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On 1 Nov. 2008, I finally received a notification of a free MobileMe account after taking Apple Sales Training Online courses and quizzes to qualify in late September and early October. It was about mid-October when I passed the points threshold and the MobileMe course exam. In all, it took close to 3 weeks to get to this hurdle.
Below is the confirmation message (with the access code censored for obvious reasons) that I received. Its contents puzzled me. If I understand this, the MobileMe account will, at best, last about two-and-a-half months before it expires. Then, on New Year's Day 2009, it will vanish and I will have to pursue an entirely new MobileMe account.
The reason I pursued this account in the first place was to be able to use iWeb to make a simple web-site for the local MUG (it is a small, rural group with no treasury, and it is struggling in an economically depressed area where enthusiasm in technology is fleeting) to attract "new blood" by giving the group a web presence we currently lack. ARMUG was formed in 1995 at a local library, and I took over as Apple Ambassador in late 2005 when the previous Ambassador (an IT director for a prison) transferred out of the area. Since then, we have been discussing strategies for what we could do to better publicize the group and attract more people so we could get a critical mass to do things. In that sense, ARMUG's first ten years were a trial balloon of sorts, and now it's make or break time.
What puzzles me is how this MobileMe thing is supposed to be helpful to our group if it is going to expire within the same calendar year it was awarded. (??) Given this, I will have to wait until 1 Jan. 2009, take more ASTO training, earn another MobileMe account (maybe a couple of weeks in my spare time), then possibly wait until February for it to be awarded, post a web site to the "newer" account, and then watch it expire 31 Dec. 2009 and the process starts al over again.
Is this ASTO/MobileMe cheese-on-a-string worth messing with, or does everyone just pass it over?
--WA
Begin forwarded message: Date: November 1, 2008 11:00:52 AM EDT (CA) Subject: Apple MobileMe Activation Code for Walt Atwood
Dear Walt,
Congratulations!
You've earned a free membership to MobileMe.
Your unique activation key is: ***************************
READ THIS FIRST!!!
MobileMe activation codes will expire on 12/31/2008. We will not be able to reissue activation codes that have been lost or expired.
When you renew an existing free MobileMe account, your renewal date will automatically be set to one year from the date you renew.
Example: If your free MobileMe account is set to renew on October 1, 2008, and you renew your account on August 15, 2008, your renewal date will automatically be set to August 15, 2009.
This is the case whether you renew with a free MobileMe account key or pay to renew your free account (see below for details on paying to renew a free MobileMe account).
You may want to wait to renew your account until you’re closer to your renewal date. You can check your renewal date by clicking the "Account" link located in the top right side of the www.me.com member page (you may need to be logged in to see this link).
RENEWALS MAY TAKE PLACE ONLY WITHIN 60 DAYS PRIOR TO EXPIRATION
Your MobileMe account must be within 60 days of expiration before you can renew it. Expired accounts can be renewed, but homepages, backed-up files, email messages, etc. that you have stored on MobileMe may be lost.
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