Re: Re(4): AUGD: Free Ride for Board Members?
Re: Re(4): AUGD: Free Ride for Board Members?
- Subject: Re: Re(4): AUGD: Free Ride for Board Members?
- From: Michael Horton <email@hidden>
- Date: Mon, 03 May 2010 01:13:01 -0700
- Thread-topic: Re(4): AUGD: Free Ride for Board Members?
>>> A User Group is neither a for profit enterprise or a cause. It's a
>>> non-profit group of people with a similar shared interest: a fan club.
>>
>> I agree that User Groups are now basically fan clubs... or social groups
>> that are bought together through a common interest of the devices and
>> software that one company produces.
I still don't get this "Fan Club" thing, but admit that I've not been to a
MUG meeting in over 15 years so maybe they are. When I used to go they
weren't. Sure, they existed for those of us who chose Apple products, but
everyone I knew in the meetings I attended joined because they wanted to
learn more about the product and how to use them better and hang out with
users who knew more than they did.
>>
>> But I disagree that a User Group can't be a "for profit" enterprize... as
>> there are groups out there that are exactly that - look at some of the Final
>> Cut Pro groups as a perfect example that works extremely well under a "for
>> profit" arrangement.
>>
> I respectfully disagree that a User Group can be truly "for profit".
> As I stated, a for profit organization is out there to make money.
> That's it's goal. User Groups are designed to bring people together.
> When looking at "what's good for the members" and "what makes money",
> a for profit venture would decide on money. While I'm sure it
> wouldn't do something "bad" to it's members, ultimately by it's
> definition it has to make a profit. Nothing wrong with for profit
> ventures, but to have someone volunteer in a for profit venture isn't
> really volunteering. It's giving of your time to make someone else
> money.
Boy, where to begin... How long do you think a for profit User Group would
last if it's only goal was to make money or even if it's top priority was to
make money? Furthermore, how long do you think it would last in this savvy
internet culture where anything above free is expensive? My membership just
happens to be that savvy internet culture. I've been doing this for 10 years
and making a profit for 7 of those 10 years. I must be doing something
right.
Look, there is a fine line between commerce and education and service when
it comes to running a group like I do and especially the kind of group I
run. I am constantly aware of it and reminded by it with every decision I
make. Do/did I ever cross the line? Sure, but rarely. And not because I
chose money over the best interests of my membership. That's just not in my
DNA or my mission statement. I know my audience VERY well after 10 years,
and know what they want and what they need and how to deliver it to them.
And because it's just me running the show, any mistake I make is quickly
resolved, and rarely if ever made again.
> I think the FCP groups are great, but are in a different league on
> every level than Apple User Groups. They have more in common with
> Macworld and WWDC , IMHO
No, we have nothing in common with Macworld any longer I'm afraid. The
Professional applications that make up Final Cut Studio are no longer part
of Macworld and haven't been for a few years.
And WWDC is for developers of applications and the Mac OS. We are story
tellers and most of us don't and can't and have no interest in coding.
Michael Horton
Los Angeles Final Cut Pro User Group
http://www.lafcpug.org
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