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User Group Leader Support
Update your groups record, get meeting ideas, and many other support access and requests.
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.
User Group Special Offers
User Group Leaders and Members, find special deals and discounts from our vendors.
User Group News Bulletin
Meeting Ideas: Consider an Apple In-Store Workshop
If your group is looking for an interesting meeting, why not try one of the current Apple in-store workshops? There are topics for everyone, from newbies to long-time users, and the workshops are free. Use the links at the bottom of this article to locate the workshops in your area.
Along with introductory-level workshops for people who are new to iPad, Apple Watch, or iMac, here are a few of the topics on offer in January: read more…
Thanks to Our Readers
All of us on the Advisory Board, the International Regional Liaison Team, the Apple User Group Support Team, and Pro and Online Groups would like to say a heartfelt thank you for a wonderful 2015. Each month has brought fun ideas, member support services, and great vendor discounts. When Rick ran our Google Analytics recently, the news was amazing, with close to 100,000 unique Pageviews across 97 countries, representing 70 languages.
We’d love to hear from you: what would you like to see in the year ahead? Are there how-tos that you would like covered? DOMs? Ready-to-go presentations from Apple Sales Web (ASW) and ASTO? Do you have a clever presentation or interesting service project that you would like featured? Need ambassador help? Let us know what you would like to see.
2016: New Adventures and New Tech…. Who could ask for more?
How To: Presenting the Apple Watch at User Group Meetings
Written by Tom Piper
Since Apple introduced the Apple Watch, many members are eager to know more about the basics. Most groups are used to presenting on a projector or flat screen television. In a previous how-to, we discussed how to present iOS at user group meetings. But the Apple Watch does not have any built in features that easily allow us to share the screen interface. So, how do you present the Apple Watch then? With some new hardware and software tools, along with some previous tools, we will get you prepared for presenting and showing off the Apple Watch at your user group meetings. read more…
Meeting Ideas: Beats Solo2 Luxe Edition – First Look, Shooting 4K Video on iPhone and More
Need a presentation for your group’s next meeting? Ask your group’s ambassador about Apple Sales Web (ASW) and Apple Sales Training Online (ASTO). From prepackaged demos to Apple materials that you can use to create customized presentations, ASW and ASTO have it all.
This month, ASW keeps you current on the latest and greatest Apple products, including a December 15th look at the new Beats Solo2 Luxe Edition – First Look (L543430A-en_US), Quick Training: Shoot, Edit, and Share 4K Videos on iPhone 6s (L543511A-en_US ), a ready-to-go Apple Watch presentation (L541023A-en_US ), and an Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard for iPadPro – First Look (L543590A-en_US).
Ambassadors: December is a great month to check out ASTO and ASW!
Meeting Ideas: Attracting Youth by Sarah Friedlander Garcia
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 folk who ensure that their groups survive and thrive.
One of this month’s topics comes from Sarah Friedlander Garcia, a past member of the Apple’s Campus Groups Advisory Board, who has gone on to great success with Mozilla and AIR802, and is now Marketing Manger for W-Systems Corp. In 2004, she was one of the featured speakers at User Group University during the Macworld Expo in San Francisco, offering ideas for welcoming young people into the user group community.
Thanks Sarah!
Festive Celebrations Disk of the Month – Important Update Regarding Malware
Nicholas Pyers wrote today to say that he had been informed that one file on the Festive Celebrations disk contains malware. He is fixing the file and will republish the disk within 24 hours. In the meantime, there are two ways to resolve the problem with the file:
1) Delete the current Disc Image and wait for the updated version to be released.
2) Remove the offending file from within the Disc Image.
- To remove the file:
- Mount the Disc Image
- Open the “Festive Fun Volume II” folder
- Open the “Christmas Applications” folder
- DELETE the file “Holidock v1.0”
- EMPTY THE TRASH on your Mac
- CLOSE the “Christmas Applications” window
- CLOSE the “Festive Fun Volume II” window
- Unmount the Disc Image
- Rename the Disc Image to “Festive Celebrations v1.01.dmg”
Special Offer – Opus ][ Complete Collection: 25% Discount
A Blast From the Past: Opus ][
Opus ][ is a complete collection of The Byte Works’ programming tools, resources, compilers, tutorials and documentation for the Apple II computer. Consumer applications such as the Quick Click spreadsheet, morph program, and movie player for the Apple IIGS are included, as are 35 book-length manuals and guides. In addtion to teaching electronic publishing at Emerson College, editor Ken Gagne publishes Juiced.GS and invites group members to check out this month’s User Group Discounts page for information about a special, limited-time, disount.
https://juiced.gs/about/
http://apple2history.org/museum/articles/juicedhistory/
How-To: Recap on presenting iOS and Apple Watch at Meetings
With the update to iOS 9 and some cool new features of the Apple Watch, we thought it would be a good time to recap two great how-to articles that can help your user group when presenting iOS and the Apple Watch. Also with the new AppleTV on the horizon, this is a great chance to get you setup for the perfect user group presentation.
Meeting Ideas: New iMacs, Keyboards, Mice, Trackpads, and the Beats Pill+
Need a presentation for your group’s next meeting? Ask your group’s ambassador about Apple Sales Web (ASW) and Apple Sales Training Online (ASTO). From prepackaged demos to Apple materials that you can use to create customized presentations, ASW and ASTO have it all.
This month, ASW keeps you current on the latest and greatest Apple products, including an October 13th ready-to-go presentation on the newest iMac and a “Then and Now” comparison for how the iMac has changed over multiple iterations (L519829A-en_US and L519831A-en_US), an October 13th First Look covering Apple’s new Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse 2, and Magic Trackpad 2 (L543101A-en_US), and even a look ahead to the Beats Pill+ (L543093A-en_US).
Ambassadors: October is a great month to check out ASTO and ASW!
September’s Featured Vendor: TidBITS and Take Control Books
In early 1990, Adam and Tonya Engst founded TidBITS. A little over 25 years later, they are still providing the weekly insights, news, tips and guidance that their wide-spread readership enjoys. In fact, TidBITS is so popular that volunteers translate their weekly articles into Dutch and Japanese for their worldwide readership.
By the time Adam and Tonya began Take Control ebooks, they had authored or edited more than 25 traditional books and written hundreds of magazine articles for major Mac magazines. And, they’d spent the last 15 years gaining experience in Internet publishing with TidBITS, their Web site (updated quite often) and weekly email newsletter about Apple and Internet topics. These experiences helped them develop the Take Control model, which results in highly practical ebooks that cover much more detail than a magazine article but that are shorter, more focused, and more timely than a typical printed book. Better yet, they are author driven, bringing the best technical writers and the best ideas to press quickly and efficiently. The Take Control ebooks bring you savvy, real-world advice on how to get the most out of your Apple devices and software.
Meeting Ideas: New iPhones, iPad Pro, Apple TV and Cooking with iPad
Need a presentation for your group’s next meeting? Ask your group’s ambassador about Apple Sales Web (ASW) and Apple Sales Training Online (ASTO). From prepackaged demos to Apple materials that you can use to create customized presentations, ASW and ASTO have it all.
This month, why not check out an ASW presentation on the newest iPhones (L518920A-en_US), iPad Pro – First Look (L542412A-en_US) and Apple TV (3rd Generation) – First Look (L513212A-en_US), all published in the last week, so that you know the information is the current. ASTO even offers quick overviews that can be a “value add” to any meeting. For example, consider showingQuick Training: Cooking with iPad (L540977A-en_US ) at your next meeting. It cover the benefits of using an iPad in the kitchen.
Ambassadors: September is a great month to check in with ASW and ASTO!
August’s Featured Vendor: Other World Computing
Many user group members know Other World Computing (OWC) as a long-time supporter of User Group University. OWC is known for excellence in products, creativity, innovation, a demonstrated respect for the community, and a history of participation in its growth. Your group members may have purchased their first hard drives from OWC or even bought memory chips back in 1989. Still, did you know that OWC is remarkable for their dedication to the environment, creating one of the greenest buildings in the country (LEED certified Platinum status)? From a building that is 100% wind powered, to state-of-the-art recycling, to a geothermal-powered HVAC system that uses less energy and creates healthier air for employees, to a parking lot paved with permeable interlocking paving bricks, and even using green janitorial supplies throughout, OWC leads the way as they have for almost 30 years.
Keep an out eye each month: their special offers will change monthly.
July’s Featured Vendors: CS Odessa and ConceptDraw
CS Odessa offers a range of products that support your organization’s planning, implementation and communication workflows. Their ConceptDraw Office v3 is a productivity suite of three products that support OS X 10.10 (Yosemite) and OS X 10.9 (Mavericks). The suite includes ConceptDraw PRO v10 for business graphics and diagramming; ConceptDraw MINDMAP v8 for note taking, organizing, building processes, and project planning; and ConceptDraw PROJECT v7 for project and resource management. If you are looking for a world-class diagramming platform with over 1,000 ready-to-use samples and templates, a versatile, yet easy-to-use tool for organizing ideas and data, or a full-featured project management solution, ConceptDraw has what you need.
How To: Presenting the Apple Watch at User Group Meetings
Since Apple introduced the Apple Watch, many members are eager to know more about the basics. Most groups are used to presenting on a projector or flat screen television. In a previous how-to, we discussed how to present iOS at user group meetings. But the Apple Watch does not have any built in features that easily allow us to share the screen interface. So, how do you present the Apple Watch then? With some new hardware and software tools, along with some previous tools, we will get you prepared for presenting and showing off the Apple Watch at your user group meetings. read more…
How To: Volunteers, Communities and User Groups by Rick Ortiz
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.
One of this month’s topics comes from a User Group Leadership Conference hosted in Boston back in 2004. Rick Ortiz, currently chair of the Apple User Group Advisory Board, Apple consultant, and long-time user group officer of the Maui Apple Users Society offered insights about volunteers, communities and user groups.
Community and groups by Rick Ortiz
Thanks Rick!
Meeting Ideas: iTunes U 3.0 and OS X El Capitan
Need a presentation for your group’s next meeting? Ask your group’s ambassador about Apple Sales Training Online (ASTO). From prepackaged demos to Apple materials that you can use to create customized presentations, ASTO has it all.
In the last week, ASW has downloads that can provide the materials for a presentation for your next meeting. iTunes U 3.0 (L513935C-en_US) provides an overview of the benefits of iTunes U 3.0 and a walk-through of screens showing key features. OS X El Capitan (L533145A-en_US) provides product information for the newest OS. There is even a clever Quick Training: Redecorating with iPad (L541089A-en_US), because your iPad can be a powerful companion for renovating and redecorating a home.
Ambassadors: July is a great month to check in with ASTO!
Updated Website
The Apple User Group Resource team has been hard at work providing user groups and its members, vendor presentation material, vendor product discounts, community news, leader resources and the Apple User Group Locator. Our website has recently gone through an overhaul to better present and offer this information to the community. Here are some of the new features:
- Safari Notifications- receive OS X notifications when new information is posted to our website
- Navigation Header- Focus on the Find a Group, User Group Leader Support and User Group How-To’s
- New slider focusing on featured vendors for presentation materials for groups
- New User Group Leader Support page bringing leader support to one access page
Check out what the updated site has to offer!
Meeting Ideas: OS X El Capitan, iOS 9, Apple Watch, Apple Music and watchOS 2
Need a presentation for your group’s next meeting? Ask your group’s ambassador about Apple Sales Training Online (ASTO). From prepackaged demos to Apple materials that you can use to create customized presentations, ASTO has it all.
In the last week, ASW has downloads covering the products announced at WWDC. In fact, OS X El Capitan (L533145A-en_US), iOS 9 (L533146A-en_US), Apple Music (L541456A-en_US) and watchOS 2 (L541455A-en_US) have all been released in the last 7 days. There is even a clever Quick Training: Redecorating with iPad (L541089A-en_US), because your iPad can be a powerful companion for renovating and redecorating a home.
Ambassadors: June is a great month to check in with ASTO!
Reminder: Are Your Group’s Records Up To date?
Ambassadors: Are your group’s Apple User Group Locator records up to date? This summer the Locator team will be updating the database, and groups with dead web links or non-functioning email addresses will be put on pending. Make sure your group stays on active status.
Update your group’s records today!
How? See complete instructions below. read more…
