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                  ╒SER ╟ROUPS: ┴N ╔NTRODUCTION

┬Y: ─ALE ╥AY

╟┼NIE ┴DDRESS: ─.╥┴┘1


╔ AM GOING TO ATTEMPT TO DESCRIBE WHAT A COMPUTER USERS GROUP IS
AND WHY YOU SHOULD JOIN ONE.  ═OST OF YOU READING THIS ARTICLE
WILL HAVE ACQUIRED IT VIA ╟┼NIE OR FROM SOME OTHER
TELECOMMUNICATIONS SOURCE.  ┘OU WILL PROBABLY NOTICE THAT MANY
OF THE BENEFITS OF JOINING A USERS GROUP ARE SIMILAR TO THOSE OF
BELONGING TO A TELECOM NETWORK OR USING YOUR LOCAL ┬┬╙.  ╘HERE
ARE TWO MAJOR DIFFERENCES, HOWEVER.  ╒SUALLY A USERS GROUP WILL
COST LESS FOR THE SAME BENEFITS AND THE PERSON TO PERSON CONTACT
LACKING IN TELECOMMUNICATIONS IS A BIG PART OF BELONGING TO A
USERS GROUP.

╫HAT IS A ╒SERS ╟ROUP?

┴ COMPUTER USERS GROUP IS AN ORGANIZATION OF COMPUTERS/USERS WHO
HAVE A SHARED INTEREST.  ╘HIS INTEREST CAN BE COMPUTER TYPE, A
PARTICULAR OPERATING SYSTEM, A SPECIFIC LANGUAGE, OR EVEN
APPLICATION ORIENTED.

═OST USERS GROUPS ARE DEFINED BY COMPUTER TYPE.  ├OMMODORE,
┴TARI, AND ┴PPLE COMPUTER OWNERS ALL HAVE GROUPS DEDICATED TO
THEIR MACHINES.  ┴N EXAMPLE OF A GROUP SUPPORTING AN OPERATING
SYSTEM IS THE ╞IRST ╧SBORNE ╟ROUP (╞╧╟).  ╞╧╟ GREW FROM
SUPPORTING THE ╧SBORNE COMPUTERS TO SUPPORTING ├╨/═ IN GENERAL.
╘HERE IS AN ORGANIZATION DEDICATED TO USERS OF DESKTOP
PUBLISHING AND ╘HE ├╧═┴╠ ╒SERS ╟ROUP SUPPORTS THAT PARTICULAR
PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE.

╫HATEVER YOUR COMPUTING INTEREST, THERE ARE OTHERS WHO SHARE IT.
 ┴ND, THERE IS PROBABLY A GROUP THAT SUPPORTS IT!

╒SERS ╟ROUPS USUALLY HOLD REGULAR MEETINGS AND THEIR MEMBERSHIP
IS LIMITED TO A RELATIVELY SMALL GEOGRAPHICAL AREA.  ╙OME GROUPS
BECOME SO POPULAR THAT THEY CAN OVERCOME GEOGRAPHICAL
LIMITATIONS AND ATTRACT MEMBERS NATIONALLY OR EVEN
INTER-NATIONALLY.  ╘WO SUCH GROUPS ARE ╞╧╟, MENTIONED
PREVIOUSLY, AND THE ╘ORONTO ╨ET ╒SERS ╟ROUP (╘╨╒╟).

╘HESE GROUPS SHARE THE COMMON GOAL TO PROMOTE THE INTERESTS OF
THEIR MEMBERS BY PROVIDING MEANS OF INTERCHANGING INFORMATION,
PREFORMING SERVICES, AND USUALLY AN EXCHANGE OF PUBLIC DOMAIN
SOFTWARE.

╔NFORMATION ┼XCHANGE/┼DUCATION

╒SERS GROUPS CAN PROVIDE A WEALTH OF INFORMATION TO THEIR
MEMBERS.  ╬OT ONLY WILL YOU BE SURPRISED HOW MUCH YOU CAN LEARN,
YOU WILL ALSO BE SHOCKED AT HOW MUCH YOU KNOW.  ╞OR EVERY
OPPORTUNITY YOU HAVE TO LEARN SOMETHING AS A MEMBER OF A USERS
GROUP, YOU WILL FIND AN OPPORTUNITY TO ANSWER A QUESTION BY
ANOTHER MEMBER.  ╘HIS GIVE AND TAKE OF INFORMATION IS THE HEART
OF ANY USERS GROUP.

┴ USERS GROUP ACCOMPLISHES THIS INFORMATION EXCHANGE IN MANY
WAYS.  ╘HE MOST IMPORTANT IS THE NEWSLETTER.  ┼VERY USERS GROUP
╔ KNOW OF PRINTS A NEWSLETTER.  ╘HIS NEWSLETTER INFORMS MEMBERS
OF GROUP NEWS, BUT ALSO SERVES AS  A FORUM FOR MEMBERS TO PASS
ALONG THEIR FIRST HAND KNOWLEDGE TO OTHERS.  ═EMBERS WRITE HOW
TO ARTICLES, REVIEWS, AND COMPUTER NEWS ITEMS FOR THESE
NEWSLETTERS.  ╙O, EVEN IF YOU CAN'T ATTEND THE MEETINGS, YOU CAN
BENEFIT FROM MEMBERSHIP IN THE GROUP.

╙PEAKING OF MEETINGS, THAT IS THE SECOND WAY INFORMATION GETS
EXCHANGED IN A USER GROUP.  ┴T THEIR MEETINGS GROUPS OFTEN
DEMONSTRATE THE LATEST HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE, GIVE TUTORIALS ON
VARYING ASPECTS OF THE COMPUTER WORLD, AND HAVE QUESTION AND
ANSWER SESSIONS TO HELP MEMBERS.

╔F THE ORGANIZED ACTIVITIES AREN'T ENOUGH YOU CAN ALWAYS FIND
SOMEONE BEFORE OR AFTER THE MEETING TO HELP YOU WITH A PROBLEM.
╘HIS IS SO MUCH A PART OF BELONGING TO A USERS GROUP THAT OUR
GROUP SETS ASIDE TIME DURING THE MEETING TO BREAK FROM PLANNED
ACTIVITIES JUST TO MINGLE AND ┬╙.

╙┼╥╓╔├┼╙

╧NE OF THE FIRST SERVICES YOU'LL NOTICE AS A MEMBER OF A USER
GROUP IS ITS PUBLIC DOMAIN SOFTWARE LIBRARY.  ╘IRED OF SPENDING
MONEY ON TELECOM SERVICES AND PHONE CALLS TO ┬┬╙ES?  ╧FTEN THE
PROGRAM YOU SEEK IS IN THE USER GROUP LIBRARY.  ═ANY TIMES YOU
CAN SAVE MONEY BY BELONGING TO A USERS GROUP.

┴NOTHER SERVICE PROVIDED IS GROUP PURCHASE OF EQUIPMENT.  ╘HE
GROUP ╔ BELONG TO BOUGHT A ═AC╔NKER TO RE-INK PRINTER RIBBONS.
╫E CHARGE MEMBERS ONLY FIFTY CENTS TO RE-INK A RIBBON.  ┴NOTHER
WAY TO SAVE ON EQUIPMENT IS THROUGH GROUP BUYS IN VOLUME TO
BRING DOWN COST.  ╨APER, MAILING LABELS, AND DISKS ARE ITEMS
THAT LEND THEMSELVES TO THIS TACTIC EASILY.
╥EFERENCE LIBRARIES ARE MAINTAINED BY MANY USER GROUPS.  ┘OU ARE
ALLOWED TO BORROW FROM THIS LIBRARY JUST AS YOU WOULD A PUBLIC
LIBRARY.

╫HERE ╘O ╞IND A ╒SERS ╟ROUP

┴SKING YOUR "COMPUTER FRIENDS" WILL PROBABLY TURN UP A USERS
GROUP THAT COVERS YOUR INTERESTS.  ╔F THAT DOESN'T WORK A
QUESTION POSTED ON A LOCAL ┬┬╙ WILL NORMALLY BRING A RESPONSE.
╚ERE ARE SOME OTHER ALTERNATIVES.

├OMPUTER ╙HOPPER PRINTS A LIST OF USERS GROUPS EACH MONTH.  ╘HIS
LIST IS MAINTAINED BY THE ╞IRST ╧SBORNE ╟ROUP.

╠EN ╠INDSEY WRITES A ╒SER ╟ROUP ╞ORUM FOR ╔╬╞╧ MAGAZINE.  ╚E
OFTEN PRINTS ADDRESSES FOR GROUPS THAT HAVE CORRESPONDED WITH
HIM.

├OMPUTE!'S ╟AZETTE PRINTS A LIST OF ├OMMODORE USERS GROUPS EACH
═AY/╩UNE.  ╘HEY ALSO PRINT MONTHLY UPDATES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS.

╥╒╬ MAGAZINE WILL SEND YOU A LIST OF USERS GROUPS IN YOUR STATE
IF YOU SEND A STAMPED SELF-ADDRESSED ENVELOPE TO:

┬ETH ╩ALA
╥╒╬ ═AGAZINE
80 ┼LM ╙╘.
╨ETERSBOROUGH, ╬╚ 03458

╔N CONCLUSION ╔'D LIKE TO SAY THAT USERS GROUPS ARE AN EXCELLENT
WAY TO EXPAND YOUR COMPUTER KNOWLEDGE, SAVE YOU MONEY, AND MAKE
USING YOUR COMPUTER EASIER AND MORE ENJOYABLE.