Re: relevance of MUGs
Re: relevance of MUGs
- Subject: Re: relevance of MUGs
- From: Yan Feng <email@hidden>
- Date: Tue, 24 Sep 2002 00:22:40 +0800
Here are some good things about the groups. Of course this comes from a
leader in a developing country where Mac knowledge spreads at Pentium
II speed... It may or may not apply in the US and other nations.
* If Mac news in the local language takes forever, spread it quickly.
BeiMac Members get Software Update Alerts, so they're the first to know.
* Vendor stuff of course.
* Access to SIGs - members only.
* LIBRARY SYSTEM. Take a look at how we implemented this (
http://www.beimac.com/en/library ) - members love the new system.
* If languages accommodate it, cater in different languages. BeiMac
does it well (my language skills and part-nationality to the credit) -
it's in English, Chinese, and other languages (supported, French,
German, Italian and Japanese.)
* Coexist and codevelop with neighbour groups!
I tried all this in Beijing; works wonders for my group. YMMV.
It'll be tragic to see any MUG die. Often, leaders must keep ahead of
the curve.
My recommendation: read good books. I swear by Guy's "Rules for
Revolutionaries", especially his "Eat your own dog food" and "Innovate,
or two people in a garage will plot your death" bits.
Respectfully submitted,
Yan Feng
President - BeiMac
Beijing Macintosh User Group
http://www.beimac.com/ - BeiMac.com
---
On Monday, Sep 23, 2002, at 22:28 Asia/Shanghai, Colya Kaminiarz wrote:
... somehow I think its a sad state of affairs if some MUGs are having
to survive only by offering their users access to discounts, or
software updates. If this is the only incentive that a MUG can offer
their users then the executives of those MUGs could likely reap
greater rewards by focusing their energies elsewhere.
There is no denying that the requirement for MUGs to exist is
changing, but that is not unique to the Mac but to all user groups.
Reading some PC user groups mailing lists they are having the same
challenges MUGs are.
In order to stay relevant and vibrant MUGs have to change with the
times. Many groups are doing this (for example by focusing on new
technologies like video editing etc), and doing an excellent job at
it. Others are not adapting to change, and are trying to maintain a
group membership base by relying on things like discounts/? This is
just slowing the inevitable death of a group.
If you are concerned about your MUG, find out what your membership
wants. Lobby your members. Survey them for their interest. Tell them
of your challenges. If your membership is unable to tell you what
they want, but also unwilling to help make THEIR club relevant, then
as a usergroup leader, again, you should question if you cannot enjoy
your Macintosh hobby more by focusing your energies elsewhere.
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