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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 Leaders and Members, find special deals and discounts from our vendors.
User Group News Bulletin
October’s Featured Vendor: TidBITS Content Network
In early 1990, Adam and Tonya Engst founded TidBITS. A little over 27 years later, they are still providing the insights, news, tips and guidance that their wide-spread readership enjoys. Better yet, they have a new service, the TidBITS Content Network (TCN) content syndication service, that provides content that consultants, resellers, and other businesses can use to stay in touch with their clients. The service also helps home and office users how to make better use of their Macs, iPhones, and iPads. read more…
Special Offer – TidBITS Content Network for Apple professionals: Get a free month of tips and articles!
The TidBITS Content Network (TCN) is a syndicated content service for Apple consultants, resellers, service providers, and other professionals who want to publish Apple-specific tips and articles on their blogs, in email newsletters and on social media.TCN costs $100(US) per month, and user group-involved Apple pros can get the first month’s content for free!
Macstock 2017: Super User Group Meeting
Macstock 2017: Super User Group Meeting by Tom Piper
Macstock III was an independent 2-day conference for Apple enthusiasts of all experience levels held July 15-16, 2017, at the Luecht Conference Center in Building B of the main McHenry County College campus in Crystal Lake, IL. Its name originally came from nearby Woodstock, all of which is about an hour’s drive northwest of Chicago.
The conference design was to help us hear techniques from community-leading experts for getting the most from our Apple devices and apps, plus provide us a unique opportunity to engage other members of the Apple community from around the globe who also be visited Macstock. My son, Jason, and I met people from Washington, Cupertino, New York, Chicago, Florida, Tucson, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Iowa and many other places. As Jason observed: “Literally everyone is wearing an Apple watch, and we are all comparing the variety of bands being worn.” read more…
Featured Vendor: Joe Kissell of Joe on Tech and Take Control Books
This month’s featured vendor is Joe Kissell of alt concepts, co-publisher (with his wife Morgen Jahnke) of Joe on Tech and Take Control Books, a senior contributor to Macworld, prolific author and long time user group supporter. Joe On Tech guides provide friendly, comprehensive and up-to-date advice on important tech topics. Take Control ebooks cover much more detail than a magazine article but are shorter, more focused, and more timely than a typical printed book. Joe is Take Control’s most prolific author and you probably have at least a few of his works already. read more…
Meeting Idea: Swift Playgrounds
Part of having a successful user group is having great content to present at meetings. Some groups are able to get guest speakers, products demonstrations, and even remote presentations. But for some groups that is not always logistically possible. Over the last few months we have featured Apple podcasts, Today at Apple, Apple Teacher, Keynotes, and Apple Sales Web, five incredible resources to help groups create enjoyable meetings and educate members. This month we will look at a sixth great resource, Swift Playgrounds.
Welcome: CSUSB Macintosh User Group and Swifters – Greece College Swift Playground Group
It is always fun to see new groups and new interests in the Apple User Group Locator. The CSUSB Macintosh User Group of Cal State University, Santa Barbara, is comprised of members of their information technology community on campus. Swifters – Greece College Swift Playground Group are from the University of the Aegean, a university with multiple campus sites throughout Greece. Welcome to the community!
How-To: the Apple Teacher Program
Part of having a successful user group is having great content to present at meetings. Some groups are able to get guest speakers, products demonstrations, and even remote presentations. But for some groups that is not always logistically possible. Last month we featured Apple podcasts, Today at Apple, and Apple Sales Web, three incredible resources to help groups create enjoyable meetings and educate members. This month we will look at a fourth great resource, the Apple Teacher program. You don’t have to be a teacher to sign up, and each educational activity is paired with a badge you can earn and display. Earn eight badges for either iPad or Mac, and you achieve Apple Teacher status, including access to Swift Playgrounds, a free app for first-time coders featuring Learn to Code and lessons that make getting started fun and interactive. Provided resources include Apple Teacher Starter Guide books, online help and Apple Store workshops.
Meeting Ideas: 2017 WWDC Keynote
Looking for an interesting meeting presentation?
The 2017 WWDC keynote was fun to watch and could be a great meeting presentation. the Keynote included information about the new iPad Pro, iMac Pro, HomePod, iOS 11, macOS High Sierra, watchOS 4, and so much more. Why not use it for your next meeting?
Check it out online:
May’s Featured Vendor: Global Delight
This month’s Featured Vendor is Global Delight, maker of Boom 2, Capto, Vizmato, Boom for iOS, Camera Plus and Camera Plus Pro. Many of our readers are familiar with Global Delight because they have won awards in Apple’s App Store and multiple awards for Best of Show at Macworld over the years. Their employees are called Delightians because they work to delight their more than 15 million customers, crafting software with love and a sincere attempt at disrupting the app landscape. read more…
Changes: Joe Kissell Buys Take Control Books
Changes are coming to TidBITS Publishing and Take Control Books. Joe Kissell, who has written more Take Control Books than any other author, has purchased Take Control Books with his wife Morgen Jahnke. Sellers Adam and Tonya Engst will be concentrating on their new TidBITS Content Network service, providing syndicated content to Apple consultants and resellers.
Joe has lots of things he wants to do with Take Control in the future, so you’ll see new books, new authors, and more after he gets past the initial work of the transition. And, he is open to ideas from readers. What won’t change is the guarantee of quality: practical, focused, and timely guidance from trusted and knowledgeable technical writers. read more…
How-To: Apple Resources for User Group Meetings
by Rick Ortiz, Apple User Group Advisory Board Chair
Part of having a successful user group is having great content to present at meetings. Some groups are able to get guest speakers, products demonstrations, and even remote presentations. But for some groups that is not always logistically possible. It is fortunate for user groups that Apple has made resources available that could benefit user groups. From Apple podcasts, to Today at Apple, to Apple Sales Web there are resources to create great meeting presentations. read more…
Special Offer – Take Control Books: 30% Discount on All Ebooks
No matter what Apple devices you’re using, there’s a Take Control ebook that will help you polish your skills, work more efficiently, and increase your productivity. Written by the most-trusted names in the Mac world and published by Joe Kissell and Morgen Jahnke, Take Control ebooks provide the technical help you need now.
All Take Control titles are DRM-free and available in PDF, EPUB and Mobipocket (Kindle) formats, so you can read wherever, whenever and on whatever device you like.
Remember, there’s no need to read a Take Control title from front to back; instead, each book has a Quick Start that helps you jump instantly to the information you need.
An exclusive 30% off their already low prices is offered to Apple user group members on all Take Control ebooks.
Take Control books: https://www.takecontrolbooks.com
See your user group Ambassador for discount URL.
This worldwide offer is ongoing.
How To: Apple’s Clips App Review
Written by Rex Covington of the Apple User Group Advisory Board and Lonestarrider.com
Apples new clips app is like a mixture of Photo Booth, Snapchat, and a very light version of iMovie. The free stand-alone app is only available in the United States and you will need IOS 10.3 on your iPhone. You can download the app from the normal places using iTunes on your Mac or the Apple’s App Store on your iPhone. You can produce a video up to 60 minutes and each individual clip that you add to your video can be no longer than 30 minutes. read more…
Meeting Ideas: MacBook Pro with Touch Bar and Logic Pro X
Are your members interested in how the Touch Bar increases productivity? Whether your members are simply interested in music, produce tracks in a professional studio or are somewhere in between, Logic Pro X on the MacBook Pro with Touch Bar offers all the tools needed to create, edit and deliver the best, right on your Mac. ASW has new demos this month, including the MacBook Pro with Touch Bar Top Features Demo Guide (L548533A-en_US) and Logic Pro X – Product Presentation (L549787A-en_US) that could make for an interesting meeting.
Ambassadors: March is a great month to check out ASW!
How To: Keynote Collaboration
Last month we took a look at Keynote Live and how your user group can integrate it into your meetings. In part two of this series we will take a look at collaboration for Keynote, which is a new beta feature added with the introduction of macOS Sierra and iOS 10. Collaboration is built into all the iWork apps, but in this article we will focus on Keynote.
The new collaboration tools are a great way for a multiple presenters to work on a project remotely and in real time. User groups leaders and presenters can work on a topic prior to a group meeting. Needed edits or updates can be made, or individuals can work on their slides for the project while another person is editing their slides. read more…
GarageBand Introduction: Macworld 2004
On January 6, 2004, the Macintosh was a few days over 20 years old and Steve Jobs had exciting news: Apple had a new type of software, called GarageBand, and a new format for the iPod, an iPod Mini with a huge 4GB of storage. How would we ever fill all that space? With this month’s release of the newest version of GarageBand, it seems like a great time to remember its introduction, with John Mayer performing and Steve Jobs explaining the ways that it would open a world of possibilities.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2jq4iRyULg
Interested in seeing the whole Macworld 2004 Keynote?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvpD3FlHZeM
Interested in stats and information for every Apple Keynote, from 1997 through 2016? Read more below.
Meeting Ideas: GarageBand for iOS and Logic Pro X
Interested in a quick presentation for February? Powerful new features are
now available in GarageBand for iOS and Logic Pro X for all levels of music
makers, from enthusiasts to pros, and the topic could be perfect for a group
meeting.
Check out GarageBand for iOS – First Look (L549342A-en_US) and
Logic Pro X – First Look (L549343A-en_US). And, for the students in
your group, Apple, Inc. has a wonderful new offer: Students can purchase
Final Cut Pro X, Logic Pro X, Motion 5, Compressor 4, and MainStage 3 for
$199 (USD).
http://www.apple.com/us-hed/shop/product/BMGE2Z/A/pro-apps-bundle-for-education
Ambassadors: February is a great month to check out ASW!
Thank You: Fred Showker and Lynn Wegley for 30 Years of MUG News
Over close to 30 years, publishing 1,350 issues (and more than 7,000 individual blurbs), the InfoManager newsletter, User Group Network and UGNN have covered what mattered for Apple User Groups and their members. Remember the User Group Forum on eWorld? Fred was there. Macworld in 1987? Yep, he was part of that exciting show. This month brought news that Fred is retiring and he and Lynn will no longer be publishing InfoManager each week. Times change and we move ahead, but it is important to thank them for all the years of service to the community.
Thanks Fred and Lynn! You will be missed.
Meeting Ideas: Get more from iPad Pro and macOS Sierra
Need a presentation for your group’s next meeting? Ask your group’s ambassador about Apple Sales Web (ASW). From prepackaged demos to Apple materials that you can use to create customized presentations, ASW has it all.
Interested in a quick presentation for January? Be sure to check out Quick Training: Get more from iPad Pro with Apple Pencil and apps (L545271A-en_US). Want to offer your members a look at the top features of macOS Sierra in a short or extended version? Check out macOS Sierra Top Features Demo Guide (L547776A-en_US).
Ambassadors: January is a great month to check out ASW!
How To: Keynote Live
By Rick Ortiz
This is a two part series on how User Group presentations can take advantage of the new features of Keynote introduced in macOS Sierra. In this first series, we are going to take a look at a new feature called Keynote Live and what that can offer your user group.
Keynote Live is a little hidden gem offered in the latest version of the software. Keynote Live is a way to play your presentations over the internet so your members can view in real-time on any device, wherever they can get online. So if a member can’t make a meeting, they can still see the Keynote aspect of the presentation from any location. This is also a great tool if you have a remote presenter wanting to share information in a presentation to your group. read more…
