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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
January’s Featured Vendor: Noteboom Productions
NoteboomTutorials.com knows that using a computer, even a Mac or iPad, is not always easy and intuitive. While Noteboom is known for tutorials that can making learning easy and fun, they have developed a special membership program that offers more of what people love about their products: easy-to-follow video tutorials, an easy-to-use interface, concept grouping and even auto resume on the iPad, iPhone and Mac. Their tutorials cover OS X Yosemite, iMovie, iPhoto, Final Cut Pro X and much more. Their 650+ five-star ratings are a reflection of the quality of their materials. read more…
May’s Featured Vendor: Elgato Systems
Many user group members know Elgato as a long-time supporter of User Group University and other community events. Others know their amazing products, including EyeTV, Eve and the Thunderbolt 2 Dock that connects everything with one cable. Maybe you have seen their newest product: Avea. If so, you know that Elgato creates app-powered lifestyle accessories that entertain and enlighten.
How-To: Group Volunteers
In our January User Group How-To we discussed ways to revitalize your group. This How-To will expand on that article, focusing on volunteer involvement and management. Volunteering is key to a group’s success. Parts of this article were taken from a presentation given at User Group University held at Macworld in 2007. The focus of the presentation was on volunteers and community involvement. This how-to will look at volunteer types and roles, difficult volunteers, and most importantly recognizing your volunteers. read more…
Meeting Ideas: Final Cut Pro X, Macbook and More
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.
For example, ASW offers many ready-to-go packages, including demos, presentation scripts and demo instructions. For new releases, they generally offer basic product tip sheets, demo ideas and presentations immediately after the product has been announced. On April 13, ASW added a ready-to-use presentation covering the new newest version of Final Cut Pro X (L519868A-en_US ) that can be paired with ASTO’s Final Cut Pro X Top Features – Demo Guide, for your group’s next meeting. A few days earlier ASW posted a presentation you can download covering the new MacBook (L539718A-en_US) if your group is interested in learning more about the MacBook. Want to cover in-depth technical information? There are technical training sections just waiting to be your group’s next meeting topic.
Ambassadors: April is a great month to check in with ASTO!
Meeting Ideas: Planning Topics by Doan Stafford
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 Doan Stafford, long-time leader of QMUG and an active supporter of the user group community. In 2004, he was one of the featured speakers at User Group University during the Macworld Expo in San Francisco, offering ways to plan group meeting topics well in advance.
Thanks Doan!
Plan_Your_Meeting_Topics_UGU_2004
April Review: Vendor Offers for Members and Meetings
Every month officers and members write to ask about current user group discount offers. Two great resources for user group bargain seekers are the “All Offers on One Page” sections that UGAB Board member Elsa Travisano publishes each month for readers of the Apple User Group Bulletin. There is a page that describes the offers:
https://www.appleusergroupresources.com/category/special-offers-without-codes/
And a password-protected page that lists the discount codes or details needed to obtain the discounts:
https://www.appleusergroupresources.com/special-offers-with-codes/
How do you get the password? It is printed each month in the Apple User Group Bulletin or you can ask your group’s ambassador for the current password.
Check it out!
February’s Featured Vendor: AgileBits and 1Password
AgileBits is a much-loved supporter of the user group community because they make security simple. Their newest version of 1Password, 1Password 5 for Mac, is a password manager that goes beyond simple password storage by integrating directly with your web browser to automatically log you into websites, enter credit card information, fill registration forms and easily generate strong passwords, and so much more.
March’s Featured Vendor: Plum Amazing, LLC.
Plum Amazing is a group of people who are both skilled in, and very enthusiastic about, technology. Although their team members are dispersed around the world, they work together on a variety of projects that benefit users in amazing ways. You probably have heard great reviews about a number of their products, including X-Mirage that mirrors iOS devices on your Mac, Speech Maker that provides a mobile teleprompter on your iOS device and more, iWatermark to protect your creations, and so many more highly-reviewed applications. They offer applications to fit any budget and solutions to many everyday challenges.
How-To: Using the Featured Vendor Presentation Program
The Apple User Group Resource Team introduced a new vendor program a few months ago. User group leaders who used our vendor program in the past saw it as a discount offer based program. This aspect of our vendor program still exists. In revitalizing this program, we had one goal. It was to offer user groups presentation resources from vendors to use for meetings. The idea was a “meeting-in-a-box.” The vendor could provide the needed information in print material, online presentations, video tutorials, or remote presentations. So how do you take advantage to the program? This how-to will take you through the process of using the program, working with the vendors in the program and using the resource materials offered.
How-To: Community Solutions for Revitalizing Your Group
What can a group do when long-time leaders move on, burn out, get older, or simply find themselves unable or unwilling to serve? Is dissolution the only reasonable response?
On our discussion list and via email, group leaders provided insightful responses for a group struggling with this question. Their suggestions included spreading the work around, aligning the person to the task, sorting needs from niceties, publicity, appreciation and humor. While each of these may seem easier said than done, leaders offered concrete ideas to support their suggestions.
A thank you to participants is at the end of this guide. If I have missed a contributor, please let me know.
Meeting Ideas: OSX Yosemite First Look, Accessibility and iBooks Author
Need a quick presentation for your group’s next meeting? Ask your group’s ambassador about Apple Sales Web (ASW). ASW has downloadable presentations that your members willy enjoy. Recently posted presentations include OSX Yosemite First Look, Accessibility on a Mac and iBooks Author.
Prefer to create your own presentation using Apple info? Check out Apple Sales and Training Online (ASTO). This month your ambassador will find a new QuickTraining course covering the key features and benefits of iBooks Author. Using ASW and ASTO, your group is sure to find a presentation to fit your group’s interests.
December’s Featured Vendor: Prosoft: Rescuing Data Since 1985
Back when the Mac was new, Prosoft Engineering, Inc. was developing for the Mac ecosystem. In fact, for almost 30 years Prosoft has licensed many technologies to Apple, including disk utilities, plug-and-play drivers, and CD burning, password protection and disk image mounting software, while selling beloved products to loyal Mac users. The company’s longevity is due, in part, to their software reliability, product innovations and a very loyal end-user community: when a file is lost or corrupted, users know that the current version of Data Rescue is usually the best answer.
How-To: Managing User Group Membership
User Groups both big and small must deal with record keeping and managing membership. For group leaders this can sometimes be burdensome and time-intensive work. Managing a database of members, membership payments, and, of course getting the monthly meeting emails out can take a majority of your group’s leaders’ time each month. There is no one-way-fits-all for groups to manage their members. The goal of this how-to is to offer some tips and guidance, to help automate some of your groups’ membership tasks so that your group leaders can spend their time creating great meetings. We will look at member database management, communication, and payment options for membership. read more…
How-to: Using iCloud as a User Group Resource
In the past, Apple User Groups could earn a free MobileMe paid account to host their group’s website, use as a contact email, and a few other features. With the introduction of iCloud, some of the services changed or were enhanced, and some were removed. But the accounts are now free. Apple continues to develop and add new features to iCloud. What user group leaders may not know, is that these features can offer resources to your group leaders and members. Most individuals use iCloud to integrate and sync data between computers, iPads and iPhones. In this how-to we will look at how groups can use iCloud for maintaining a membership list, notes, meeting presentations and many other features.
In order to avoid conflicts with your personal iCloud account, this how-to is going to focus on using iCloud as a web based service for your user group.
News to Use: Apple User Group Support Resource Center
Are you an ambassador who wants to sign up for ASW or ASTO? A group leader who lost the group’s database password or has questions about the group’s listing in the database? The Apple User Group Advisory Board has implemented a support ticket system to assist Apple User Group leaders worldwide. Database listings are updated approximately once a month and ambassadors can register for ASW at any time, although memberships go dormant in mid-December and must be renewed each year. The team is here to help.
Working Together: Share Your How-tos, Reviews and Presentations
Group officers face similar challenges and often come up with elegant answers. Wouldn’t it be great to have these group’s collective wisdom just a few clicks away? Have a How-to that you would like to share or a review that merits a wider readership? Want to suggest a topic that needs coverage?
Participate in the conversation for How-tos:
email: ugab@mac.com
Contribute to our review community:
How-To: Presenting iOS at User Group Meetings
Traditionally many user groups were known as “Mac” user groups. With the popularity and growth of iPhones and iPads, many groups are changing to become “Apple” user groups. In the past, meeting presentations could be done by hooking a Mac computer up to a projector or television. For iOS devices this can be a challenge. The Apple Use Group Resource team has put together some tips and strategies to get you up and running, presenting iOS at your user group meetings. We will address hardware needs, Apple technologies, software options and user groups successfully using these technologies. Read on.
November’s Featured Vendor: macProVideo: Where Creative Pros Learn
macProVideo.com is an online education community featuring over 1791 hours of training and tutorial content with something for just about every user. Want to learn about audio plug-ins or ear training, animation or app design, JavaScript or Keynote, studio and recording techniques, Final Cut Studio, Adobe CS, Reason, Pro Tools, songwriting, video editing, or even Dubstep? These are just a small sample of the many areas where macProVideo can show you how to succeed. Better yet, they offer packages that inclue streaming and downloading to your Mac, PC, or iDevices, so you can learn on the go – with or without an internet connection. Best of all, their tutorials are created by experts in their fields, and the macProVideo forums and MPV Hub offer ways to connect with folks who share your interests and ideas. Click MORE to explore this group offer.
October’s Featured Vendor: IGG Software, Makers of iBank 5
Founded by Ian G. Gillespie (IGG), IGG Software is a small company with a focus on creating applications for Apple desktop and mobile devices that help users pay their bills, manage their money and plan for their futures.
iBank 5 offers a comprehensive way to plan, compare and manage your financial well being, including tracking and analyzing your accounts and investments, simplifying your transactions, visualizing your finances, and supporting your tax and investment activities. Click for MORE information. read more…
Overview: UGAB’s Featured Vendor Program
Our new Vendor Program highlights and connects vendors and speakers who want to spread the word about their products and services with clubs who want interesting and informative meeting presentations and opportunities. Each month we will feature at least one vendor who has agreed to provide meeting materials and support in the form of videos, FaceTime or Skype teleconferences, in-person presentations, demo scripts, free products or other means.
We are starting the program out by highlighting IGG Software, maker of iBank and long-time user group supporter. IGG’s presentation ideas include links to a library of product videos, tutorials and more.
Check out this month’s featured vendor!
