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Apple Regional Liaison Team Dispatches: Oceania, April 2006
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Graeme Moffatt
Apple Regional Liaison:
Oceania |
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Hi
Once again it’s time for my regular update as to what’s been happening ‘down under’ as far as Mac User Groups are concerned.
Its been a few months since my last update and during that time I have received numerous emails from user group leaders in both New Zealand and Australia. Its nice to hear from you, even if its only because you need some sort of assistance. The most numerous messages have been in relation to gaining access to the Apple Sales Web. This access is available to all user groups who meet the requirements for registering on the Apple User Group Locator.
The Apple Sales Web, which is provided for Macintosh resellers worldwide, has been made available to each user group Ambassador and is a valuable resource in getting such things as Apple Keynote presentations for all of the Apple hardware and software products along with the opportunity to gain a free .Mac account for your group.
Two items that have been made available to qualifying Mac user groups recently are iLife '06 and iWork '06. If you are registered as above, you qualify for one copy of iLife '06 and iWork'06 for your group to review. If you are the Ambassador for your user group, to obtain your copies go to <https://asw.apple.com>. If you haven't been there for a while, you'll probably be asked to change your password. Just do it. In minutes you'll receive directions and confirmation and you'll be ready in no time.
Once at the site enter iLife '06 in the Search field. It will take you to a listing to select your copy for user group review. Once you choose the product. Click on 'i' and select Add To Cart in the new window. Repeat for as many new products as you choose. Once the process is complete, CHECKOUT. Fill in your credit card info and you're done. You'll pay US$5 for each app plus shipping.
iLife '06 for User Group Review and Demo - L318214A-US iWork '06 for User Group Review and Demo - L318216A-US
I would like to thank Nicholas Pyers of the AUSOM group in Melbourne for reminding user groups in Australia about this resource in one of his newsletters and those groups that have contacted me as a consequence. There are still very many groups that have not contacted me about ASW access and this must be done by your appointed Ambassador before the process can begin. There is a fairly strict regime in obtaining this access and the registration process I provide to your ambassador must be adhered to exactly or access will not be granted by Apple.
There is an established collection of Mac user group individuals in both the USA and throughout the world who have been appointed by Apple to assist and encourage Mac user group leaders either globally or in their own regions. There are a number of ways that they put a high amount of voluntary effort into acheiving these goals including producing the Apple User Group Bulletin (AUGB) and Apple User Group Digest (AUGD). Included in these email lists are regular updated Vendor Discount codes that are available to Mac user groups, some of which are only for US groups but most apply globally.
The Vendor Codes are there for all members of user groups and can help in saving many dollars in purchasing third party Macintosh hardware and software. There is also a similar list compiled by Chuck Joiner and available on the MUG Center web site at <http:// www.mugcenter.com/vendoroffers/index.html>.
To subscribe or unsubscribe to the bulletin via the World Wide Web, visit <http://lists.apple.com/mailman/listinfo/augb> or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to <augb- [email protected]>. To subscribe or unsubscribe to the digest via the World Wide Web, visit <http://lists.apple.com/mailman/ listinfo/augd>
or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to <augd- [email protected]>.
Many of you may have seen a recent review by Phil Shapiro about a DVD produced by Terry White, president of the MacGroup Detroit User Group. The DVD starts off with the Top 10 things you need to know about using your Mac. After the basics are covered then it goes into more detail about copying your files over from a Windows computer, how to get around in the Finder, burning CDs and DVDs and managing your pictures and music. Phil’s full review can be found at <http:// macosxtraining.blogspot.com/>.
My group has bought a copy of this DVD and apart from making what’s on it as a topic of our last meeting, we have decided to loan it out to members. I mentioned this on an email newsletter I send out to members of my group and many have asked how they can get a copy at the user group discounted price. I subsequently contacted Terry White himself and the outcome of this is I will be taking orders and payment and placing a bulk order with him. The cost is US$25 each and the shipping cost will be dependent on how many are ordered. If you or your group is interested in obtaining a copy of this DVD, please get in touch with me at <[email protected]>. I will get back in touch with you and make arrangements for the payment once I have a firm price inclusive of shipping.
Each year in January, many from the worldwide user group community gather in San Francisco to participate in the many activities and events that are staged in conjunction with the MacWorld Expo. I have decided that I would like to attend the coming one in January 2007 and after an iChat discussion with Nicholas Pyers, hatched the idea of getting a group of Australasian Mac user group members together and thereby reducing the airfares and collectively having a good time.
Both Nicholas and I are keen to go and I would like to know if there are any others who would be interested in joining a group. I would also be keen to find out if there is anyone who has already been to a MacWorld that would be keen on going again and acting as a tour leader. I have contacted Sandy Foderick, chairperson of the Apple User Group Advisory Board, and asked her for an outline of some of the activities for user group members and leaders that take place in the days before and during the MacWorld Expo. She has sent me a list and below are some things that generally go on.
Sunday
Folks get together for an informal, friends-only dinner, on Sunday evening. We all pay our own way and often go to a place like Delaney's in San Francisco.
Monday - pick up badges / attend conferences if one has paid for them
Monday is usually a user group planned event - generally User Group University. It is free to volunteers and three team members get first dibbs on volunteering. Attendees pay a fee (often around US$35, although the cost of putting it on is in excess of US$75 per attendee - that is why we have sponsors)
Monday night Macworld volunteers (guides, booth, lounge) are able to walk the showfloor.
Monday night is likely to be a party done by Lorene Romero. If so, it is free attendance and draws a nice crowd. She does it under the Inside Mac Radio show label and did her first one last January.
Tuesday - expo floor opens. visit vendors and lounge, etc. Tuesday evening has been Deb Shadovitz's Party for the People, another very nice party and also free. For both of these we can't know for sure until Lorene and Deb announce them.
One morning is the Adobe breakfast, which is usually open to two members per group. This is a free breakfast.
Wednesday evening is usually the Final Cut Pro groups event.
Many people do more than one thing in an evening if invited to multiple events. Depends on what is going on, but there are things to keep folk busy.
There are various other parties and things during the week. To find these, the best place is a web site called the Hess party page, produced by Ilene Hoffman. Ilene knows pretty much everybody and is very generous about posting her list. You can find the last one at
http://www.ilenesmachine.com/partylist.shtml
She starts updating the list as the event gets closer, but it will be a while. The fact that a party or meeting is listed does not mean that everyone can get it, but the list gives an overview of things going on and attendees find things that suit their interests.
Needless to say, many attendees do not limit themselves to user group stuff. Many take time off to drive to the Apple Campus store. The pro is that the store has logoed merchandise that one can purchase. The down side is that the drive is long and one needs to rent a car. Still, many people join up and go together. I believe Your Mac Life often charters a Monday bus for a field trip and charge riders.
Many regular attendees have things they do each time. For example, Tom Piper and George Kopp (an RL) go to a place called the Stinking Rose, I think. Rex also has his team (we call them his minions) that have favorite places.
The prices for hotels can be absurd, but some people room together to save funds. Richard Crispin from Canada is the champion at finding good rates. Gale Glore is equally good at finding discounts and often posts them on list.
Touristy things include Muir Woods, which is beautiful (but you come from a very beautiful area of the world, so this might not be a big deal for your group), China Town, Golden Gate bridge, etc. Many folk visit the local Apple Store, which is very close to Moscone.
If there is sufficient interest. I will put together a web site to detail what’s happening during the planning process and to invite suggestions or advice from anyone interested in attending. I will also include a form to make it easy for user group members to register their interest.
My last comment is in reference to a competition being run by the West Australian Mac User Group for a design for a new web site for their group. There is currently a prize pool of just over A$500 and they are asking template developers for the Joomla Content Management System (CMS) <http://www.joomla.org/> to submit their best original work to us so they can use it for their new site. The competition closes on Sunday, 14th May 2006 and details can be found at <http:// www.wamug.org.au/fixoursite/>.
This has been the start of another interesting year as far as Apple Computer is concerned with the celebration of their first thirty years and their fortunes continuing to get better. Additionally, there are two court cases pending that will have an impact on the manner that music downloads are handled by the iTunes Music Store. On the local front, it’s also a good time to start thinking towards how your group can achieve a positive growth with new and invigorating members.
Keep those emails rolling in (or start if you have not already done so) and I will pass them on to everyone via this forum. Please advise me if you are no longer the contact for your group and who the new one is. Once again thanks for those of you who have sought support and I look forward to being able to assist you if needed and hearing from you all.
Kind regards
Graeme Moffatt
Apple User Group Regional Liaison for Australasia
"Apple Regional Liaisons are user group leaders who run successful user groups in their communities. As volunteers, they have made themselves available to help groups in their areas of responsibility thrive. They also network with groups in their regions and keep Apple informed on local needs."
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