Picture this: Apple. Adobe. Microsoft. Vendors. People. Computers.
Presentations. Meetings. All in one place with a lot of sunshine.
What do you have? The Spring 2002 FACUG (Florida Association of Computer User
Groups) meeting at the Civic Center at Kissimmee, FL. The meeting began
with a dinner sponsored by Corel and ran through Sunday afternoon.
The meeting drew many of the FACUG user groups. The group is made up
of predominantly PC users, but Apple users figure prominently (and I
suspect there were no small number of Linux users in attendance as
well).
The main focus of the conference was on people, not platforms. 197
people attended, representing 42 user groups, about 80% of FACUG's
membership. Mac user groups, such as Gold Coast MUG from Miami, AMUG
from Atlanta, GA, and Florida MUG from Orlando, represented a small but
enthusiastic and unabashed crowd at the conference. Presentations (at
either breakfast lunch or dinner) were given by Corel, JASC, Quicken,
Ulead, Microsoft, Apple, and Adobe. There were technical panels and
meetings for user groups officers. I know I have a bias, but several PC
users were heard afterward saying Apple's presentation rocked!
Apple's focus at the breakfast presentation was the digital hub,
with the new iMac as its centerpiece. "I" apps were demoed: iPhoto,
iMovie, iTunes, and iDVD. The stage was set by dimming the lights in
the room and having the iMac in the spotlight.
Adobe demoed its InDesign
OS X product using a PowerBook G4. Awesome.
What was exciting for me were presentations aimed at user groups.
Topics discussed ranged from leading the user group to "what is a user
group?" to publicity for your group. Apple figured prominently at these
meetings; heck the user groups presentation was given an Apple employee
from Cupertino. It was heartening to see Apple well represented
there.
What did I get out of it? As the newly elected President of Florida
Macintosh Users Group, I got a lot of info regarding the user group
concept and sharing of "hands-on" experience from officers.
How does this apply for the Mac user at large? Share your Mac
experience and enthusiasm. Go to Apple's website to find a user group.
Join. Participate. Take your Mac experience to the next level.
Further Reading
