Making User Groups Work
		When Bill McEwen acquired Amiga from Gateway last year, he cited his main reason for doing so was the Amiga community. However, that community would be far less valuable if it weren't for the efforts of user groups throughout the world. These worldwide user groups accomplished great things over the last few years, and are a big reason the Amiga continues to this day. While Amiga user group numbers have fallen, it doesn't mean that the user group experience has faltered. Some of the ingenious things Amiga user groups have done have enhanced the Amiga experience into a tight knit community. User groups filled in the gaps left behind by the mainstream PC community. For example: Gateway Amiga sponsors an annual Amiga show in St. Louis. Amiga Atlanta is noted for their charity work with the Special Olympics. SEAL of the UK puts together a very nice magazine, as do the French groups AFLE and TRIPLE A. NCAUG has sponsored the blimp-cam and IRC show coverage. And the international virtual group Team AMIGA is a veritable customer support group. No other platform has user groups so involved and so responsible for maintaining a platform's viability. So what does it take to make your user group an enjoyable experience? Not much actually. It just takes some smart planning and organization to get things going. You'll find that there are many folks eager to see the latest software and hardware, get their questions answered, or shoot the breeze with like-minded people. The good news is that you don't have to go it alone either. There are many companies, resources, and other user groups just waiting to lend a helping hand, but first let's cover the formalities. Amiga user groups vary in size and organization. Some of the smaller groups have 10 or fewer members while some of the larger groups (particularly those in Europe) have hundreds of members. Some user groups have no formal charters in place while others have achieved official not-for-profit status with their local governments.
		After your group has decided whether to incorporate or not, and has elected or appointed some key officers (President, Treasurer, etc.) you will need to find a place to meet and to get the word out. If your group is small, then any member's home will suffice for a meeting place. This can be a nice arrangement. Not only will you have access to an Amiga for meeting topics, you won't have to use the group's funds to rent a room. There should be various community centers, schools, libraries, offices, and universities that have rooms to offer for free or for a small fee.
		Getting the word out about your new user group shouldn't be hard in this day of the Internet. Setting up a web page and registering it with some of the many Internet search engines is a big plus. Posting announcements to Amiga forums and newsgroups is another good way to get the word out. Many localities have free computer publications like 'Computer User' that list groups in their area for free. Lastly, many cable companies and radio stations offer free air time that you can take advantage of to promote your non-commercial group. With your user group all set up and ready to go, your next task is to consider the meeting topics and activities your group will undertake. Not every meeting has to be an elaborate multimedia event, but some good planning can make for a better experience for all. While hardware and software offerings for the classic Amiga are a bit thin right now, there are still many releases (commercial and shareware) that users would be interested in seeing demonstrated at a meeting. Naturally, when the new Amiga is released, there will be a great deal of attention placed on new products. Another important area for the Amiga is networking. Showing how you can network your Amiga to PCs and Macs and other cross platform topics can help folks find value in using their Amigas. Presenting tutorials of application software, like Pagestream, ImageFX, Wordworth, Imagine, Tornado, etc., or showing hands-on how to install a graphic card or other hardware will certainly keep members interested. Of course, playing the latest game release is always a good choice for a user group meeting. Occasional special meetings can also help keep up morale and attendance. Annual swap meets and cookouts break up the normal routine. Swap meets can help you drum up some cash as well and lessen the clutter in your closet, and cookouts are always a crowd pleaser. For example, once a year members of the National Capital Amiga Users group drive up to Software Hut in Philadelphia and have a day of food, fun, and special discounts. Many Amiga dealers are more than happy to participate in these types of user group events.
		Anyone who knows Lamar Morgan and the Amiga Atlanta user group understands the great work they have done in supporting the Special Olympics. When IBM dropped their support of the Special Olympics, Mr. Morgan saw an opportunity to increase the Amiga's exposure for a good cause. Because of Mr. Morgan's efforts, Amiga is now the exclusive platform of the Atlanta Special Olympics. This is something most user groups could accomplish. Mr. Morgan invites all Amiga user groups to see how they can participate with their local organizer. If interested, please call Norm Sterling of the Special Olympics at 770-414-9390 ext. 102 and tell him Lamar Morgan sent you. But it doesn't end there. Through Amiga Atlanta's hard work and involvement with the Special Olympics Amiga Sprint will now offer all Amiga groups in the US fee-free usage of their special long distance conferencing accounts. Lamar hopes that one day a group of Amiga user groups link up in a large meeting using this special account. Those interested should contact Lamar Morgan at 770-209-4011 or go to the Amiga Atlanta website at http://www.amigaatlanta.org/. With the new Amigas to arrive soon, now is the time to start planning a new user group or to gear-up your current user group for the next generation. Until then, there are many things you can do to keep the fire going at your user meetings. Whether your group joins in a picnic chatting about Amigas, reviews the latest software, or participates in a local charity event, your user group experience can still be enjoyable. No matter what size user group you're working with, the first place you should visit to get information on how to operate a user group is the User Group Network, or UGN (http://ugn.amiga.org/). The UGN provides vital information for all Amiga user groups. A search from the Amiga.org homepage (http://amiga.org/) for user groups you will yield a complete listing of Amiga user groups worldwide. In addition to the great info on user groups, you will find a wealth of Amiga knowledge and support from the Amiga.org website. If you would like Amiga to advertise in your group's newsletter, or to sponsor a local sports team, contact Kari at mailto:kari@amiga.com. Amiga would also like to hear suggestions or comments about user group activities and events at the same address.