There were some positive items that came out of the COVID-19 pandemic. One of them is the Glacier Rock radio show I did before the pandemic for a local Southcentral Alaska audience. Now it is nationally broadcasted on the Pacifica Radio Network. I never thought about putting the show on a network prior to the pandemic, but the logistics of broadcasting a show forced me to do so remotely. Before I knew it, more stations picked up the Glacier Rock Show and continue to do so. It’s now on stations from the east to the west coast.
Anther benefit was Zoom. I now see that the successful Apple User Groups are using Zoom and marketing their clubs to a larger audience either online or hybrid. We saw many Apple User Groups cease to exist over the past year. This wasn’t just Apple User Groups; many others have done so too. We need to evolve to grow as a group. It’s tough and is out of the comfort zone, but I think it’s the way forward.
I joined the Naples Apple User Group last spring and have enjoyed it thoroughly. They have a worldwide membership. No name change, just the mode of meeting. The groups that have modified are significantly growing. I now believe hybrid meetings is the direction for our club to go. Even the tech conventions have gone back and embraced the hybrid organization after touting they were back to in person. I’m not sure what to attribute it to, but I will ask our board to consider the motion at our next meeting.
This was emphasized to me again with our C&C meetings. I pushed to get us back in person but soon realized the content was a lot more meaningful online. For a social session the in person works as intended but for learning, one side of the table always seemed to get left out. The past few months have been well attended educational and social sessions.
Furthermore, we have a growing membership which is spending winter outside Alaska. We want to keep them active and involved with AAUG. With Zoom, there is a technical side which occasionally needs some support to change the viewing angle of the camera if we have an in-person presentation. If you interested in helping support this effort periodically, please let me know.
We will be also holding a C&C on Saturday, March 25, 10 a.m. Please feel free to invite your friends.
Dan Wassink at Dan’s Tutorials has been offering some classes and Ask-Me-Anything sessions. I’d urge you to take advantage of these to supplement your Apple experience. Additionally, iPhone Life has also been offering classes with their membership which is significantly discounted for Seniors and Veterans. Apple is continuing their classes but most are focused at the beginner level. I have requested some more advanced classes for our membership.
Also, if you are a Veteran, Apple Inc. now has a significant discount. You must show proof and register but it is definitely worth your time. If you have any questions, please reach out and ask me.
I look forward to adding more members to our AAUG membership in the coming year.
Best regards,