Archive for the ‘Group Business’ Category

At the April meeting I would like members to bring their thoughts concerning some important considerations in the development of our group.

First, as the weather is getting nicer and people are starting to get busy, I propose that May 6th will be our last meeting for the summer.  Perhaps September would be a good time to start up again.  At this time, we could also consider new times and dates for meetings to accommodate more people.  We could also start having workshops monthly in the fall.

So that we don’t get too lonely for Mac companionship, we could always have a BBQ in the middle of summer to bridge the gap.

Second, we are getting to the point that we should start considering becoming a non-profit group.  I would like to see an “official” membership with a small dues structure and the ability to maintain a small treasury.  This would open up many more venues for our meetings, and would allow us to do fundraisers so we can purchase items for the group, such as resources, refreshments, web hosting, postage, printing or anything we may need.  With a little money we could get a table at some of the high school fairs so we can reach more people.

Of course, in order to handle money we would need a volunteer treasurer.  With someone stepping up to that responsibility, we are just a step away from a financially empowered club.

We are at the library again for the April meeting.  It will be April 1st from 6-8PM.  Hope to see you all there, and bring a friend.

Find out how you can help keep the Kachemacs continue to be a valuable resource for the community. Positions open include:

Public Relations

This is the official “contact person” for the group. This individual would be available to answer calls and questions from the community about meetings and events. Another task would be publicity which would entail putting ads in the papers and the radio and putting up flyers around town.

Reviews Coordinator

The Reviews Coordinator will be responsible for maintaining the reviews section of the blog. The Reviews Coordinator will also establish relationships with vendors of Apple products in order to receive material for the group. The distribution of materials and followup involving timely and complete reviews will also be included.

Blog Administrator

This is a Secretary type position. Meeting minutes will be taken and posted. The Blog Administrator will be the primary poster of important infomation for the group. If needed, the Blog Administrator will send out group e-mails to the members.

I have been filling many of these roles myself, and could use some assistance. I estimate it will take very little of your time to become a little more involved. Thanks in advance!

We had another successful meeting at the Homer library on March 4th! It was a beginners’ workshop with lots of input from some of the more seasoned members. I’m hoping everyone had something to take away from the meeting, no matter how much experience behind them. A couple of people had something to take away most definitely. Cheryl and Ginger were the lucky winners of our door prizes this time around. Thanks to O’Reilly and Tech Connect!

We also had a book review from Cheryl, who is reading “The Missing Manual: Mac OS X, Tiger Edition.” A written version of this review will be coming soon on our reviews page.

A couple of points were made by your facilitator involving getting involved. We have many titles of e-books from Take Control Books. See a title you like in their catalog? I’ll do my best to get you a FREE copy to review for the group and keep for yourself. This is a great way to get involved and get a little something for yourself. Also, there are several positions open for those who have just a little time to help keep the Kachemacs going. I have a number of hats I’d like to pass around for others to try. Check out the group business section for more information.

I have a document made up for those who missed the beginners’ workshop, or for those who would like to take a second look.  It’s a condensed version of the points made in the demo.

beginner.doc

Thanks to all who attended, and see you next month!

We have the library meeting room for the next meeting.  We will also have access to the study rooms that seat 6 so if we get too crowded the techies can splinter off and do their own thing.

I’m looking forward to doing an entry level workshop next time.  The projector would be helpful in doing that.  Also, I’m hoping some of the more advanced users could be available to circulate and assist the newer users.

Also, I walked by that meeting room in the library last night and saw a group chowing down on a HUGE pizza.  If anyone has a spare pizza…I’m sure the group could take care of it for you.

Find out how you can help keep the Kachemacs continue to be a valuable resource for the community. Positions open include:

Apple Ambassador

The Ambassador is responsible for maintaining the group’s relationship with Apple. The Ambassador will receive and read the MUG bulletin published by Apple and communicate the information to the group. The group’s profile on the Apple site will also be maintained by the Ambassador.

Reviews Coordinator

The Reviews Coordinator will be responsible for maintaining the reviews section of the blog. The Reviews Coordinator will also establish relationships with vendors of Apple products in order to receive material for the group. The distribution of materials and followup involving timely and complete reviews will also be included.

Blog Administrator

This is a Secretary type position. Meeting minutes will be taken and posted. The Blog Administrator will be the primary poster of important infomation for the group. If needed, the Blog Administrator will send out group e-mails to the members.

I have been filling many of these roles myself, and could use some assistance.  I estimate it will take very little of your time to become a little more involved.  Thanks in advance!

We had another successful meeting last night. We had a few less members than usual, probably because you all were at the caucus. We started out with some dinner, then proceeded to go over Studio Artist 3.5, a piece of software donated as a review copy by Synthetik Software. A written review will appear shortly in our reviews section that will cover what we went through at the meeting. This versatile software, classified as a “graphics synthesizer” is of interest to any visual artist (a few of those in Homer, right?) to provide varying levels of assistance in producing commercial grade art. I personally plan to use it to print on textiles to integrate into my artwork. We also discussed some business.

The most important point I’d like to make is to take advantage of one of the biggest perks of membership in a Macintosh Users Group. I have been working hard contacting vendors for products to be used in reviews. These products come to us free of charge, but we are expected to do a thoughtful review of the product to help the vendor make positive changes in the software. More information can be found in the Product Reviews section of the website.

Also, it’s time to delegate some of the efforts in making this group happen. We will be losing our Apple Ambassador soon and need a replacement. I would also like to pass on administration of the blog (sort of a Secretary position) to someone, and have a Review Coordinator. Job descriptions are in the Group Business section of the blog. Thanks to all who attended our meeting and hope to see many more on March 4th.

Due to overwhelming response (1 vote…and it was the one I cast by accident) to the poll I posted, I’m going to have to make a decision about meeting place for next time.  I investigated a number of locations, and thought that for location, strength and speed of internet signal, and acoustics that the Caribou Family Restaurant would be our best bet.  Just remember to bring a Wet-Nap so that you don’t get greasy spoon grease on that lovely Mac.  Our meeting will be February 5, which is Mardi Gras.  Make sure you bring your mask and beads!  For those who wish to party on after the meeting, I suggest we do so.  Suggestions?  Let’s plan on meeting up in the front section of the Caribou at about 5:30PM if you want to eat and start the meeting at 6PM. I do have some future meeting place options we can discuss in case this place doesn’t work out.  I’ll bring them up as first order of business at the meeting.  If you have a good place to put up a flyer, let me know and I’ll send you a .PDF file of the poster we’ve been using. 

I thought I’d throw out the options I have come up with so far.  It’s time to be deciding where to go for the next meeting.  Click the link below to be taken to the poll and view results.  So far we have:

•  The Refuge Chapel.  Free use, central location, but affiliated with another non-profit and rumors of an unstable network.
• The Caribou.  Free use, but implied agreement to indulge in their food.  Central location.  Might be noisy.
• City Hall.  A very nice room with plenty of seating.  The only Tuesday they have available is fourth Tuesday of the month, so we’d have to change schedules.  Internet is available, but no projector.  Cost is $30 for 2 hours.
• Library.  We could try this again, but we run the risk of getting too crowded.  Otherwise, it has been a fabulous place to hold meetings.
• Forget wireless internet and explore other options, like the hospital.  It is much easier to find a place if we don’t require internet.

Poll: Which venue should we pursue for next month?