Every software project, online site, company or user group has to manage the community of interested people surrounding it. The community is the source of new ideas, a reliable support network, and the best marketing tool. When money is tight, making the best use of the community is even more critical.

In The Art of Community you’ll experience the broad range of talents required to recruit members, motivate them, manage them, and make them happy to be part of your community. Jono Bacon takes you through the different stages of community and covers the information you’ll need, ranging from software tools to conflict resolution skills. Continue reading »

If you had five minutes on stage what would you say? What if you only got 20 slides and they rotated automatically after 15 seconds? Around the world geeks have been putting together Ignite nights to show their answers.

This could be a great idea for a presentation topic for Apple User Groups to consider, or even think about having a dedicated meeting each month (or every couple of months) where your group hosts an Ignite event in your local community. Continue reading »

Hamrick Software is offering Apple User Groups a free copy of VueScan for demonstration and review. Continue reading »

Tropical Software are offering Apple User Groups the chance to request one free license of TopXNotes to demo and raffle at meetings, write reviews, and make presentations. Continue reading »

Apress, a publisher of high-tech books for professionals, by professionals, is offering Apple User Groups an opportunity to join their User Group Program. They have one of the hottest-selling Mac/iPhone lines in the market. Continue reading »

Steven Riggs announced, via the April 23, 2009 issue of the Apple User Group Bulletin, that Apple User Group leaders may request one free license of his TimeTable application to demo and raffle at meetings. Continue reading »

The Apple User Group Bulletin, dated April 23, 2009, announces that Apple User Group leaders can get a free one year subscription to designProVideo.com, a US$200 value.

designProVideo.com (the sister site of macProVideo.com) produces pro-level tutorial videos for Adobe CS4 and Final Cut Studio. Continue reading »

The April 23, 2009 edition of the Apple User Group Bulletin has a great offer from SecureMac.

Presentation kits are now available for Apple User Groups interested in demonstrating SecureMac’s security and privacy anti-spyware program MacScan for Mac OS X to their members. Continue reading »

Hi All,

As you will probably be aware, Australian Macworld (AMW) has been undergoing some changes in recent months, starting with a new Editor, Chris Oaten.

Australian Apple User Groups have had a great relationship with Australian Macworld over the last few years and Chris plans to continue developing that relationship, which is great to hear. Continue reading »

Apple have announced a special DVD containing a review/demo copy of both iLife ’09 and iWork ’09 for Apple User Groups. Continue reading »

Hi All,

Over the last couple of years, many of you have written to me suggesting a number of possible ideas and projects and until now many of them haven’t been practical for me to implement.

Now that I have began a new chapter in my life with the move to Sydney, I have considerably more time and resources to been investigating and actually implementing some of your ideas.

So here are some comments on various projects – and at the end there are some QUESTIONS I’d like ALL MUGs to answer – they should only take a minute (reading the email will take a bit longer – I hadn’t meant this one to become so long – it was just supposed to be a quick heads up 😉 Continue reading »

There has been recent discussions with a couple of groups looking for ideas for Raffle Prizes to help raise a few extra dollars, so here is the first installment of vendors who are willing to assist MUGs. Continue reading »

I am pleased to announce a new opportunity for Australian MUGs to obtain copies of software for review and then extra copies for use in your raffles or as door prizes.

The first partner is NCH Software and they have offered Australian MUGs a review copy of Switch Plus, their Audio File Conversion package for Mac OS X (and Windows & Linux) to review in your MUGs email newsletter, magazine or website. Continue reading »

Please pass this message on to your Magazine and Newsletter Editors…

Recent discussions with a couple of MUG Leaders has lead to the idea of establishing a Newsletter Exchange program between Australian Mac User Groups to help share ideas for events, meetings, articles etc and I think this is a great idea as it can also help foster greater communication between MUGs. Continue reading »