n a s h v i l l e m a c u s e r s | ||||||
...about Nashville Mac Users... MEMBER BENEFITS
Informal monthly general meetings for members and the public
Special Member discounts on hardware and software
Great web site, and members are invited to contribute and participate
Saturday "Hands-On" workshops
Special Interest Groups
Leadership opportunities open to all members
New "MacHELP" service for Mac technical support
Website access to "Member Only" areas, coming soonHOW TO JOIN What is MEMBERSHIP...? For some, it’s access. Access to information. Access to other members and their experience. For some, membership is entitlement. Entitlement to the benefits provided by the organization. Both of these function like a subscription, or a service for hire. Pay your dues and get your benefits.
Membership DUES are $24 a year for individuals, $30 a year for families,
$20 a year for students who include proof of full time enrollment, and $20 for
non-local folks beyond a 100 miles. Corporate memberships are $125.
Please make checks payable to: Nashville Mac Users
and mail...with Name, Address, Phones (h&w) and Email address to: (new address 11/08)
Rob Stack, 5200 Pritchett Drive, Nashville TN 37220
Questions...? write: info@macusers.com
For our group, in moderation, that kind of membership is understandable and acceptable. We can survive, as we have been, with this understanding of membership.
But we will not thrive. There will be no goose bumps. There will be little to get excited about. Vital people with the most to offer will go elsewhere to share and discuss what they are doing. The vital people who are exploring amazing things want feedback, and they value stimulation and encouragement from the examples set by other vital people.
Living membership as a subscription or service-for-hire will keep us where we are. If we want to move forward we must redefine ourselves. Redefine what it is to be a member.
I subscribe to a magazine called SHOTS, which regards its subscribers as contributors. Shots expects its subscribers to send photos to be published in the magazine. Of course some subscribers don't fully comprehend this and just receive magazines for their $20—but to a large number of people subscribing to SHOTS means being on the SHOTS team, being a reporter, a contributing writer and photographer, part of something bigger than themselves that grows and renews itself with each new contribution. Even if you’re not a photographer doesn’t this sound great?
Of course it does, and we can move toward something similar. Our planning folks are working on this—how to redefine membership, whether to have categories of membership, but especially how to transform everyone’s expectations and understanding so that user grouping and active participation are seen as synonymous. Our goal is to implement something new by September. Stay tuned...! -C.You Never Know What You're Gonna Get... A huge part of what makes a user group gathering valuable is serendipity. You can't be sure who else is going to show up, what will be said or shown, and how you'll most benefit by attending. But the collective possibility increases with each person who comes; even more so with each person who brings something to contribute. It's exactly like a pot-luck dinner... to have a great time and a good meal, you have to bring something special that you know how to make. If you want something from a user group gathering, first of all, come. To pump up the possibilities, bring something to contribute—a sample of something you've created on your Mac, or an internet address that you find particularly useful or funny. It will magnify everyone's chances to receive value. Your's too. Make a Difference: Be the Difference!
Not from Nashville...? We have many out-of-state members, and you are VERY welcome to join Nashville Mac Users. Joining a Mac user group puts you in touch with a network of Mac users and gives you access to important information and support (not to mention the special deals!). Whether you're a beginner or an experienced pro, user groups are an incredible resource. If you'd like to know if there's a Mac Group in your city, check Apple's User Group Info Site, or call 1-800-538-9696