 The magazine of the Melbourne PC User Group CPU (Club President's Update) Colin Lovitt colinl@melbpc.org.au |
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Peter Smith tells me that I have been spared the difficult task of introducing myself here by the "timely" contribution elsewhere in this edition of the redoubtable Tessa Melland. I trust that this frees me to talk of things far more relevant to the membership. I await Tessa's assessment with trepidation! . - )
Charles Wright
Charles' resignation from the Presidency of Melb PC came as a shock to us all, though with the benefit of hindsight, he clearly had accumulated a workload that left him no option but to reduce his obligations. He ultimately took the view that he could not conduct his journalistic endeavours, in particular with The Age computer section, and provide at the same time the many hours needed to lead the group in the way he believed was appropriate.
Having served as Vice-President under three former Presidents, ascending to the "throne" a year ago, he has worked assiduously for the future of the group.
Readers of his CPU comments over the past twelve months were left in no doubt where Charles stood on many issues, not the least of which was his determination to not simply sit around watching our reserves increase and our membership dwindle. Planning and promotion were paramount; politics and pussyfooting were anathema.
His style of leadership was bold, controversial, and forthright, taking no prisoners along the way. In his view, it was time for Melb PC to stand up on its own feet, plan for the future, and stop dwelling on the varied troubles of the past. It made for interesting Committee meetings.
Last elections, he asked a number of people to stand as Office Bearers or for Committee positions. Along with Bruce Elliott (Treasurer), and Geoff Lewis (Secretary), he approached me to become Vice-President. Having followed the fortunes of the Group for some years via the magazine, I had sort of become addicted, I guess. He was a hard man to refuse (although I would have liked to serve an apprenticeship on the Committee first!).
Led by Bruce's budgetary skills and characteristic flair for "turning a dollar", Charles' Committee has succeeded in reversing several disturbing trends, including the depletion of our assets, and the reduction in membership.
The simple, indisputable fact is that Charles has led a revival in the club's finances, its reputation and its
determination to become a strong, respected voice in the computing industry and among computer users, both novice and hacker alike. We owe him a debt of gratitude and respect.
Quo Vadimus?
My essential aim in assuming the leadership of Melb PC is to continue the work of this Committee in a number of directions. Let me enunciate some of them in my maiden President's update.
Training
Education and training to advance computer literacy are at the forefront of the stated purposes of Melb PC. I believe we have now begun to recognise its primacy. Training has been elevated to that position by an extraordinary group of hard workers, led by Tom Coleman and Barry Frederickson. Barry's organisational skills, his charts, calendars, and boundless enthusiasm, with the assistance of Tom, Nadine Natoka, Jean Truebridge, Mary Levens and Isobel McRae have launched training into what my predecessors must have always hoped we could achieve. Trainers are now fully skilled at teaching, rather than merely efficient computer users.
The Committee has a new-found confidence that we are finally leading the way in training rather than merely paying lip-service to the needs of members. Charles asked me some months ago to be the Committee member who oversaw this area. Attending a few Training administration subcommittees was one of the greatest pleasures I have had in my experiences here. They didn't need me, but we sure needed them!
BBS
Another of my pet topics. After the Message Board crashed mid-1993, Barry McMenomy stepped into the breach, and aided by Peter Freeman, Allan Michelmore, Philip Lew, and many others, he has since spent what seems to have been his every waking hour in the BBS room. What we now have is an extraordinary achievement - a 14-line Board, full of technical information, files and some of the better wits with whom you would ever want to cross swords. A trip through the local message areas will present the reader with a plethora of ideas, assistance, and sheer bloody nonsense. I love it!
We'll continue to support the board, Barry and the rest of the troops in whatever way is necessary (and I'll continue to get a right royal kicking from Dirty Dave, Alis, aRTie, Tesstosterone, Bob T, Ren Bonkers, JR, and my old legal foe, Rob Gorey. On the other hand, there is something noble at being on the receiving end of a Presidential bagging. Er, isn't there?). : - )
Membership
Membership is rising at a rate which is even bringing a smile to the face of our resident Scrooge, Bruce Elliott. A major drawcard has always been the magazine (which simply goes from strength to strength), but the sheer quality of the BBS has now seen large numbers log on and join the Group because of what the Board has to offer. While I don't want to set any targets, I believe we should be aiming to market ourselves in a way which will attract many, many others out there to take advantage of what must be the best value for $40 in this mad, competitive world of computing.
RIGs
I believe we have failed to keep touch with our regional members and need to re-examine our relationship with them. The difficulties perceived by some in our relationship with Bairnsdale are well on the way to being healed, and we will make new endeavours to stay in touch with and actively assist country members. New Vice-President Peter Freeman and SIG and RIG co-ordinator Don McKenzie know by now my views on this. They have already paid a visit to Bairnsdale, been well-received, and begun the reassessment necessary. But I want to make one thing clear-such assistance will be measured in expertise and encouragement, not merely in dollars and cents.
Survey of Members
It is time we tapped our large membership base by utilising the fund of talent which exists out there. We have talked in the past about membership surveys but little has been done for some years. Within the next few months, a survey will be conducted to find out what our members think of the Group, the magazine, the BBS, SIGs, and so on. It will assess members' wish lists, needs, and critical views of Melb PC operations.
We must have experts who would be willing to help sketch such a survey and advise the best means of conducting it together with collating and interpreting results. I would like to hear from any member who believes he/she can assist this process. We will not be spending vast sums on the survey. We should not need to. Distribution is not the problem as it can be published as part of the magazine.
The Office
We need to ensure that the office is run in a way which allows maximum use of staff, divesting them of a number of debilitating tasks which occupy too much time and can be successfully handled by others, be they Committee or the large pool of talent who have generously volunteered in the past, and I hope will continue to do so.
As an instance, many hours have been spent overseeing the bulk shareware registration offers that are normally inspired by the BBS. Some offers have been characterised by confusion and delay. Peter Young, one of the many bright minds on the BBS, and one of its most helpful to new and old users alike, has kindly agreed to take control of this facet of operations. He will negotiate the shareware deals which have proved so attractive in the past, thanks to guys like Gary and Ash, post them on the board and the magazine, liaise with the sysops and the office and handle all enquiries. Payment will be automated (BBS and office), thus obviating many hours on the phones and minimising correspondence.
I believe the use by the office of our volunteers needs to be reviewed, drawing on the expertise of those (retired office managers, accountants, for example) in assisting with the work involved. We need to gently educate our members, starting no doubt with the Committee(!), that the office employees should be interrupted as little as possible, leaving many tasks including perhaps some of the handling of enquiries and sale of shareware, to volunteers. As ever, we are keen to hear from anyone willing to donate a few hours of their time to assist the office.
Membership Database
Gary Taig has kindly agreed to a personal request from yours truly, to reprogram our Membership Database. It will be rebuilt from the ground up, a labour of love which Gary did once before, only to see successive Committees nullify and finally replace it. Such decisions proved to be ill-sighted and left us with an impractical facility which stymies wider input and hog-ties the office. It will take several weeks of sheer hard work, testing by office staff, then further modification. He has commenced already-when he has finished, I will buy him all the beer he can drink. : - )
Planning
This has been a bugbear of Melb PC with subcommittees, expensive consultants, unfinished reports and the like. Geoff Lewis, Bruce Elliott and I intend to oversee the Group moving smoothly forward, with budgetary and office strategies aimed at utilising resources and ensuring there is none of the financial and manpower wastage that has clearly occurred in the past. It is not easy to negotiate the way between a club atmosphere, which needs fostering; and a business approach, which simply must occur because of our sheer size, finances, and responsibilities. Geoff and Bruce have a background which leans to the latter, I hope to provide the balance.
The Past
I am singularly disinterested in past upheavals, petty divisions, and personality clashes. This terrific organisation, with so much to offer to its members, will not be bogged down with the weight of previous conflicts, some of which still simmer below the surface in the minds of one or two. I am fortunate in that I was not around when the internal haemorrhaging of 1992 occurred, and only read with dismay of the troubles which beset the Group then and subsequently. Putting it bluntly, those with an axe to grind will get short shrift from me, so they can go and grumble away elsewhere. This is not to say that lessons from the past have not been or will not be learned; only that I for one will not be dwelling on them and nor will the Committee.
Social
Anyone who has attended a Waffle SIG is aware of the tremendous sense of fellowship that has infiltrated this organisation. Last night (yes, folks, I am writing this the morning after!), a trio of young fellows from the Warragul RIG attended together with a representative from Bendigo. They were treated later on to a first hand demonstration of the BBS by Barry, Peter, Dave, Phil, and Allan. Led by the BBS team, Melb PC is a pretty social place these days; more and more people move from their waffling on the BBS to Waffling after our Monthly Meetings, (now being smoothly run by Ray Beatty of WordPerfect fame). One of the first subcommittees I joined in June last year was the social one, so I guess you know where I'm coming from. : - )
Above all, I aim to ensure that our love of computing and the vast opportunities, obsessions, and sheer fun that it offers is encouraged for all it's worth, and that the Group and the Committee which run it is both happy and peaceful. Did I say peaceful? I must have been kidding! How many hours are there in a day? : - )
Reprinted from the May 1994 issue of PC Update, the magazine of Melbourne PC User Group, Australia
