What's Our Computer Group Worth?

All of the members of the Sarasota Personal Computer Users Group (SPCUG) welcome you. The following are a series of informational items intended to help you "get started."

The Sarasota Personal Computer User Group (SPCUG) is a non-profit volunteer organization of computer users with all levels of expertise. You will part of one of the largest computer user group’s in the country, with approximately 1,000 members.

Meetings are held the first Wednesday of each month at the Sarasota Middle School on Ashton Rd. New Member Orientation begins at 6:00 p.m. and takes place in Room 625, just outside of the Cafeteria Building. If you miss the orientation meeting, we strongly suggest you attend the next month’s orientation.

The General Membership Meeting (main presentation) starts at 7:00 p.m., featuring speakers from various computer software and hardware and service companies. .

The Meeting Schedule is listed on the back cover of the PC Monitor, our monthly newsletter, along with a map of the school grounds. The activity calendar is on the inside with locations, dates, and times. A membership application can also be found on the inside back cover. All this information can also be found on our website at http://www.spcug.org

Get your name badge from the badge table when you arrive. (Your attendance is recorded and the membership total helps us attract quality presenters.) If you are a new member, proceed to the membership table to receive your temporary membership card. The Membership table opens at 5:15 p.m. YOU MUST HAVE YOUR MEMBERSHIP CARD SCANNED AT EVERY MEETING IN ORDER TO ENTER THE VENDOR/Door Prize DRAWING. Also note that the badge table closes promptly at 7:00 p.m. Your permanent membership card will be available at the membership badge table the next month.

Free products from the presenters are available to members only. You must be present and have your name badge to win. The computer randomly draws winning numbers. Don’t miss this tremendous opportunity to take home some free software/hardware!

A special drawing is also available to anyone who wishes to obtain a piece of software or hardware for a raffle ticket. Tickets are sold at every meeting. The raffle drawing takes place every three months. Tickets are drawn at the end of the night, you need not be present to win.

Membership is $35.00 per year. Family membership is $50.00, which includes a spouse and any children under 18 years living at home. A student membership is available to full-time students attending a high school or local university.

As a member you receive twelve issues of the Sarasota PC Monitor, an award winning monthly newsletter with regular columnists, reviews of software and hardware products and articles focusing on users helping users. Some columns are from computer professionals who provide advice in such areas as future hardware advances, changes in the industry, the Internet, system maintenance tips and other informative issues.

Informational technical support from knowledgeable members via telephone is available. Check the website for names and phone numbers of people to contact. Members volunteer their time in an effort to help you understand a particular software or hardware product. For at-home assistance, seek out the various computer consultants who advertise in the Monitor.

Software reviews are available to all members of SPCUG. Write a publishable review within 30 days of being assigned the review product and you get to keep that particular piece of software! The software is provided to SPCUG and reviews are sent to the vendor. What better incentive is there to get a quality piece of software at no cost?

The Yahoo Group is available on our Website. Post a question and get other member’s helpful advice.

Special Interest Groups (SIG’s) are conducted regularly to enhance your computer knowledge and are available at NO COST to SPCUG members. SIG leaders are knowledgeable and helpful volunteers. Most classes are held at the Boys & Girls Clubs on Fruitville Rd. . We feature classes for all levels of experience. One of our most popular classes is the “Getting Started” SIG, conducted by Dr. Bob Thommes. Classrooms are equipped with all material needed for the class you are attending. There are also forums held on the night of the monthly meeting in classrooms just off the main auditorium. Refer to the back cover of the PC Monitor magazine for time and location, or refer to our Website. Officers, committee and SIG leaders are listed on page 3 of the PC Monitor. For additional information, there is a SIG table at the General Meeting for your questions, or email the SIG Chairman at sig@spcug.org

Subscribe to our FREE email service by filling out the email address form available at the monthly meetings or send your name and email address to president@spcug.org and indicate that you would like to be placed on the SPCUG email service program. Subscribers will receive:

Notification of changes in schedules

Notification of special events

Other updates

Any questions? Please email president@spcug.org or visit our website at http://www.spcug.org. You can also contact us by phone locally at (941) 866-1676.

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