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User Group News Bulletin
How To: Technology Hurricane Preparedness
Written By Rick Ortiz, Courtesy of Maui Apple Users Society (Maui Mac)
Preparing your technology for a hurricane
With Hurricane Lane fast approaching, it is time to get your technology prepared for such an event. Some key areas to think about are: backups, batteries/power, and other tech tips.
Backups
Now is the time to make sure your computer backup is in place and completed. This is typically an external backup drive or your data in the cloud. If an external backup drive, do one final backup and then unhook it and put it in a safe place. If you have access to a weatherproof safe, that would be ideal. If not, placing it in a ziplock bag or some place that can avoid water damage can help protect your data. If you are required to evacuate, take your backup drive with you. If you have a mobile phone, you can back it up to your computer as well, or use the cloud service backup built into the phone. Remember the 3-2-1 rule of backing up. Data in 3 places, 2 locations, 1 offsite.
Meeting Idea: Take Expressive Pet Portraits on iPhone
Looking for a quick and fun meeting idea? Check out “Take Expressive Pet Portraits on iPhone” from the Today at Apple online series. Featured on Apple’s YouTube channel, the topic is one your members will enjoy, and the tips provided are easy to learn.
Have a look: Apple YouTube Channel – Today at Apple
Meeting Ideas: Apple Watch 7, iPhone 13, iPad, and Apple Fitness+ Then and Now
Tuesday brought some great new products. Are your members asking what’s changed? Wondering what is new? ASW has downloadable pdfs that can help make for an informative and interesting meeting.
This month, why not check out Apple Watch – Then and Now (L568943A-en_US), iPad – Then and Now (L575791A-en_US), iOS 15 – First Look (L585037A-en_US), and iPhone 13 – First Look (L579723A-en_US)?
Ambassadors, September is a great month to check out ASW resources!
AWUGU: Apple Futures and Backups by Tom Piper
When an Apple Users Group Says Goodbye by Steve Welsh, OMUG
(Note, this article was originally published in Mouse Tracks / August 2021, written by Steve Welsh, founder and President of the Oregon MacPioneers User Group, and past member of Apple’s User Group Advisory Board, not to mention that Steve was the originator of the popular You Don’t Know Mac user group events. Please check out the link provided at the end of the article for information about OMUG.)
By Steve Welsh
Oregon MacPioneers User Group (OMUG)
When a long-running community Apple Users Group makes the hard decision to call it quits, it’s much like watching a dying star’s light fade from view — in this case in the twinkling Apple universe sky. You are looking for an old friend up in the MUG constellations … but you can no longer find them.
This is what it felt like on a Wednesday evening, July 21, in Eugene, Oregon. I was there, virtually, via Zoom (as were all the meeting participants).
After decades of providing Apple wisdom, support, laughs and friendship to Eugene and the surrounding areas, the Eugene Macintosh Users Group (EMUG) leaders came to what felt like a seemingly inevitable decision that their shrinking officer staff, membership — and an almost final kick in the rear end by the global pandemic calling a halt to in-person meetings for more than a year — and all the other variables that MUGs must compete with in today’s online world … well, sometimes the batteries just won’t recharge themselves anymore.
I’ve attended many EMUG meetings via Zoom over the past year, as I have with PMUG and other groups. That is what the statewide Oregon MacPioneers User Group (OMUG) was created for — to help other Oregon community user groups. Like many of you, I made a lot of friends when I first joined a MUG decades …Eugene Macintosh Users Group (EMUG) leaders came to what felt like a seemingly inevitable decision and I enjoyed the spirit of sharing and the excitement of all things Apple so much that I became president of the group, then years later formed OMUG in Corvallis. So I knew well many of the faces on the Zoom window that Wednesday night. Some of those faces have been to MacCamps. Or to a PMUG meeting.
The Final Meeting
So when the words were officially said, even though I could sense what might be coming months ago, I wasn’t really prepared … or wanted to accept the news. But I also knew this was a majority decision by EMUG’s leadership, so this was, indeed, time to say goodbye.
I also wasn’t prepared for what would happen near the end of the EMUG meeting — but I’m not surprised, because the final 20 minutes, even after a few officers had already checked out, personified what a community MUG is all about. Before I describe what happened, here is the “on the fly” EMUG announcement first draft shared by Kerry in the Chat window:
Tom Piper Reports on AWUGU – WWDC21: Glow and Behold
This session opened with my welcome, plus a quick review of the meeting protocols. Doug Smith, Chair of the Apple User Group Advisory Board (AUGAB) members was present to support this call.
The format for this meeting was an open discussion with many participants sharing their very interesting descriptions and observations about iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS and iCloud+ announcements at the Apple World Wide Developers Conference on June 7 including Mitch Bryars of Naples MacFriends User Group, Dan Wassink of Dan’s Tutorials, Steve Welsh of Oregon MacPioneers Users, George Brooks of the Naples MacFriends User Group, and others. This was followed by a wonderful offer by Eckart Goette and George Rubin of Naples MacFriends User Group for all members of AWUGU affiliated MUGs to attend their five September meetings for free (to register, email registrar@naplesmug.com, and in the message subject field include September and the affiliated AUG name, see website naplesmug.com > Meetings for September meeting details).
Below are some of the links offered during the WWDC21 discussion:
• George Brooks: Saturday, June 26, Suburban Chicago AUG https://myscau.org has program on Contacts at 10:00 AM CDT, get an invite by emailing vp@myscau.org
• Dan Wassink: one of Aperture’s authors produced “Raw Power”, https://apps.apple.com/us/app/raw-power/id1157116444?mt=12
We are very pleased with this fifth meeting of 2021. Files related to this meeting are available on our AWUGU shared folder:
https://www.icloud.com/iclouddrive/0kF7XwYI98VG0fqvL86PJm02g#AWUGU.
The versatility of Keynote (with Isabel Collins as a presenter) was agreed as the topic for our next meeting, to be called “The Magic of Keynote”, was scheduled for July 19, 2021, at 5:00pm Central Daylight Savings Time.
All AWUGU previous registrants will receive an invitation to all future meetings. To become a participant, any interested Apple User Group leader must first register with the AWUGU Coordinator by emailing their name, location, and user group name and web link to macquest@mac.com. Registration must be received by June 19 in order to receive a Zoom Meeting invitation (a download of the free Zoom app in advance is also necessary, and an update will be important for existing users).
How To: Q&A Best Practices by Tom Piper
How To: Q&A Best Practices by Tom Piper
Written by Tom Piper, Past President of appleJAC User Group and Head of the Apple User Group Vendor team
One of the most valuable services provided by Apple User Groups to their members are the “question and answer” sessions. For the past 35 years of our existence, appleJAC has evolved through a variety of Q&A processes. This How-To session will describe each of the successful methods that we have used.
Meeting Ideas: Record the screen on your iPhone, Find an AirTag, and more
Sometimes it is fun to add a bite-sized tip or two to your meetings. Have you tried Apple Support on YouTube? The channel has a ton of neat and quick how-tos that your members will enjoy.
For example, check out How to record the screen on your iPhone or iPad, What to do if you find an AirTag, Ping your iPhone with your Apple Watch. Many of the videos are under a minute in length, focusing on a single skill or technique.
Have a look and a listen:
How to record the screen on your iPhone or iPad — Apple Support
Ping your iPhone with your Apple Watch — Apple Support
What to do if you find an AirTag — Apple Support
User Group Locator: Update Your Group’s Records
The User Group Locator has easy-to-use features and is one of the best ways to help potential members find your group. Your group can update its records by entering the email address originally used to register the group. The system then returns a link for database access. Not sure what your group’s address of record is? Use the Find a Group form on the Apple User Group Resources blog to see your current information.
Are your group’s records up-to-date? August is a great time to make the updates that can help potential members find your group. read more…
Meeting Idea: Digital Books on Mac and iPad and More
Need a presentation for your group’s next meeting? Why not take a look at Digital Books on Mac and iPad? Show your members how easy it is to design, create, and share their own professional-looking digital books using Pages on iPad or a Mac. Better yet, check out Apple Education’s series of free Apple-published books covering skills your members will love to learn about. Start them with a few techniques and a link to each full book, and the meeting will be one to remember
The links below provide an overview of the contents and links to the books in the Apple Books app.
KansasFest 2021: 16-Bit Virtual Edition
Given the success of last year’s 8-bit Virtual KansasFest (over 500 attendees!), the KansasFest Board is pleased to announce “KansasFest 2021: 16-Bit Virtual Edition”. Similar to 2020, the Board’s plan is to hold an online event Friday and Saturday, July 23-24. If you have attended in the past, you know how much fun the sessions and gatherings can be. And, who can forget the competitions? Wacky Ties, HackFest, and the popular games tournament. And, once again this year, there will be no swimsuit competition.
Registration is open – where else can you have so much fun for a $10 registration?
Be there!
Attracting Youth: Sarah Friedlander at User Group University
In 2004 Sarah Friedlander Garcia was a student at Rochester Institute of Technology, a second-term Vice President of MacRIT, the university’s campus user group, Apple Campus Rep for RIT, and a member of Apple’s Campus Group Advisory Board. She was a long time Mac user, and a popular speaker at User Group University (UGU). Many groups struggle to attract young members, and at UGU Sarah offered some thoughts regarding finding and retaining young user group members.
Today Sarah is Director, Content Marketing at SugarCRM. Her skills are not limited to technology and marketing. In fact, she she has been known to play flute at Carnegie Hall. After a few years working in Santiago de Chile, she, husband Rodrigo Garcia, son Noah, and Aidan (resident dog) live in New York City.
Pyers Presents: Getting a Media Release Published
Nicholas Pyers of AppleUsers.org always has expert ideas on ways to make leading your group easier and more efficient. In this article he discusses media releases: basic guidelines, finding topics, generating media interest, identifying media opportunities and more. His article wraps up with a link to a helpful article on creating a media kit.Check it outMeeting Ideas: watchOS 8 Preview and iOS 15 Preview – First Look
Apple Watch is incredibly popular and the next OS brings new and nifty features, including more capabilities with the Home app, new workout types, an updated Breathe app, multiple timers, sleeping respiratory rate, a redesigned Music app that enables users to share songs, albums, and playlists through Messages and Mail, and enjoy music and radio all in one place, Severe Weather notifications, and more.
As you might expect, there are neat things ahead for iOS 15 as well.
Want to provide your members with the most-recent information? Check out watchOS 8 Preview – First Look (L592895A-en_US) and iOS 15 Preview – First Look (L592883A-en_US).
Ambassadors: July. is a great month to check out ASW!
Meeting Idea: Accessibility and Apple
Groups have had a positive response to accessibility as a meeting topic. Apple’s Accessibility home page says that the true value of a technology is not measured by how powerful it is, but by how much it empowers the user, and every Apple product contains amazing and empowering accessibility features right out of the box. From being able to take a perfect group selfie without being able to see the screen, to VoiceOver, display accommodations, Live Listen, closed captioning that displays far more than text, LED iPhone notifications, Switch Control, customized gestures, AssistiveTouch, Guided Access, typing feedback, text-to-speech, fitness algorithms for wheelchair users, and more, there are features to make every user’s tasks easier.
Another great way to enjoy an accessibility presentation is to bring your group to a Today at Apple Accessibility session showing the basics of using the assistive technologies that are built into every Mac, iPad, iPhone, and Apple Watch.
Check it out.
https://www.apple.com/accessibility/
WWDC 2021: Digital Legacy
Steve Welsh of OMUG passed along a great BGR article recently, discussing an upcoming feature that can help Apple users name a person who can access their iCloud when they are not able to do so. It is worth a read.
Where did the information come from? The upcoming Digital Legacy feature was shown by Mike Abbott at WWDC 2021, though it is not released yet.
iOS 15 adds an iPhone feature you might never use – but you should set it up anyway
Thanks much to Steve Welsh of the Oregon MacPioneers User Group (OMUG) and past Apple User Group Advisory Board member for this great tip!
AWUGU: Sharing Between Groups
AWUGU: Sharing Between Groups
By Tom Piper
This Apple World User Group University online gathering of Apple user group leaders was held at 5:00pm CDST, on May 17, 2021, via Zoom. We had 30 participants who joined for the topic of “Sharing Between Groups”. The 63-minute video can be viewed at: https://youtu.be/CG5z7WTR9kY (unlisted on YouTube).
Meeting Ideas: macOS Monterey Preview and iPadOS 15
Looking for a quick meeting topic? ASW and Apple.com have information that can help you get up to speed. New tools in macOS Monterey are designed to help users get more done, stay focused, and collaborate, while iPadOS 15 introduces a multitasking experience that is even more intuitive, making features like Split View and Slide Over easier to discover
Check out macOS Monterey Preview – First Look (L592879A-en_US) and iPadOS 15 Preview – First Look (L592887A-en_US).
Ambassadors, June is a great month to check out ASW!
WWDC 2021: Broadcast from Apple Park
Are your members interested in what was offered during the WWDC21 Apple Keynote? Apple’s YouTube channel provides an in-depth look at updates on iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, tvOS, macOS, AirPods, and Privacy, broadcasting from Apple Park.
Thanks times ten to the groups that participated in the Community Survey
Like many people, I have missed getting together with friends in the user group community since the last Macworld, and even more over the last year. Still, I was surprised at how truly great it felt to hear from the long-time groups that left their names in the survey.
Each name brought a fond memory (in some cases many, many fond memories) and a reminder that the user group community is both vibrant and caring. With more than 70 responses, here are some of the groups that left comments and a hello (in alphabetical order):
| Apple Charlestown Apple Group | Maryland Apple Corps, Inc. |
| appleJAC User Group | MIAMUG (Midland, MI) |
| ApplePickers of Central Indiana | Mountain View Computer Users Group, Sierra Vista, AZ |
| Ashland Macintosh User’s Group | Naples MacFriends User Group Inc |
| Atlantic City Area Mac Users Group | National Capital Apple Mac Users Group (NCA-MUG) |
| AUSOM Inc | PMUG-NJ.ORG |
| Club HyperPomme Paris | Portland (OR) Macintosh Users Group |
| Computer Users of Erie | Prescott Mac Users Group |
| CVMUG – Conejo Ventura Macintosh User Group | Silicon Mountain MacIntosh User Group |
| EAMUG Englewood,FL User Group | South Suburban (Chicago) Mac Users Group |
| EMUG | Suffolk Mac User Group |
| Exeter area Mac user group | The Macintosh Guild |
| Franklin Apple Orchard | The Oregon MacPioneers User Group (OMUG) |
| MAC2 (MAC2MUG) | TMG Dayton |
| MacinTech | TMUG – Tucson Macintosh Users Group |
| MacNexus | Tucson Macintosh Users Group |
| MacValley User Group, Northridge, California | VMUG (Victoria [BC] Mac and iOS User Group (vmug.bc.ca) |
Thanks for the comments and for sharing your thoughts, and thanks to Curt B. for suggesting the questions!
