The audio of the third User Groups 2.0 Leadership Conference, held on February 19th, 2008, features keynote speaker Russ Conte of The Rest of Us in Chicago. Russ discusses in depth how his group operates, sharing their philosophy of servicing their members, how their membership has changed and how the group has evolved to address their capabilities, interests and needs. The use of Web 2.0 technologies, share work, and an approach that leaves nothing sacred, even their name are all part of Russ’s presentation and the interaction with the other attendees that followed.

Russ also provided samples of many of the resources he mentioned during the conference, and they can be downloaded for your group’s use.

A global panel of user group leaders and activists participated in the conference, and included:
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 User Groups 2.0 Conference #3 [1:06:06m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The third User Groups 2.0 Conference, scheduled for February 19 from 6 PM until 7:30 PM PT (9 PM - 10:30 PM ET) will feature a keynote by the leader of one of the best-run Mac User Groups around: Russ Conte of The Rest of Us (TROU).

TROU has developed a reputation for excellence in many areas. Growing in membership, TROU books outstanding topics and guest speakers for their meetings six months in advance and have developed financial resources adequate to raffle off an iMac without having to charge for individual tickets.

Russ will talk about how they do all this, how to run meetings efficiently and effectively, how to do some really exciting things with your club’s web site (including getting it hosted for free!) and how to find press contacts in your area to whom you can distribute press releases. Russ will also cover where the new members are coming from, why they are coming, and what The Rest of Us is doing to keep them coming back.

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The MUG Center will conduct the third in a series of virtual gatherings to help Mac User Group leaders and interested parties interact, operate, improve and move their groups into the future.

The third User Group 2.0 Virtual Conference will be held on Tuesday, February 19 from 6 PM until 7:30 PM PT (9 PM - 10:30 PM ET). While there is no charge for attendance, a limited number of participants will be involved due to the nature of efficient virtual communications. To participate, you will need a telephone or Skype Out (with headset), iChat, a desire to learn to think different, and a willingness to participate in discussions of pro-active MUG leadership. Bring your ideas and bring your enthusiasm!

The event’s keynote speaker, to be announced soon, will deliver information on their group’s successes and details on how they achieved those successes..

To apply to attend, please email your name, user group name and leadership position and group URL to The MUG Center. Once confirmed, you’ll receive the details for attending and participating.
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MUG Center Editor Chuck Joiner will be presenting ““User Groups 2.0: The Future of the Mac User Group Community” in the User Group Lounge at Macworld Conference & Expo on Wednesday, January 10, starting at 1 PM.
With a number of User Groups 2.0 articles available, and two User Groups 2.0 Virtual Conferences already, Chuck will talk about the positive response to these concepts, describe some of the lessons learned and reveal how you and group can adopt the User Groups 2.0 philosophy to thrive and grow.

The session will be held in Room 250 on the Mezzanine level in Moscone South. Visit our User Group Lounge 2008 page for the complete schedule of presenters and events in the User Group Lounge, and subscribe to our Macworld Expo MUG Events iCal to integrate all the Mac User Group events at Expo into your schedule.

Social networks are a hot topic of discussion, but how do they relate to Mac User Groups?

Diane Cohn, the former Apple User Group Program Manager and member several of Apple’s web team has a unique perspective on the social networking phenomenon and wants to know what you think of the current options and the desirability of a social networking option just for the users of Apple products. In the newest edition of MacVoices, Diane shares her experiences since leaving Apple and explains how involvement in social networks has been instrumental to her success in her new occupation. She talks about how social networks represent a natural evolution of Apple enthusiast interaction, the benefits, and the differences between traditional user group models, online forums and the new interactive options.

If you’re interested in The MUG Center’s ongoing discussions of User Groups 2.0, this is an interview you’ll find thought-provoking.

New ideas for Mac User Group leaders and enthusiasts are the focus of The User Groups 2.0 Virtual Conferences, organized by The MUG Center. The second of these conferences was held on November 27 and featured keynote speaker Michael Horton of the Los Angeles Final Cut Pro Users Group. Mike discussed many of the differences between the traditional UG models vs. those adopted by the Final Cut Pro groups. Mike shared some ideas that he would like to see community groups consider and fielded questions about his group’s structure and operations from an enthusiastic audience. Looking for some new ideas fro your group’s evolution? Then listen online or download this edition of MacVoices to hear what Mike and the attendees had to say.

The attendees and the groups represented included:
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 MacVoices #7113 [1:13:51m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The keynote speaker for the next User Groups 2.0 Virtual Conference (UG2.0VC) will draw on the successes of one of the newest genres of Mac User Groups for his presentation.

Michael Horton, the president of the Los Angeles Final Cut Pro Users Group, will share experiences from his activities as the leader of one of the most successful FCP user groups around.

The successes of the FCP groups are undeniable. As a founder of the Final Cut Pro User Group Network and one of the chief organizers of the Final Cut Pro User Group SuperMeets in addition to the leadership of his own group, Mike has tried many new things and learned valuable lessons along the way. He will share both experiences and wisdom when he addresses the attendees of UG2.0VC on November 27.
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The MUG Center will conduct the second in a series of virtual gatherings to help Mac User Group leaders and interested parties interact, operate, improve and move their groups into the future.

The second User Group 2.0 Virtual Conference will be held on Tuesday, November 27, 2007 from 7 PM until 8:30 PM PT (10 PM - 11:30 PM ET). While there is no charge for attendance, a limited number of participants will be involved due to the nature of virtual communications. To participate, you will need a telephone or Skype Out (with headset), iChat, a desire to learn to think different, and a willingness to participate in discussions of pro-active MUG leadership. Bring your ideas and bring your enthusiasm!

The event’s keynote speaker, to be announced soon, will bring a different and successful perspective to MUG leadership to the discussion.

To apply to attend, please email your name, user group name and leadership position and group URL to The MUG Center. Once confirmed, you’ll receive the details for attending and participating.
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The audio of the discussion at the first User Groups 2.0 Virtual Conference is now available for listening and download.

The MUG Center’s first gathering of user group leaders to discuss the state of the MUG community, exchange ideas and look to the future was held on October 29, and keynoted by James Lee of Tropical Software. Jim addressed the group with his top 5 Tips for welcoming a vendor to your user group.

The participants in the conference included:

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 User Groups 2.0 Virtual Conference #1: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The first User Groups 2.0 Virtual Conference is scheduled for October 29, but what’s a conference without a keynote speaker?

James Lee of Tropical Software will be the keynote speaker for the first User Groups 2.0 Virtual Conference, scheduled for October 29.

Jim is well-known in user group community, having placed in The MUG Center’s Top User Group Presenter rankings for both 2005 and 2006, providing support for several user group projects and extending discounts for MUG members.

With those credentials, Jim has some insight into the interaction between Mac User Groups and vendors. Jim will present his Top 5 Tips for welcoming a vendor to your user groups. And yes, Jim will be wearing one of his trademark shirts.

The User Groups 2.0 Virtual Conference will help Mac User Group leaders and interested parties operate, improve and move their groups into the future. There are a few (and we mean few) slots still open, so if you’re interested, please email your name, user group name and leadership position and group URL to The MUG Center. Once confirmed, you’ll receive the details for attending and participating.