 The magazine of the Melbourne PC User Group CPU (Club President's Update) Colin Lovitt colinl@melbpc.org.au |
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Melb PC has been given notice to find alternative accommodation for its Monthly Meetings. Clunies-Ross House having been sold, closes on 1 September. Rumour hath it that it may even be demolished and the site redeveloped! We need a new venue - city fringe - which is of a professional standard with appropriate facilities for audio-visual systems. Car parking is a major consideration and ideally it needs a seating capability of 800 to 1000 - a large hall with a foyer with room for activities outside the meeting area itself.
We had an excellent relationship with Clunies-Ross House and it is sad to lose such a comfortable venue, obtained at a quite reasonable cost to the Group. Dirty Dave, especially, will miss the bar upstairs!
I would welcome any suggestions for a future venue. Come on, call me now!.
The BBS
I was recently struck by a message on the board from Matthew Frei congratulating Barry and the rest of the BBS team. He stated:
"Congrats on a fantastic BBS, the mother of all BBSs! I was told to join a user group some time ago and only just have and think its the best thing I ever invested in, apart from actually buying a PC! Keep up the fine work."
"The mother of all BBSs"! Having had a bit to do with the board myself and watching the board grow into a truly great achievement (no other BBS anywhere operates as many lines as ours with the operating system and software we utilise), I decided to browse through some recent message packets for some other accolades. They were not hard to find.
"The bulletin board is a credit to the implementers and is easy to use. I'm quite amazed at the depth and breadth of information available to members."
"It's been a while since I have bothered to have a good look around the BBS; in doing so it becomes obvious just how much work you and your team have put into what I have always considered a superior BBS."
"I read the bulletin about upgrading the board this weekend. Thought I'd drop a line to you and the other sysops to say what a great board this is. Thank you for all the effort ... I know it isn't always recognised as much as it should be."
"What a pleasant experience logging on to the new look board. Well done indeed!"
"Hi Barry, I'm still trying to get used to this modem/computer communications technology. Thanks for the time and effort you and the others put in to help us all."
"I have been using this BBS for some time now and thought it was about time that I congratulated you on a first class system. Almost everything I need is available. I particularly like the CD access with its large range of GIF files. Keep up the good work!!"
"I am very grateful for your patient help. Hope I can repay you somehow, someday."
"... the foregoing gives me an opportunity to say something I've had in mind for months: Melb PC has a simply marvellous Bulletin Board, and enormous credit attaches to the sysops and other helpers involved in putting the third largest BBS anywhere to air and keeping it operating every livelong hour. I've only been logging in for a year or two, but that's long enough to be impressed at the constant cheerful efficiency and helpfulness evinced by everyone connected with it. I've been amazed at the patience of these BBS people and their apparent satisfaction in helping dumb sprogs like me without any thought of the inroads made into their private lives or of any kind of reward - indeed, quite often without thanks."
"Thank you for the great support that I got with my ZMODEM download problem. I was impressed with Allan (co-sysop) phoning and organising to ship an alternative comms program. You're doing a great job. The level of service is certainly far higher than I expected from a volunteer BBS."
"I've been a member of Melb PC now for a few years but only logged onto the BBS for the first time 3 weeks ago. Have been LURKING since then, (but that will change -<determined nod>). As this is the first BBS I have come into contact with, I have no benchmark to compare it against. I must say, however, that I am more than impressed with the range of message areas available and the diverse and friendly inhabitants that seem to exist in the local areas. The various "resident ratbags" sure invite newcomers to try their luck with some tongue in cheek banter ;- )"
Not bad, eh? Unsolicited messages of congratulations and gratitude to a team who have performed extraordinary feats both of achievement and endurance over the last ten months. And with an untried combination involving the user-friendliness of Maximus, the multitasking of OS/2 (facilitating the 16 lines now fully operational and stable), and a plethora of utilities - many, untried examples of OS/2 ingenuity.
The frustrations have been immense; the patience and determination frankly, bloody amazing. At a recent committee meeting, Barry McMenomy talked his way into our purchase of a further CPU to enhance the stability of the system. At the ensuing Executive meeting, Peter Freeman argued successfully for two SCSI drives to augment the rapidly diminishing disk space (eventually donated by ACA Pacific - see opposite).
People are now able to join Melb PC online. On average, about ten per day are doing just that. You can now renew membership on the board. Many are availing themselves of this easy method via credit card. A New User Help area has been created setting out the method for carrying out many functions on the BBS, for example, using the online Chat facility.
Nearly half of our overall membership, 3300 out of just on 7000, are now registered on the BBS. Fifteen hundred have logged on at least once (generally many more times than that!) in the last month. Whilst we are unable to estimate how many join for the first time as a result of the board's attractions, it is obvious that it now is providing some competition to our Jewel in the Crown - this magazine - as the main reason to join (and, of course, renew membership of) Melbourne PC User Group.
I have rambled on here in order to express the thanks of the Committee and of those 3300 users, to Barry McMenomy, co-sysops Allan Michelmore and Peter Freeman, and invaluable helpers Philip Lew and Terry Kemp, together with the input of Dave Mitchell who spends countless hours answering messages to sysop (Peter's and my old job), Alistair Lloyd who looks after registrations, and Peter Young - bulk shareware registration coordinator.
There are two other groups who deserve special appreciation for their contribution. First, the significant number of users who answer members' questions and appeals for help, ensuring you can get the answer to almost anything locally, and therefore within a day or so; second, the numerous wafflers, whingers, jokers and bloody ratbags who make the board a pleasure to browse. I have a particular empathy for the latter group. Log on and find out why!
ACA Pacific
As mentioned earlier, this company was kind enough to donate to the Group two 540 MB SCSI hard drives enabling future expansion on the BBS. ACA Pacific is the Australian distributor of Conner hard drives and rallied to Barry's request for a discount in an even more generous way. They advertise in this magazine. Give them your support. They deserve it.
Committee Meetings
In my short time on the Committee of Melb PC and even shorter as its President, I have often been startled at the number of matters requiring immediate input as well as the speed of change. All our committee members are modem users and there is a special area on the BBS for us to exchange views on committee matters. It is now second only to the General Message area in terms of volume of messages. Most topics get a thorough airing this way, resulting in a reduction in time spent on many matters at our monthly committee meetings.
We have recently instituted Executive Meetings for the Office Bearers to meet once a month, generally a fortnight before the committee meeting at my place and chew the fat. "Committee meetings should be quite short then", I hear you say. Yup - 7.30 till after midnight, folks!
I managed to be unavailable for the last one. "No change", I was told - still a 12.30 finish! Well, at least I'm not the sole cause of their duration! If you reckon we are wasting time, come along on the third Tuesday of the month and get a member's-eye view. Just don't eat all the sandwiches!
WordPerfect
At the May Monthly Meeting, the newly-appointed Australasian Manager of WordPerfect, Bruce Lakin, gave a presentation and later attended the Waffle SIG. Some hours, Greek food, and bottles of wine later, we "let him out" having negotiated the supply to the BBS of all files placed on their Sydney-based board, together with a site licence and appropriate copies of the software for sole use of the Melb PC-Hewlett-Packard Training Room. Bruce was delightful company, he and his company extremely helpful. We look forward to seeing him back in Melbourne soon. I have already promised him that it will be our (read "my") shout!
Members' Survey
We have embarked on the preparation of a survey. It is hoped to publish it in next month's magazine. Questions will be directed towards:
- Obtaining data for marketing of the Group -statistical input re members, their hardware, software, and other material which will assist us to sell adver-tising, obtain discounts, etc.
- Adducing information which will assist us to pinpoint the main reasons for non-renewal, especially after the first year.
- The acquisition of members' wish lists and rating of services provided by the Group.
Member Attrition Rate
I indicated last month the Committee's concern at the alarming number of members not renewing, particularly after their first year. Given the quality of the Magazine, BBS, Training, SIGs, Dial Help, Monthly Meetings, etc, and the introduction of an Internet link, it is disappointing that so many fall by the wayside.
We have introduced a new reminder system. We are confident will more efficiently draw to your attention the fact that your membership is close to expiry, and inviting renewal. Along with the survey information, we confidently expect a marked improvement. We welcome any feedback.
Media Liaison
Tessa Melland has been appointed to the newly-created role of media liaison officer. The need existed even when Charles Wright led the Group, and was introduced at his suggestion when he stood down. She will liaise with the newspapers regarding announcements of SIG and Monthly Meetings. She will be the conduit between the office, committee and the media. Anyone who has read her brassy brand of humour and forthrightness on the
BBS will be confident she will do a good job. Any suggestions aimed at broadening her sphere of operations will be welcomed by the committee, if not necessarily by Tessa!
Seamist
Each year in November, Melb PC has organised a weekend workshop at Seamist, a wooded, horsey retreat in the Otways. It is an opportunity for members (and their loved ones) to spend a couple of days (and nights) sorting out computer problems, fine tuning their systems (both physical and binary), exchanging setups and tips, and banishing evil spirits.
You bring your computer, we supply the gurus. Good food, good accommodation, and the atmosphere crackles with energy. There is plenty to do for the non-pooterologists. Ride a horse (or eat like one!), take a walk in the State forest, swim in the pool. Tom Coleman, Doug Brooke, Barry McMenomy, Peter Freeman, and many others who have been there on other occasions, claim that the only problem is finding enough hours in the day (and night).
There is even a player-piano and Tom has promised to play if I sing. I have promised to sing if they keep the bar open! And Dirty Dave (of Eddies in the Ether fame) has promised to come if the bar stays open - and I don't sing! :-)
Reprinted from the July 1994 issue of PC Update, the magazine of Melbourne PC User Group, Australia
