We are all familiar with groups devoted to our favorite software, special interests or even geographic location. Did you know that there is a place where Mac mini users can meet to share tips, compare Mac mini mods and concepts, examine Mac mini accessories, post photos and offer troubleshooting guidance? With over 16,500 registered users, there are posts to suit Mac mini lovers of all sorts.

Check it out.

http://www.123macmini.com/

Visit the forums.

http://www.123macmini.com/forums/

The London Mac User Group (LMUG) has an interesting feature for group meetings: in the NewsByte section of their meetings, a designated member presents all the Apple news of interest since their last meeting, helping members stay informed. This month, the club took part in the London International Technology Show, with a booth devoted to the group, a main stage presentation by Paul Kercal devoted to iPad art and a “Mac Hall of Fame” section that included computers owned by group members. Thanks to Karl Madden, Bill Brockbank, Kevin Clark, Arron Claydon, Michael Corgan, Robert Cox, Judy Feasey, Terry Figg, Paul Foster, Alan Herbert, Toby Herbert, Tina Jacobs, Andy Leigh, Chris Mahon, Laurie North, Esmond Pickering, Giles Powell, Elizabeth Shaw, Tim Simmons, Drew Straughan, Peter Tucker, Rodney Walshaw, Jim Warham, Gepke Warham, Fabio Zimbalatti, and others the event was a success!

Learn about the London Mac User Group.

http://www.lmug.org.uk/

In early July the officers and members of the South Essex Apple Link (SEAL) club will be traveling to Leicestershire for the Silicon Dreams and Vintage Computer Festival at the Snibston Discovery Museum. The festival promises to cover all things digital, with computing workshops, retro computing, electronic music and vintage gaming. SEAL will follow the trip with a July 12 meeting on Screencasting, including how to record a movie (audio and video) of the changes over time that you see on a computer screen, making for a digital-filled month of fun.

Learn about SEAL.

http://www.seal-apple.co.uk/

Attend the Silicon Dreams and Vintage Computer Festival.

http://www.silicondreams.org.uk/

Over time, the electronic technologies we use multiply and a group with a single focus can feel left behind. The best groups change and grow as the tools we use change. The Cambria Computer and Technology Club has made significant changes to meet their community’s needs, including expanding the focus of the group to comprise many new technologies and consolidating their meetings to offer a better user experience, joining Mac and PC users in shared interests. For example, their June 20th meeting will cover how to “Tame Your iPhoto Library”  and the group’s June 14th meeting covered troubleshooting for both Mac and PCs.

Visit the Cambria Computer and Technology Club.

http://www.cambriacomputerclub.org/

Some groups focus on the latest and greatest technology. Others focus on members’ needs, while some are simply social clubs. The San Francisco Cutters (SFCutters), a Creative Pro user group, does it all, and does it with style. There are times when creatives can find it hard to get good jobs, when word-of-mouth can make all the difference. So, SFCutters runs a column titled Events FOR Editors, PostPRODUCTION, VFX, and Production Workflow, and regularly posts employment opportunities of interest to the creative community. From offering discounts to EditFest London (currently sold out), to shining a spotlight on member projects, to highlighting a Kickstarter project or sharing an employment opportunity, to notifying the community of a just-released discount on EditFest L.A., there is something for everyone.

Visit SFCutters on Facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/sf.cutters1

Learn about Edit Fest L.A.

http://editfest.com/

On Monday, June 17, officers and members of the Silicon Valley Macintosh User Group (SVMUG) will host a presentation by Adam Christianson of The Maccast, covering a number of topics, including Photoshop alternatives. The Maccast is a two-time Apple iTunes “Best Of” Podcast, so the Bodega Bay Tech Talk Room is the place to be on June 17.

Be there.

http://www.svmug.org/home

(Thanks as always to Pam Ailes for her excellent meeting and event mailings, and this tip.)

Sponsored by the L.A. Web Professionals Group, on Sunday, June 23 John Crestani of Results Driven Marketing will offer guidance to attendees interested in optimizing online success, including defining a target audience using tools such as Quantcast, Google Ad Planner, and Google Analytics, as well as a traffic-based approach; keyword techniques including selection tactics, intent,  sniffing and hacks; keyword selection as it relates to PPC and much more.

Check it out.

http://www.lawebprofessionalsgroup.com/

Register.

http://lawpg-seo-june2013.eventbrite.com/

Dr. Thomas J. Travisano, husband of long-time MUG ONE President and Apple User Group Advisory Board member Elsa Travisano, was recently named a 2013 Guggenheim Fellow, an award given for almost 90 years by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation and among the most distinctive and prestigious honors an artist or a scholar can achieve. Congrats to the Travisano family on this well-earned honor.

Learn about MUG ONE.

http://mugone.com/blog/

Learn more about Dr. Travisano’s award.

http://www.hartwick.edu/news/travisano-guggenheim-04-12-13

David Chartier of AgileBits, makers of user group favorites 1Password and Knox, recently offered some thoughts on Star Trek passwords. Think standard passwords will be safer in the future? Check out David’s take on the subject: his comments are sure to bring a smile.

http://blog.agilebits.com/2013/05/08/star-trek-worst-passwords-self-destruct/

When Terry White founded MacGroup Detroit on August 24 in 1986, none of the group could have foreseen how the group would grow. From multiple well-attended SIGs and main meetings, to a BBS with over 500 registered members (serving both local members and those at a distance), to a YouTube channel for sharing meeting presentations and more, the members and officers of MacGroup Detroit have kept the excitement going through hard work and a friendly atmosphere.

At their April 28 meeting, MacGroup member David McGuire offered insights for upgrading members’ Macs. The best part is that Terry posted the presentation to the group’s channel on YouTube, making it available to the community.

View the MacGroup Detroit April 28, 2013 presentation.

MacGroup on Facebook regularly offers reviews and ideas.

https://www.facebook.com/macgroup

Check out the MacGroup members-only BBS.

http://macgroup.infopop.cc/6/ubb.x

Visit MacGroup Detroit.

http://macgroup.org

(Thanks to Terry, David and MacGroup Detroit for this great resource.)

On May 29 the Boston Creative Pro User Group (BOSCPUG) and the Boston Avid Users Group (BAVUG) will host a networking workflow mixer at the Revere Hotel. Writer, director and colorist Alexis van Hurkman will offer a preview of DaVinci Resolve 10, followed by a Q & A session. Of course, every BOSCPUG event features an impressive raffle and this one includes a copy of DaVinci Resolve and other treasures.

Be there!

http://resolve10boston.eventbrite.com/

Learn about BAVUG.

http://contac644.wix.com/bavug

Learn about BOSCPUG.

http://www.bosfcpug.org/

The officers and members of the Hawaii Macintosh & Apple Users’ Society (HMAUS) certainly know how to pack a lot of fun and useful information into a single day. This year’s Springfest 2013 started with a Keynote by TidBIT’s author Joe Kissell followed by a Panel Discussion featuring Creative Resources Technology Group’s CEO Russell Poucher and Kamehameha Schools’ IT Specialist Beth Grech in person, with AgileBits’ Kelly Guimont and Dolly Drive’s Mark Ross by video-chat. Next came Lunch Bunch sessions covering doing presentations with Apple TV and using Apple Preview, followed by Make and Take Activities featuring professional photographer Patrick Delos Santos. Amazingly, this was only the first half of the day!

After the group’s Annual Meeting and announcement of newly-elected officers, there were Afternoon Breakout Sessions, including  Mike Harada, art instructor, teaching attendees how to use Sketchbook Pro using a finger as a brush, Keynote on Steroids by HMAUS MacLearn workshop teacher Ross Rasmussen, Switch! and Apple in Your Business? by Creative Resources Technology Group’s CEO Russell Poucher, iOS Bootcamp by HMAUS MacLearn workshop teacher Gregg Kamei and Adventures with High Dynamic Range (HDR) Photography by PPH Portrait Photographer of the Year (2009, 2010, 2012) Willard Poindexter, CPP, F-PPH. Add in door prizes that included swag and an iPad min and a free O’Reilly e-book for every attendee, and the day was amazing. Member’s cost to attend? Free.

Find out about HMAUS

http://www.hmaus.org/

(Thanks to Ambassador and Board President Ron Albu for sending in this great tip!)

On Friday, April 12, the officers and members of the South Essex Apple Link (SEAL) met to learn about Audio Recording from a Mac with a second session on Apple 2-Factor Authentication. The group is run by Apple enthusiasts with a collective deep understanding of the Apple user community and Apple technologies, so their meetings are always lively and informative. Live in South Essex or the surrounding area? Join and learn.

http://www.seal-apple.co.uk/

(Thanks much to Denesh Bhabuta for this great tip!)

The May 14th topics of the Exeter Area Mac User Group’s (EXAMUG) monthly meeting will be going paperless and getting the most out of email, from beginner to expert. Interestingly, the group meets at two regular venues, with one for the even numbered months, White Hart Hotel, Exeter, where members can meet for a drink and a chat, and one for the odd numbered months, ISCA College, Exeter, which has a nice range of computers and devices for group use. What a great way to provide both tech savy and community.

Learn more.

http://www.examug.org.uk/Welcome.html

(Thanks much to Graham Bone for this tip!)

http://www.examug.org.uk/Welcome.html

On May 14, Bob “Dr. Mac” LeVitus, Houston Chronicle Technology Columnist, Mac Observer Reviews Editor, Author of Mac OS X Snow Leopard For Dummies & iPhone For Dummies, and Mac troubleshooting, training, and support specialist, will return to the Princeton Macintosh User’s Group with a presentation titled “Some Cool Stuff I Like (and a few things I hate).”

Better yet, the group is once again organizing a pre-meeting welcome dinner for Bob a few days earlier, held this year at the Bahama Breeze Gazebo in King of Prussia, PA

A preso by Bob is always a treat. Add in a dinner with him and it just doesn’t get better.

http://www.pmug-nj.org/

Contact Apple User Group Regional Liaison Maria Arguello for more information.

http://www.whoscoming.com/mlmug/Levitus2013.html

On Wednesday, May 1, the officers and members of the Chicago Apple User Group will host a speaker from internet security firm Intego via live video. Curious about malware? Want to know how to protect your digital devices from data loss? Interested in ways to protect, hide or destroy your personal information on demand? If you are near Chicago, this meeting will answer your questions and help you protect the information you hold dear.

Be there.

http://www.chicagoapple.org/

The San Francisco Cutters (SF Cutters) User Group offers a number of wonderful community services. Making a living in the creative arts can be rewarding but difficult. SF Cutters often seeks out and posts job opportunities in the industry, each opportunity making it just a bit easier to make a living. Creatives should check out the SF Cutters’ Facebook page regularly to learn about industry news, network with peers and find out about job opportunities when they come up. Thanks to Claudia Crask and the officers and members of SF Cutters for their contributions to the community.

Visit today.

https://www.facebook.com/sf.cutters1?fref=ts