He’s just getting warmed up, folks. Apple Senior Systems Engineer Dave Marra has provided us with even more new user group appearance dates.
Dave’s MUG meeting calendar for the coming weeks looks like this, including the indicated new dates:

• Center City Philadelphia Macintosh Users Group - March 26
• Princeton Macintosh Users Group - April 10
• South Jersey Apple Users Group - April 20**
• MUG ONE - May 2
• Annapolis Apple Slice User Group - May 19
• Long Island Macintosh Users Group - June 8**
• North Jersey Mac Apple User Group - June 13

(** indicates newly announced dates)

Be sure to check each group’s web sites to confirm specific meeting times, locations and access for non-members and guests and find our more about Dave and everything he does at his web site, Marrathon.

More and more vendors are discovering and re-discovering the power of connecting with Mac User Groups, either through creating specific programs for Mac User Groups, creating special offers for Mac User Group members or the obvious: personal appearances and presentations at Mac User Group meetings. The latter is the front line of MUG/Vendor interaction and the best way for both sides to benefit from the relationship.

The MUG Event Calendar documents as many of these meetings, along with other activities and presentations, and is the basis for our Top User Group Presenters Awards. This is our second annual roll-up of the people and companies who showed up at Mac User Groups around the world most often, demonstrating products or just having fun being there.

For the second year, and again as no surprise, Apple tops the list with a total of thirty-six separate documented visits to Mac User Groups. While there are many different presenters who are popular with MUGs in different parts of the world, the leader is clearly Apple Senior Systems Engineer Dave Marra, who made fifteen of the thirty-six himself.

In second place, also for the second year in a row, is James Lee of Tropical Software and his presentation of TopXNotes and TopXNotes iPod. Jim’s roster of MUG appearances totaled twenty-nine. What is most impressive about Jim’s accomplishment is that he was the presenter for each and every meeting, making stops throughout the United States, not just in one region.

Coming in tied for third were representatives from MacSpeech showing off their speech recognition software for the Mac and Quark demonstrating the new version of their desktop publishing software, both with eight documented appearances each, followed by Prosoft Engineering with seven meetings showcasing Data Backup, Data Rescue, Drive Genius and more.

Vendors weren’t the only ones who showed up in the tally, though.
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The March edition of the Apple User Group Bulletin includes the announcement of a new appointment to the Apple User Group Advisory Board (UGAB).

Rex Covington of the Houston Area Apple Users Group (HAAUG) will join UGAB in an expansion position, bringing the total number of active seats to nine.

Rex is the immediate past president of HAAUG and currently serves the group as Vice-President for Programming. In May 2003, Rex joined the Apple User Group Regional Liaison Team (covering the South Central section of the United States. Professionally, Rex operates a consulting business specializing in FileMaker Pro Database and Mac support.

Both the Apple User Group Advisory Board and Apple Regional Liaison Team are groups of volunteers who consult with Apple on user group issues and trends.

The Macintosh Users Group of Southern New Jersey (MUGSNJ) has announced a special glimpse of the not-too-distant future for their March meeting.
Apple Systems Engineer Michael Wolk will introduce Mac OS X Leopard at this special seminar. Michael will be showing off new Leopard features like Spaces and Time Machine as well as enhancements to Mail and iChat, the power of the new Core Animation and more.

The meeting is open to the public and will be held at the Gloucester County College in Sewell, NJ with a meet-and-greet with refreshments before the presentation starts. Everyone is invited, so be sure to get there early to get a good seat.

For more information, including directions and parking information, visit the MUGSNJ web site.

This week’s MUG Event Calendar features one of the most diverse MUG presentation schedules by Apple in a long time, a member of the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), a spotlight on Apple’s newest wireless networking and much more.

Tom Morton of Apple will present to a group in Pennsylvania, Jim LeFave and Jeff Channen of Apple will tag-team a Rhode Island group and Bob Pudell of Apple will visit a group in Illinois. Another of the week’s high-profile presenters is Lee Tien, a senior staff attorney from the Electronic Frontier Foundation, who will address a group in California.

The newest version of Apple’s Airport Extreme Base Station will be the featured topic in Texas, MySpace will be examined in Connecticut and social networking in general is on the agenda in Florida.

Other topics for the week include the ever-important backup strategies in Ohio, the Daylite productivity suite in New York and DevonAgent in Massachutes. And that’s far from all.

Want to see your group’s events listed here? Email your meeting information and we’ll get you noticed.

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In a posting to the Apple User Group Discussion List, Apple User Group Advisory Board member Rick Ortiz announced that there will be a User Group Booth on the show floor at this month’s Macworld Conference and Expo in San Francisco.

Invited groups include:

• Diablo Valley Macintosh Users Group
• MacFilmmakers
• Maui Apple Users Society
• North Coast Macintosh Users Group
• Planet MUG
• Stanford/Palo Alto Macintosh User Group

Also announced was an opportunity for other groups to have a photo of their meetings, events, community projects, etc., included in a slideshow that will be displayed in the booth.

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Apple offers Macintosh User Groups a variety of resources, both on and off their Web site. This guide will help you find what you need.

The Apple User Group Web Site
The user group section of Apple’s web site is the gateway to all of the information and resources Apple offers to, for and about user groups.

Questions & Answers
From this page you can get the most frequently asked questions about the Apple User Group Program, joining a group, registrating your group, how to find a group, campus groups and more.

Register Your Group and Get Recognized
Already have a group? If you qualify, then register your group with Apple to receive referrals from the Locator, recognition, special offers and a variety of benefits. (You can also update your MUG’s information from this page.)

Apple recognizes three types of groups, and has different guidelines for each:

• Community groups: 3 officer contacts, a group email address, a live web site, and a history of meetings.
• Corporate, government, K-12, higher education, professional associations and specialized software groups: these categories are considered and approved on a case-by-case basis.
• Online-only groups: A minimum of 100 members, a listserv with digest, three leader contacts, a group email address, a live web site, and a searchable archive of discussions.

Please understand that these are “guidelines.” Apple reserves the right to revise or make exceptions to them based on circumstances and representations.

Why does Apple have requirements at all to qualify? To assure the quality of information it distributes to customers (your potential members!), and to be sure that all individuals registering groups really are registering groups!

Apple User Group Locator
Find a group near you! Apple’s list of official Macintosh User Groups starts your search off by country, and then drills down by Group Name, area code, type, city or state. Your group gets listed in the Locator by registering with Apple.

Apple Sales Web
A private site where user group ambassadors can purchase Apple t-shirts, posters, banners, product information, download presentation materials and scripts for Apple products and services, and much more, Apple Sales Web can only be accessed with a user ID and password available to Apple-recognized user groups. Every group’s Ambassador is provided with an ASW password when they are recognized. If the ASW account is not used for 6 months, the password expires and you must apply for a new one. Information on how to reapply can be obtained from your group’s Apple User Group Regional Liaison.

User Group Mailbox
The Mailbox is a regularly produced package of DVDs providing information, print and video resources on Apple products, including graphics, whitepapers, QuickTime movies of Apple events and keynotes, product review and demonstration guidelines and more. Occasionally, NFR copies of Apple or third-party products are included, to be reviewed and/or demonstrated by your group. As you use these resources, be sure to tell Apple how they benefit your group, so that support for this terrific benefit will continue.

The User Group Mailbox can be ordered from Apple Sales Web by your group’s designated Apple Ambassador.

Free .Mac Account
Apple provides a free .Mac account for your group’s use to recognized user groups through their Ambassador.

As of September 2006 the requirements/procedure to obtain the .Mac account were:

• Take the “ATSO: .Mac - QuickStart” course (#SWS6011 - January 2006) and score 80% or higher on the course quiz
• Have a minimum of 2,000 points earned in 2006 or carried over from 2005 for achieving the Apple Product Professional designation in 2005.
• Your activation key will be emailed to you within two weeks of qualification.

For more information on obtaining the free account for your group, please contact your Apple User Group Regional Liaison.

Mailing Lists
Apple has a multitude of mailing list, but there are two which are of special interest to MUG members and leaders.

The first is the Apple User Group Discussion list, which is open to any and all interested members of the Macintosh User Group community. Join and see what other MUG leaders are saying to and about issues of interest to any user group member or officer.

The second is an email newsletter for MUG leaders and officers, the Apple User Group Bulletin. You will get the latest information for and about MUGs, direct from the mothership!

The Apple User Group Logo
If you are a recognized Apple User Group, you may display this logo, or one of the supplied variations on your Web site or newsletter, provided you abide by the guidelines of use:

The Guidelines and EPS files of the logo are available to ambassadors through Apple Sales Web (part #L27741A-US).

Note: The authorized Apple User Group logo was updated 4/03; if you are using the older version, please update your materials with the latest version.

Other Apple Trademarks:
A complete list of Apple trademarks and information on how to to use them is available from Apple’s web site.
Apple MUG Store
Members of authorized Macintosh User Groups have access to a variety of special deals and prices through Apple’s MUG Store. Items include new and refurbished units, software, and even a trade-in program. You will need the user ID and password which your MUG leader can provide to access the site.
The Apple User Group Advisory Board
UGAB is a group of MUG leaders who consult with Apple on issues in the community, engage in special projects, and work to advance the user group cause, both inside and outside Apple. The UBAB information file will answer many of your questions. If you have comments or questions, contact the UGAB at ugab@mac.com or visit their web site.

The Apple User Group Regional Liaisons
The UGRL are MUG leaders who have been asked by Apple to network with the groups in their area and provide information on the concerns, issues and activities of those groups. Find out more about their activities, or contact them at ugrl@mac.com.

The Campus Group Advisory Board
CGAB is the newest of the Apple User Group Volunteer Teams, and is composed of successful campus group leaders throughout the United States. Their mission is to champion the user group movement on university and college campuses, and for the younger Macintosh enthusiast. They can be reached at campusgroups@mac.com

Apple Sales Training Online
Available to Apple-recognized user group ambassadors, Apple Sales Training Online offers a wide variety of online training, education and information that can be utilized to get and stay informed on Apple products, prepare and deliver presentations to your group, and earn points towards a proficiency rating.

User Group Activities Calendar
One of the most unrecognized assets to user groups, the Activities Calendar lets your group post your upcoming special events and functions. Submitted entries must be approved before they are publicly available.

Email Addresses
This list of useful email addresses related to the Apple User Group Program will help you contact the appropriate person or teams.

Requesting Promotional Materials
If your group wants to request t-shirts, pens, or similar items for a special event, you can do so by using the “swag” request form that is located in the user group section of Apple Sales Web.