Apple

I'd like to quickly share a very pleasant experience I had today. Another senior member of my MUG and I spent several hours with two volunteers from our local PC user group at a large table in a nearby mall. We had a banner across the front promoting Central New York Computer User Groups, running presentations of our groups on laptops, handing out literature, answering questions, and generally having fun together. Our local Linux UG was supposed to be there too, and were listed on the banner along with us, but they didn't show. That didn't stop us from sending people who asked about a Linux group towards that group's website. There was no platform bashing, not even in jest. It was a total cooperative event and a success in everyone's view. We didn't have a tremendous response but enough that we were very pleased with it as an early public effort. We are already tossing around a few changes for the next one.

This is only the latest of several joint programs we have been involved in together. We have invited each other to meetings with topics of cross platform interest. We have put on presentations at each other's groups. We have held joint strategy meetings to figure out how to use our combined strength to make user groups a better experience for everyone in Central New York State. Most of the mingling is still at the leadership level, but it's a start. It shows that, whatever the platform, we're in this for the same purposes.

Paul Richards, Ambassador

Syracuse Macintosh Users Group

Syracuse, NY, USA

http://www.iSMUG.com