This page is put aside each issue for the exclusive use of
Birmingham User Group
Do you realise how many areas of responsibility there are in
organising a User Group? We may not be fully undertaking them all but
the ideas are all there and can be fulfilled if enough members want
them to be. Or would you rather come along each meeting just for a
social evening? The committee don't mind if that is what you want, it
is far easier just to book the room and let everybody get on with it.
The reason for saying all this is that the response to the items
mentioned in the last Club Call was very poor - in fact almost
nonexistent. Thanks to the member who suggested an alternative meeting
place, which we will look into, but apart from that nothing. Nobody is
interested in Special Interest Groups. Nobody is interested in
education. Is that really true?
In the future certain people on the committee will assume
responsibility for the various areas of interest so that you will know
who to approach when you have any ideas or want to participate.
Starting at the top, Mike Reynolds-Jones will be responsible for
arranging demonstrations and for liaison with retailers. Mike Aston
will be responsible for education, maintaining notice boards and
future projects. Keith Mason's responsibilities will include the
libraries, Special Interest Groups, special events and looking after
the hardware. Angus Irons, who is now Treasurer in place of Steve
Gould, will assume overall responsibility for merchandising, but other
individuals will be looking after specific items. Mike Reynolds-Jones
will be looking after sales of cassettes produced by the Club. Steve
Gould will be handling the sate of second-hand software as well as
running the software library and selling blank cassettes. Colin
Boswell has found a supply of disks at very reasonable cost whilst
Julian Bailey will be looking into the possibility of producing tee
shirts and badges. There is even more! Colin Boswell will be in charge
of a technical library and Les Ellingham will assist in getting people
together in Special Interest Groups. Overall responsibility for
ensuring that you get a copy of the magazine will belong to Mike
Aston. That's it. It is up to you to make best use of whatever can be
arranged.
For those of you who have missed the last meetings, we had a
demonstration of an American Atari 800 and an American monitor. You
know the magazines keep talking about artifacting which when you try
it produces nice wishy-washy pastel shades on your TV? Not in America
it doesn't. Those programs are in full living colour! You wouldn't
recognise some of the programs you thought you knew. If you have the
money, it is worth investigating the possibility of importing an
American machine and monitor.
Finally, a test to see how many of you are interested in special
demonstrations. Mike Reynolds-Jones would like to get together a
demonstration of business software for the Atari with everything he
can lay his hands on including AtariWriter, Letter Perfect, Data
Perfect, File Manager 800, Financial Wizard, Chipsoft packages and
more. If you have any interest in business put your name down. See
Mike Reynolds-Jones.
For the next Club Call I want reports from each of the people
responsible for the areas outlined above and from any individual
member who wants to say something. The copy date will be 1st August.
Please write it down.
Les Ellingham
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