It’s time to get the Springfield News-Leader to include in the Technology section of the Sunday paper, a calendar of the week’s upcoming computer user group meetings. Mick mentioned several groups on Saturday. I have talked with Larry Lathem of Apple Squires and their group is also interested in accomplishing this calendar. I asked Mick to write a paragraph for me and it is as follows:

“Computer user group members are aware of the irritations, and even security threats, that are becoming an epidemic on the internet. But we are not the easy victims—the non-members are much easier. Imagine you had never heard of a ‘phishing scam’, you had just got a computer, and here is an email from your credit card company… It all looks like magic anyway, so you may likely believe that you need to just click the link, and give the ‘company’ all your information, including your ATM PIN number! The public needs a lot of education on the risks, and the computer user groups are a very good way to learn about how to reduce your risks—but the public doesn’t know about computer user groups. There needs to be some media exposure about them so that the public can find out, and come to meetings just to understand the basics.

With this objective in mind—telling people about computer user groups, so they can learn about the risks of the Internet, we need to encourage the News-Leader to publish a weekly note, about 2 column inches, listing the computer user group schedules and meetings so that new people can find us. If you feel the same way, feel free to contact the paper to let them know how you feel. User groups that are good resources for basic computer training are: ICON, Nucom, Ozlug, and Apple Squires.

Now, after the newspaper tells folks about us, we have to step-up to the responsibility of welcoming, and helping the new folks. If we can educate enough folks, maybe the phishers, scammers, virus-writers, and other vermin will go out of business and have to get another job.”—Mick Topping

Another interest we want to try is having a computer Hardware Special Interest Group to include hands-on what to do when everything just stops. How to add memory: Or a new hard drive: Or replace a power supply or motherboard in your computer. If you’d be interested in attending this type of SIG, please email Terry or David or post it on the Forum.

See you at the next meeting,

Mary Phillips, President