Mainly from the Apple II and IIgs era but also for the Mac

AUSOM began its’ life back in the late 1970’s as The Apple Users’ Society of Melbourne (A.U.S.O.M.) Inc — Before the Apple Macintosh existed, let alone iPods, iPhones, iPads and Apple Watches!

The most popular personal computer in use in the 1970’s and early 80’s was the Apple II and AUSOM was formed to help Melbourne based Apple II users get the most out of these computers and soon become one of the world’s largest Apple User Group communities.

These were also days before the Internet existed, so the main way of discovering new software was through computer user groups like AUSOM. These groups copied hundreds, if not thousands, of floppy discs (in those days they did actually flop) full of Public Domain, Freeware and Shareware Software, which where then sold to their members for a small sum — usually around $5 per disk.

Because the internet didn’t exist at the height of the Apple II’s popularity, far too much of this old software was never made accessible online and runs the risk of been lost forever, so I’m trying to locate some of the old software I personally wrote back in the 1980’s and early 90’s, as well as some of the collections of Apple II Software that I know AUSOM used to (and hopefully still has) maintain so they can be preserved for posterity. Continue reading »

This is our fifth instalment of our series on Working with Presenters. The first article covered “Approaching Potential Presenters“, the second one dealt with “Confirming Presenters“, the third talked about “Working with Presenters “On the Night” and the fourth explained how to follow up after a presentation has been given.

This article will discuss how to find Guest Presenters, including encouraging your own members to give presentations at your meetings. Continue reading »

This is our fourth instalment of our series on Working with Presenters. The first article covered “Approaching Potential Presenters“, the second one dealt with “Confirming Presenters” and the third talked about “Working with Presenters “On the Night“.

This article will detail a few simple tasks that you should do AFTER the Presentation… unfortunately most groups don’t do any, let alone just one, of these! Continue reading »

This is our third instalment of the series on Working with Presenters. The first article covered “Approaching Potential Presenters” and the second one dealt with “Confirming Presenters“. This article will offer suggestions on how work with Presenters “On the Night” to provide the best experience for the Presenter, your Members and the Meeting Co-ordinator. Continue reading »

Recently we posted suggestions for Approaching Potential Presenters, now we provide some suggestions for confirming presenters. Continue reading »

User Group Leaders often wonder how to approach organisations to find potential presenters for their meetings.

When I’ve written to individuals or organisations to present at User Groups that I have been involved with in the past I’ve always included the same basic details; Continue reading »

MacTalk Hunter, a small Apple User Group based in New South Wales, Australia, has solved a problem that many smaller groups face – How to provide a Book Library service to their members, without having to worry about physical storage of tons of books… Continue reading »

Over at O’Reilly Answers, Mac Slocum explains how to setup a Google Profile for a business, project or team – which could just as easily be for your Apple User Group! Continue reading »

Marsee from O’Reilly asks how various User Groups from around the world reach out to new members. Continue reading »

Marsee from O’Reilly asks User Group Leaders what they do when a scheduled speaker for a meeting cancels at the last minute and various people share how they cope. Continue reading »

The Bellarine Mac User Group, BMUG, is a growing and vibrant Mac group based on the Bellarine Peninsula near Geelong in Victoria, is known all over for its surprisingly comprehensive range of Apple manuals and they are proud to share their latest volume, The BMUG Troubleshooting Guide, with Apple User Groups in Australia and around the world.

The BMUG Troubleshooting Guide is intended as the first place Mac users should turn too to help self-diagnose many common problems that occur on Macs and how to take steps to prevent problems from occurring. Continue reading »

The North Coast Mac Users Group, from Santa Rosa in California, have incorporated an O’Reilly User Group Program Book Widget into their website, which enables them to promote new books that are available from O’Reilly’ and even earn a small commission. Continue reading »

AMUG Sydney have a simple, but extremely well implemented online ordering system for purchasing Disc of the Month titles.

Any Apple User Group participating in the Disc of the Month project or that have any other merchandise for sale may want to take a look at the AMUG site. Continue reading »

The South Australian Apple Users’ Club (SAAUC) lists the extensive range of titles that they have available for their members to borrow from the group’s Library.

Such a listing is a great idea for other Apple User Groups to consider adding to their own websites. Continue reading »