 The magazine of the Melbourne PC User Group CPU (Club President's Update) Stan Johnstone stanj@melbpc.org.au |
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From the feedback we received it appears that delivery of the February PC Update went well and everyone received their copy at the expected time.
Both the Committee and the office felt that it marked a good start to the year, and we hope it will prove to be one example of how we will continue to improve and extend the services to members.
Bill Gates is not coming
We have yet to have an official opening of the Dorcas Street offices. When I got a hint last December that Microsoft boss Bill Gates was coming to Melbourne in the first quarter of this year, I started a campaign to try and get him to come and cut the ribbon.
However, his itinerary was already full, and even the time in his limo, travelling between meetings, is taken up with even more meetings. It would have been quite a coup if we had been successful, and it would be interesting to see if he had changed since he last visited us in 1988.
With the continuing support given to Melb PC by Microsoft and other vendors together with our size, it would be most appropriate that our opening be carried out by one of the big names in the computer industry from overseas. Already I have made approaches to the well-known CEO of another major supporting vendor when he next visits downunder.
Unfortunately these guys are usually only in Australia for one or two days at a time, and seldom travel any further than their Sydney headquarters. Without mentioning him by name, I can say he is an excellent speaker who we were fortunate enough to hear at Comdex again last year. If possible we hope we will be able to have him do a presentation at a special monthly meeting timed to fit in with his program.
More on all that as it comes to hand.
Orientation Day
Now that the holiday period is well behind us, it's again time we started the Orientation Days. These sessions are intended as an opportunity for all members to visit the office and learn about the various activities, have a look around the office and facilities, and see the flashing lights on equipment. Normally, many of our members never get to see the office - so here is your chance.
Because of the Grand Prix early in the month, we have planned the next orientation day for Saturday 14 March 1998, at the office at 27 Dorcas Street, South Melbourne, starting at 10.00 am and running for about two hours.
These days have been well received in the past, however numbers are limited and it is necessary to phone the office on (03) 9699 6222 to make a booking. Even better, there is no charge - so please feel free to bring along a friend, who may be interested in a look around - we may try to talk them into joining.
Seminar Night
A couple of Seminar Nights were held at short notice during the holiday period. These were arranged hastily, mainly to meet the demand following the introduction of the recently released new versions of Netscape and Internet Explorer.
Internet topics always seem to attract a crowd, and we believe many members would like to know more about the lesser-known aspects of the Internet - after all, we know everything about browsers, mailers and news readers, don't we?
On Friday 13 March 1998 the subject will be "Internet Utilities - Tips and Tricks", and it will cover such topics as Ping, Telnet, TRACERT, IRC Chat, Internet Phone, etc. In fact the subject is likely to become so broad that the seminar will probably finish up being Part 1, with another seminar night during the following month to try and cover all the topics fully.
For a cost of just $20.00, the three-hour seminar will start at 6.30 pm in the SIG Room at 27 Dorcas Street - please note that the after hours entry is through the carpark entrance in Wells Street.
Reservations are essential on (03) 9699 9222 as seating is limited. No bookings will be accepted on the night.
Training
Have you ever attended any of our training courses? You should, you know.
We have excellent facilities at Dorcas Street with a large air-conditioned room ideally suited for classes with hands-on experience on a wide range of subjects. The training committee is constantly seeking out new courses to meet members' interests, and constantly invite input from members for ideas for courses.
It had been planned to introduce a course on Windows NT for the first time in March. As you might expect there is little interest in Windows 3.1 these days. At the same time, the trainers have plans in place ready to commence courses on Windows 98 immediately after its release.
It is possible that our courses are priced too cheaply, and possibly we should be paying our trainers more. One of our trainers tells of meeting Melb PC members at courses he conducts at another venue. There they get exactly the same course at a much greater cost, with much less attractive conditions and equipment. Perhaps we may have attracted these members to our own courses if they had been priced higher and we made it appear that they were getting more for their money!
The trainers meet monthly to plan ahead, to discuss their requirements, and seek to meet the needs of the members. However their main job is to plan course content, obtain the best supporting material, and to conduct the classes to the best of their ability.
To assist in running the training activities, we need the services of an experienced volunteer to be completely responsible for producing the material for the training calendar. This would include removing and adding courses following discussions at the monthly training meetings; taking the minutes of the meeting; making recommendations for future courses on the basis of recent attendances; and co-ordinating the introduction of any new courses in conjunction with the trainer responsible, and the training co-ordinator.
Below you will see the courses planned for March. I put this together as a stopgap measure because we do not have the normal training pages in the magazine this month. We would like the volunteer (in fact the job could be shared by more than one) to prepare a database and provide calendar details to the office, to PC Update, and for posting on the Internet and the BBS.
There would be no real necessity for the volunteer (or volunteers) to have any training experience, however it would be necessary to learn to understand the needs of the trainers; to have reasonable e-mail skills; and the necessary enthusiasm to look after this important activity. Naturally Melb PC would be pleased to provide the necessary tools and meet any expenses involved, and I suppose it would be natural for the volunteer(s) to take the opportunity to fill an empty seat at those courses which may be to their interest.
The total involvement would probably average two or three hours a week including the monthly training meeting. Is there someone out there who would like to contribute to this important activity? Please contact me if you are interested, to discuss it further, or e-mail to stanj@melbpc.org.au if you prefer.
Unfortunately there are no course details in this training list, however you can contact the office on (03) 9699 6222 and they will mail or fax a copy of the full course outline to you. These course outlines describe the learning outcomes, topics covered, etc, as well as listing prerequisites of the knowledge or experience required.
By the time you receive this issue of PC Update we hope to have all these pages linked to our training web page - http://www.melbpc.org.au/training/. Otherwise, members with e-mail access can message me at stanj@melbpc.org.au and a copy of the appropriate course outline will be e-mailed back to you.
Until next month
By next month everything should be back to normal - after all, a quarter of the year will have passed already.
How time flies when you are having fun.
Reprinted from the March 1998 issue of PC Update, the magazine of Melbourne PC User Group, Australia
