Terry White, founder and president of MacGroup-Detroit, long-time Macworld presenter, columnist, author, photographer, Adobe Worldwide Design Evangelist, Podcaster and more, will be speaking at the LA Web Professionals Group on October 30th in the heart of Hollywood. The title of his presentation is Photoshop Tricks & Techniques Deep Dive, so you can be sure that this is going to be a great evening.

Be there.

http://www.lawebprofessionalsgroup.com/

On Tuesday, September 24, the officers and members of the Melbourne Internet Macintosh User Group (iMUG) will gather at Streetwise Software in Hawthorn for their monthly meeting. After a general meeting at 6:30 p.m., the group will break for dinner, followed by an iMovie 11 presentation by Terry Bennet of Streetwise Software. The presentation offers an in-depth look at iMovie 11, including templates, integration with iTunes and iPhoto, making raw footage look polished, and so much more.

Expert or Novice, you will learn something new by listening to Terry’s presentation.

http://www.meetup.com/iMug-Melbourne-Internet-Macintosh-User-Group/

Apple Corps of Dallas has an interesting new VoiceOver SIG that may be of interest to other groups looking to serve a broader range of users. Apple pre-installs VoiceOver on all OSX and iOS devices, supporting blind and visually impaired users. So, where non-Apple devices can often be retrofitted with accessibility software costing substantial sums, Apple devices are accessible right out of the box. In iOS access is a simple three taps on the home button. OSX is equally easy. The Apple Corps of Dallas SIG is just getting started and trying to get the word out to interested users. So far, attendees have included blind and visually impaired users, family members, and even friends of visually impaired users who want to know more. What a great idea for a special interest group!

Check it out.

http://acd.us/

(Thank you to SIG founder Eugenia [Gigi] Firth and Ambassador Ray Thompson for this wonderful tip.)

On September 29, the Hawaii Macintosh & Apple Users’ Society (HMAUS) is co-sponsoring two workshops by award-winning author Joe Kissell, presented for Pacific New Media as part of the University of Hawaii at Manoa outreach program.  While Joe, who lives in France, has often presented to HMAUS via iChat, this visit will be in person. The sessions are titled Maximum Mac and iPad Essentials, and promise to be both entertaining and informative.

Add in the next HMAUS HI Touch Learning Clinic on Saturday, September 28, and planning for October’s Mactoberfest, and you can see why this group is so much fun!

Learn more.

http://www.hmaus.org/2013/09/joe-kissell-for-pacific-new-media/

Read about their HI Touch Learning Clinics.

http://www.hmaus.org/2013/08/hi-touch-learning-clinic-7/

As you might expect, the AgileBits blog generally focuses on the company’s products. Still, Dave Chartier has an interesting take on computer issues, including a recent post on security in an age of surveillance that was  picked up by MacSurfer last week.

Have a look.

http://blog.agilebits.com/2013/09/06/1password-and-the-crypto-wars/

On September 29 the members of the Oceanside Mac User Group will enjoy their annual OMUGfest, hosted by the Deboers. There will be great food, entertainment by Joe Tatar “Music and Comedy of our Times”, a salsa contest and door prizes.

Be there.

http://www.omug.net/OMUG/Welcome.html

Nancy Gravley, president of the Capitol Macintosh Users Group (CapMac), recently published an article for The Mac Observer titled Using Siri to Send and Reply To Emails on iPhone and iPad.

Nancy’s Computing with Bifocals column always has something worth reading. Check out Nancy’s thoughts on finding files, rebuilding your in box, moving your dock, using Siri and more.

Visit CapMac.

http://www.capmac.org/

Read Nancy’s most-recent article.

http://www.macobserver.com/tmo/features/computing_with_bifocals/

Enjoy Apple News from The Mac Observer.

http://www.macobserver.com/

On August 15 the officers and members of the Fort Mac User Group in Fort Collins, Colorado, will host a presentation on Automator. Interested in automating computer actions without writing any scripts, routines or computer code? Fort Mac is the place to be.

Learn about the Fort Mac User Group.

http://www.fortmac.org/

(Thanks to Apple User Group Ambassador and Fort Mac Webmaster Robert Poland for this tip.)

On August 22 the Boston Creative Pro User Group (BOSCPUG) will host a a great night of networking, engaging screenings & conversation. Editor Zack Arnold of Burn Notice on the USA Network will discuss film editing and Philip Hodgetts will talk about Lumberjack.

But wait, there’s more: Ben Consoli, Director and owner of BC Media Productions & Final Cut Pro X power user, will demonstrate an entire FCPX Multi-Cam workflow. Of course, every BOSCPUG event features an impressive raffle and there is usually an industry-sponsored reception where Boston’s best can meet and mingle.

Be there!

http://boscpugaugust22.eventbrite.com/

Learn about BOSCPUG.

http://www.bosfcpug.org/

The members and officers of the London Mac User Group are looking forward to a special summer party in August. What could be better than  a picnic in the park with good food, good friends and new friends to meet? A bit of tech makes any party better.

On August 31, the group will meet up in Green Park for a Summer Party and Photo Walk. Why? The group says that a photo walk will help folk get out doors more, offer a new hobby or improve an old one, offer a chance to see some of London’s best photo locations and, best of all, have fun. The group notes that there may even be a special guest or two. What’s not to love?

Share shots and tips with the best.

http://www.limug.org.uk

This month’s Milestones includes three groups who first met in 1979 – 34 years of fun, family and tech. Happy anniversary to a worldwide list of some of our oldest groups. Want to see your group listed? Send an email with date and year to ugbeditor@mac.com.

On July 25, officers and members of the Calgary Fabulously Creative Pro Users Group (CFCPUG) will meet in Calgary, Alberta, to discuss Final Cut Pro X – Two Years On. When the group started, Final Cut Pro 4 had just been announced at NAB and editors were using PowerMac G4 towers and 17″ Powerbook G4s to create state-of-the-art video. The Calgary Fabulously Creative Pro Users Group (CFCPUG) and Final Cut Pro have both come a long way!

Congrats to the group on their 10 years of networking and education, and best wishes for an even better decade to come.

Visit.

http://www.calgaryfcpug.com/

One of my favorite user group newsletters, SWAGGER, is published by the Southern Wisconsin Apple Group (SWAG). While some groups are located near multiple software and hardware developers, making it easy to find monthly speakers, groups in the Midwest can find it a bit more challenging to provide timely and informative topics.

The folk at SWAG do this by offering topics that meet their local member’s needs, building community and sharing information with other groups in the area. Recent topics have included iTunes, iWork, Keynote, and, believe it or not, Windows 8, presented by a member of the Madison PC Users Group.

See how they do it in Madison.

http://madmacintosh.blogspot.com/

(Thanks to Membership Coordinator Richard Russell and Editor Holly McEntee for getting the word out about SWAG.)

Robert A. Donaldson, Charlie Hutchens, Rich Fitzgibbon, John Hamill, Peter Carras, Jon Smith, Judy Schall, Dhundi Pokhrel, Heather Schall Lucas, Dave Sevick, David Szymanski, Aidan Honnold and other helpful hands are among the volunteers and user group helpers who meet each Friday through Computer Reach to provide a much-needed service to the Pittsburgh community and the world beyond.

Aside from filling local needs in the Pittsburgh area, when natural disasters strike, volunteers place second-hand computers in grateful hands, including recipients in Mississippi, Louisana, and Texas. Internationally, the volunteers have made a difference by providing recycled computers to places where second-hand computers are highly sought and appreciated, including sites in Malaysia, parts of Africa, El Salvador and Nicaragua.

Have they made a difference? Since the program started, they have re-imaged and refurbished over 4,378 Macs for reuse. Wow!

Volunteer with Computer Reach in Pittsburgh.

http://computereach.com/

Learn about the pghMac’s program.

http://pghmac.com/iWeb/Home/Home.html

Visit the County of Westmoreland Macintosh User Group.

http://http://cowmugpa.com/