CST, on April 20, 2020, via the Cisco Webex Meeting app. We had 25 participants who joined for the topic of “Online User Group Meetings”. The full hour and a half video can be viewed at:
https://uguonline.my.webex.com/recordingservice/sites/uguonline.my/recording/playback/20ac887171cd406983cf3ad6407341c3 (use password: Ve3VTAwn).
April’s Featured Vendor: Matias
Matias has quite a following in the Mac User Group community because of their reputation for high quality products and for rescuing lost or abandoned technologies. Matias has been making some of the best wired and wireless keyboards for the Mac community for over 20 years, including their popular Silver Matias Keyboard. They are also known for their Dvorak Pro keyboard, Half Keyboard for one handed typing, and Half-qwerty Keyboards, not to mention their iRizer and iFold portable ergonomic laptop stands. While they have been producing award-winning Matias products for over 30 years, they still offer the same level of truly personal and truly excellent customer service. Best of all, they are offering a generous limited-time user group discount for Apple User Group officers and members on their Silver Matias Keyboard in this month’s Bulletin and Blog.
Visit Matias.
Meeting Ideas: Today at Apple – At Home
It can be hard to find a meeting topic when members are doing their part to flatten the curve. Have you heard about the new offerings from Today at Apple? Today at Apple – At Home offers great sessions that your members will enjoy. From drawing playful portraits with iPad, to capturing striking photography with iPhone, and shooting photos full of personality with iPhone, the tutorials are fun and easy.
Learn a new skill today.
Meeting Topic: Pages, Numbers, and Keynote for iOS, iPadOS, and macOS
Your members enjoy the iWork suite, and the just-released updates can make for a great meeting topic. The good news is that ASW has the information you need. Collaboration is easier than ever, with support for iCloud Drive folder sharing and offline editing of shared documents. Smart Annotation, innovative spreadsheet templates and interactive sliders, animated objects, Instant Alpha, and more make for a feature-packed update with easy to use features. In addition, there are beautiful new templates and themes. Your members can even use Presenter Mode and Pages to turn their iPhones or iPads into a virtual teleprompter.
To help you out, Pages, Numbers, and Keynote—First Look (L589382A-en_US) pdf on ASW has some quick and easy demo ideas as well as a description of the updates.
Apple Ambassadors, April is a great month to check out Apple Today and ASW.
Meeting Topics: How to clean your Apple products
Need a timely meeting topic?
Your members may be newly interested in ways to clean their devices, and Apple has the answer. Be sure to check out Apple Support’s How to clean your Apple products page. From using safe products to the right techniques, your members can learn how to clean and disinfect notebooks, desktops, iOS devices, peripherals, accessories, cases, and more.
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204172
Ambassadors, March is a great time to use Apple Support articles.
Guidance for Working From Home: Another Reason to Love Take Control Books
This letter came from Joe Kissell, publisher of Take Control Books, long-time user group supporter, and all around wonderful person. He has given us permission to print his offer on our blog to reach folk who may be adjusting to working from home or want to be better at it.
Take Control Books is offering a free, no-strings-attached, copy of their new Take Control of Working from Home Temporarily
https://www.takecontrolbooks.com/working-from-home/
by popular author Glenn Fleishman
Joe writes: “Glenn Fleishman generously volunteered his time to write Take Control of Working from Home Temporarily, which also features advice from numerous other Take Control authors and other people with extensive experience with remote work. As a small gesture to help out in this uncertain time, we’re offering the book for free.
The book’s contributors, who collectively have centuries of experience working from home, offer advice in areas such as setting up a workspace (obtaining, moving, or repurposing furniture and hardware, for example); communicating with coworkers via text, audio, video and other collaboration tools; maintaining healthy physical and psychological boundaries between work and non-work activities; adapting to the presence of family members and roommates in or near your work area; and adjusting your schedule and habits to best balance productivity and sanity. There’s also a chapter for parents of school-age kids on how to juggle family obligations when working from home.
This new book is free. To obtain it, follow these steps: read more…
Meeting Ideas: Smart Keyboard, Smart Keyboard Folio, and new Powerbeats
Your members have seen the new announcements and have questions. The good news is that ASW and Apple.com have the answers. Why not use ASW’s white sheets as the basis for your next meeting topic?
This month, take a look at “Smart Keyboard and Smart Keyboard Folio—First Look” (L589076A-en_US) and “Powerbeats—First Look” (L589070A-en_US).
Ambassadors: March is a great month to check out ASW offerings.
Meeting Ideas: iPad Pro, and Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro
Your members have seen the new announcements and have questions. The good news is that ASW and Apple.com have the answers. Why not use ASW’s white sheets as the basis for your next meeting topic?
This month, take a look at “Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro—First Look” (L589066A-en_US), “iPad Pro – First Look” (L581397A-en_US), and “iPad Pro – Then and Now” (L589070A-en_US).
Ambassadors: March is a great month to check out ASW offerings.
AppleWorld UGU Online: A Legacy Tool Reawakened
AppleWorld User Group University (AWUGU) is returning after a long hibernation to once again share Apple user group knowledge and experience among its members. Originated in 1987 at Apple World in Boston, our last AWUGU session was in 2004 at Macworld in San Francisco.
User Group University was a conference for leaders of Macintosh User Groups (MUGs), which are now known as Apple User Groups (AUGs). Classes covered such topics as “Marketing Your User Group” and “How to Get Young People in Your Group”, which are still important discussions today. AUGs have long been good places for making new friends, finding Apple-loving buddies, boning up on technical expertise, finding solutions to related problems, and sometimes finding a good deal on hardware and software.
While the Macworld Expo may be a fond memory, there’s still value in gathering around the topics that interest the Apple user group community. The Apple User Group Advisory Board (UGAB) has decided to add a monthly interactive forum to its Locator, Bulletin, website and support services which would bring back the spirit, education and enthusiasm of the original AWUGU.
The mechanism for this forum will be based on the following items:
- A one-hour session held on the third Monday each month in the U.S. only
- Online participation by Apple user groups leaders via Webex
- A new topic each month, featuring a short presentation followed by a Q&A
- Participant suggestions for improving membership services
- A website for posting information
The first AWUGU Online meeting of AUG leaders is scheduled for 8:00pm, CST, April 20, 2020. In view of the COVID-19 vulnerability of our greying members, VR and streaming meetings will be our topic. The facilitators and faculty for the presentation and discussion will initially be members of UGAB. Future sessions will also include special guests and interesting topics. A schedule of meeting dates and topics will be distributed to participants in the near future, and updated regularly on the website, which will also include highlights from previous meetings.
In order to become a participant, any interested AUG leader must first register with the AWUGU Coordinator by emailing their contact information to macquest@mac.com. It must be understood in advance that this registration means that any information received hereafter may be shared with all participants in the forum, but will not be used for any advertising or solicitations.
The reawakening of AWUGU services is exciting and challenging. It is based on the importance of sharing valuable knowledge and experience to support the efforts of Apple user groups everywhere.
March’s Featured Vendor: Koingo Software
Odds are good that you have used Koingo software, considering that the company’s history goes back more than 25 years. From their beloved Contact Keeper and Password Retriever running on Mac OS 8, to today’s amazing apps for iOS and Mac OS, their apps are both beautiful and practical. Koingo’s current line includes MacPilot 11, helping users to harness the phenomenal power of UNIX with the elegance and ease of Macintosh, and the innovative Data Guardian 5, making entering and securely saving a wide range of data, including credit card numbers, shopping lists, or even journal entries, easy.
No matter what you collect or track, their Librarian Pro 5 helps you see all of your items at a glance on a virtual bookshelf, in a list, or in cover flow. And, their AirRadar 5 can not only use advanced GPS technology to map available WiFi signals but also provide insight to optimizing your home network and reducing interference from other signals. And, this is just a glimpse of their wide product line.
Why not use Koingo Software offerings for your next meeting topic? read more…
