Re: User Groups and Apple Stores AND dealing with a common...
Re: User Groups and Apple Stores AND dealing with a common...
- Subject: Re: User Groups and Apple Stores AND dealing with a common...
- From: "Christopher J. Keller" <email@hidden>
- Date: Fri, 23 May 2003 11:47:52 -0700
OOPS! Got my threads crossed here, OH WELL.
Was this an Apple Employee or an ASE/ACE or a dealer person?
Remember that you (leaders) can go to the ace/ase page and contact
any local "experts" you want at any time, you do not need the Apple
Store to get them. We have several on the board at our group and they
frequently do presentations and the such BUT as is EVERY presenter,
they are hit and miss. I don't want to sound like I am picky or
difficult but I know what I would want to see at a meeting and I try
very hard to make that happen every month. Boring, delayed,
incomplete, unorganized or otherwise non-thought provoking
presentations are bad no matter who you are: Developer Rep, Apple
Rep, ASE/ACE, local user, et al. Let me just add that TWO of the
WORST presentations we had in the past year were an Apple employee
and an ASE/ACE.
As I have said in prior message BUT ALWAYS worth repeating,
communication is the key to all of this, I am astounded by the number
of times things happen because they didn't know different. I don't
think it's demeaning or hounding to tell someone everything including
things you think they should know already.
Let me relate a an interesting story about Communication vs.
Technology. I have been a guest lecturer at University California
Irvine in the software engineering classes. In one case, the
professor took questions in advance and sent them to me. I had
planned a presentation explaining how the real world is so much more
and so much different then school was for me but I took one look at
the questions and substantially changed my presentation. If I were to
summarize all of the questions down to one, it would be: Why can't I
just write code, do I REALLY need to communicate with people? (Users,
Analysts, other programmers, outside IT people, etc.) Since then I
have gone on a crusade to explain why I feel that the MOST IMPORTANT
part of TECHNOLOGY is person to person communication and help people
communicate more.
At 2:20 PM -0400 5/23/03, email@hidden wrote:
Our store in Wellinton, FL has been good. They sent Mr. Scott McDonald (a
certified expert) to go though Jaguar after its release. I believed that the
members still holding out with OS 9 crossed over because of his visit.
Gary Kampel
SE Regional Liaison
In a message dated 5/22/2003 1:26:22 PM, email@hidden writes:
> As Apple continues to open stores across the US, I am curious to find
> out
> which User Groups have benefited from this. Has your User Group had
> any
> special events at the store (store supported or informal)? What type
> of
> interaction has your group had with the staff and management?
>
> Aloha,
>
> Rick Ortiz
> President- Maui Apple User Society
>
Greetings Rick...
Regarding the relationship between the local Apple Stores and our MUG
(Apple Corps of Dallas).
I'm a relatively "new" person in this area, and new with
"non-professional" MUGS, having transplanted from the So. Cal area
But I think I'm getting a feel for what is going on here - so let me
try to shed some light on the Apple Store/MUGs relationship in the DFW
area
We are "lucky" to have 2 stores in the Dallas area to go to - find
quality assistance -a knowledgeable staff and great product
at...however, MUG support is sporadic to non-existent for our MUG (not
speaking for any other). And in a lot of cases its not at all the Apple
Store Managements' fault. Some of the other issues are location, space,
location, competition and location. =-)
The Knox Street store, which is closest to downtown Dallas and closer
to 95% of our constituency is one of the smaller designed stores -
without a stage/presentation area. So even though store management has
been good about "local" support - there isn't really much they can do.
The Willowbend Store in Plano (just north of Dallas and closest to me),
> therefore bears the brunt of the desires for everyone (including
planned store events) to use the podium and podium space.
Understandably someone loses out in that planning exchange. Plus - this
area has the added complication of many long-standing, (competing)
MUGs. Most so small they could fit in my mini-van.
Apple Corps of Dallas (celebrated 25 yrs on Jan 29th of this year) and
Cowtown MUG (Lesa Snider's) are the largest in this area and (at last
count) there were at least 2 other "official" MUGS and 4
"free-floating" SIGs (as well as 1 excellent 'almost' MUG - the BigDMG)
in this market.
I've discussed Apple Store availability with management a few
occasions, and it seems that availability is hinged mainly on what
promotion Apple is pushing that quarter (or new release) or what can we
present (not ourselves directly) that is different from what everyone
else is already presenting...
...which when looking at it as a retail outlet, who's sole existence is
based on selling product - is not out of line or unexpected, or wrong.
Michael Briney | 24-7-365 Nationwide Support
Apple Consultant's Network & Regional Champion South Central US
Director - Apple Corps of Dallas, MacCSE, ADC, Member of DAMED
http://www.michaelbriney.com/
214 477-2832 | 972 964-9069 (fax)
_______________________________________________
augd mailing list | email@hidden
Help/Unsubscribe/Archives: http://www.lists.apple.com/mailman/listinfo/augd
Do not post admin requests to the list. They will be ignored.
_______________________________________________
augd mailing list | email@hidden
Help/Unsubscribe/Archives: http://www.lists.apple.com/mailman/listinfo/augd
Do not post admin requests to the list. They will be ignored.
--
----------
Check out our updated web site and see if our mailing lists or
Special Interest Groups could be of assistance to you!
----------
Chris Keller
email@hidden
http://www.SGVMUG.org/
San Gabriel Valley Macintosh User Group Webmaster & ListMaster
_______________________________________________
augd mailing list | email@hidden
Help/Unsubscribe/Archives:
http://www.lists.apple.com/mailman/listinfo/augd
Do not post admin requests to the list. They will be ignored.