|
"From a saved backup. . ." |
|
|
"From a saved backup. . ." |
Getting the Word Out |
| In this column I hope to foster communication and support for 8-bit and ST computer owners... presenting a positive and direct approach. This will help to strengthen the users group base and encourage the executive element. |
| Another factor that infused my users group was what the newsletter editor did during the year after that fateful vote.... Last issue I shared about this vote. The Atari Boise Users Group was nearly dead. The membership came together for what might have been its last meeting. The six members voted to continue the group at the narrow margin of four to two. Part of the "yes" vote was to get more involved and develop a participating membership. One of our members, Tom Derrick, ccepted the job of Newsletter editor, and began to create the Home Computer News (HCN) on his recently acquired Atari ST and PageStream. |
| Tom's story is an interesting one. He is an electrician by trade. He uses his Atari computers (notice the plural) for both his business and his home. He is definitely sold on the ease of use of the Atari platform, and I would consider him a loyal diehard Atari owner. He is not a writer nor a publisher by trade nor education, but was willing to give the Atari Boise Users Group EDITOR position a try. He did it because he believed it was worthwhile. In the past year he has learned to use PageStream. Each newsletter demonstrates his developing ability. It's this newsletter that I want to focus on in this issue. |
| Since early in the ABUG's history there has been a newsletter. It was
an 8-bit monthly for many years, until Atari ntroduced the ST, then
it began its conversion to a predominantly ST informational guide. It was
a cute newsletter developed by and for the Atari diehard - mostly it was
a compilation of Z*Net and STReport on-line magazines. (We included tidbits
from AEO when it started.) In the year that the ABUG president was also
the ST Librarian and Newsletter editor, the newsletter evolved. The focus
of the users group was to support and help Atari computer owners, not just
the
diehards. Because of its visibility (at least in the group's member's homes), the newsletter was a good place to start that focus. |
| First, the name changed. The "Home Computer News" replaced "Atari BUG Newsletter" and we adopted the tag line, "The official monthly newsletter of the Atari Boise Users Group." I wanted a quality on the cover that would be acceptable at home or on my desk at work... and even at the local bookseller's freebie table. The format had previously changed, to a large 8 1/2 x 11 sheet with two to four pages from the original Atari BUG, a small 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 easy to carry pamphlet. The newsletter was redesigned to that original format. However, the laser quality beat the dot matrix of the old 8-bit newsletter by a landslide. We had a cover. We needed content. Content that would grab someone's attention. Something that would meet the needs of an Atari Computer owner. Talking about this agenda and asking members to write was my primary method to getting the change done. Then Tom took over the newsletter and things really got done. |
| Tom picked up where I left off. He kept the name "Home Computer News" and created an acronym, HCN. It's funny how labels like acronyms create an air of quality or importance. The personal computer is a very simple term that people can relate to. The acronym "PC" is now part of our vernacular. To millions of people, "PC" means COMPUTER. (Check this out, ask some non-computer people what "PC" means. The answers will probably surprise you). With the HCN, PageStream, and a host of ideas, Tom set out on his crusade to spread the news about Atari. |
| It has always been my contention that there are literally hundreds of unused Atari computers just sitting in closets or attics. Kids ask their parents, "What is an Atari?" The response probably is like, "It's just a game machine that looks like a computer. Software Etc. is not selling the games for it any more so we do not use it." These people are unaware that their investment is not a loss. We need to tell them, and provide a place for them to learn how to use it. Tom picked up this battle cry and took it further then I had done. |
| The first thing Tom did, after he figured out PageStream, was to get permission to put the HCN on the counters of local bookstores and computer businesses. How did he do it? Simple: He offered to put an advertisement for their store in the HCN at no charge. Free advertising for an unused 6 x 9 spot on the counter. "No problem." The HCN began showing up on counters all over town. Some did not want an advertisement, but would display the HCN anyway. |
| It was not long before I started getting phone calls. Solitary Atari computer owners were calling me. They did not know that there was an Atari users group in Boise. They wanted to know more. I got calls from people wanting to sell. I got calls from people wanting to buy. We started a classified section in the HCN. The magazine began to grow. |
| Tom offered advertising space to any member free of charge. Any buyer or seller got a free spot. People who wanted an Atari could buy one. As a result the ABUG membership grew. |
| Tom asked for writers. Not the way I did. I just asked if someone would write "anything." Tom asked for specifics. He pegged one of the MIDI musicians who was also a music teacher) to do a MIDI column. The guy turned him down. He did not think anyone would be interested. This reaction did not dismay Tom. He brought it up at the next meeting. He asked people if they thought information on MIDI would be of any help. As a result the MIDI musician learned that people needed good quality information on MIDI. So he started to write. |
| Tom also needed an expert to write on 8-bit computers. He helped to identify the need. One of our members was a baker. He used his 8-bit Atari to run his business. He needed information. There was a need. The 8-bit guru now writes articles for HCN. |
| I have read mail from many editors in the Atari community. The biggest complaint is not quantity of information. The on-line magazines offer much of that. The complaint is that their local members are not willing to contribute. Often the newsletter is a combination of the editor's writing and the on-line magazines. The newsletter is typically a one-man effort. He feels that nobody really cares. The quality of the material drops. When people do not seem to care, the editor gets more frustrated but is too much a die hard Atari owner to want to quit. |
| I learned one thing from what Tom did. The participation of the membership was vital to the growth of the group. The growth is a result of the users group truly meeting the needs of the membership, and reaching beyond the group to the Atari community. The Atari Users Group is NOT a spectator sport. This axiom applies: To get anything out of your users group, you must put something into it. Participation is important if a group is to succeed. |
| Here are some tips on developing a participating group:
1. Identify the assets of the group. Know who your members are. Learn what your members do and how they use their computers. If you have an electrician, have him share tips on properly connecting the Atari to the wall socket and why surge protectors are needed. 2. If you have a door prize or if you raffle off Atari software, make it a requirement (before the fact) that the winner must write a brief review for the newsletter. 3. Ask the members what they would like to know about. Make it a topic of discussion. Point fingers at the ones who can help with the needs brought up. If a member is thinking about getting into MIDI, maybe the MIDI guru could write a brief article about setting up the cables for a MIDI system. 4. Make the newsletter a point of support. Ask a knowledgable member to be the HELP DESK for a month or a quarter. Publish his phone number in the newsletter under a title of HELP DESK. Offer assistance for new Atari users. 5. Put advertising in your newsletters. Some will pay for a spot. The local copy centre might do it in lieu of payment for copying the newsletter. 6. Get visibility for the newsletter. Ask to put it in bookstores and computer stores. Offer to trade ad space for shelf space. 7. Encourage members to write about the programs they use. Show them it will help others to decide if they want the same program. Some members have fierce loyalty to a program. Ask them to put their reasons into an article. 8. Mail the newsletter to the users group members one week before the meeting date. It's a good reminder to attend. Sending the newsletter too early loses its "reminder quality." If it arrives a day before the meeting, it is too late for planning. I think seven days is a magic number in this case. 9. And in the words of Winston Churchill, "Never, never, never, never, never give up." |
| In the future we will cover Membership (methods of increasing it), Demos (where and how), etc.; and I will share from my own exploits as a users group president; the frustration and the elation. Stay tuned. |
 |