 The magazine of the Melbourne PC User Group Pres Said John Beck |
I am not sure if Ash is casting a compliment or aspersions when he suggests that if there are no new faces on committee, you will get another year's worth of the same. I guess it is up to the members to judge if the current committee have been effective. Last year having stood in as Vice President several times, I know over a period in excess of twelve months what value they have been, as I have been very closely associated with them. I was sorry when Ash resigned from committee, and no sweet talking could make him change his mind. We always think that the editor should be a committee member as he or she then knows the future planning and objectives and the reasons for them. That ensures that no gaffes are made in editorials which encroach on management decisions.
The running of the office went well during the absence of David Sloan and David Owen. We thank Nanette for filling the administrative position. Many times I had difficulty in ringing the office. It appears that there are a lot of telephone calls to the office. The suggestion was put to Nan that if she was very busy to put the answering service on line in order to complete a task. If you were affected by this action I trust you will understand. As you will see from the Treasurer's report the administrative costs have risen quite sharply without a proportionate increase of membership. In the quest of economy, is your call really necessary? Many calls just ask if a meeting is on, the details of which are in PC Update or the Age. Except for the occasional error these are correct. At times members call personally into the office and spend time chatting. It is nice to chat with friendly people like the ones in the office, but while you chat the administration officer is not doing what he is paid for. (He is too polite to tell you so.) The inevitable outcome will be that the subscriptions will have to be raised to meet the cost of time spent chatting. Please take these comments in the spirit in which they are raised. If you are the boss, or would your boss condone ten or twelve people chatting with you every morning. One answer is to attend one of the SIG meetings where you can chat at length, except at the PD SIG where you will be told to go home as 11 p.m. approaches. Yes PD people would stay all night given the chance.
Since the annual membership is renewable on the anniversary of joining after December 1988, reminder notices are not being advised as a matter of course. Approximately 1000 members have not renewed their subscription in the last twelve months, our gains for the year have been dissipated. To chase these people would cost $410 in postage alone, and at least the same amount in preparing a reminder notice. The renewal date is printed on the mailing label, so keep a watchful eye each time yours arrives. Only one PC Update will be sent after the subscription is due. If you have not had a magazine you are not financial, also you will not see this reminder because you didn't receive a magazine. (There's a hole in the bucket dear Liza.)
I had a call from Miklos Bolvary advising that he will not be available to nm the central and eastern New User SIGs. Numbers have fallen off and as he has to use public transport (and he carries a desktop PC too), the effort on consecutive nights is too great. Thank you Miklos for the good work you have done, and many new users will be grateful for your help. If anyone will take on the role of new user co-ordinator please advise the office. This is an opening for a not-so-new user to help others.
In November Philippe Kahn founder and chairman of Borland International will
be in Australia. Unfortunately the timing does not fit in with our meeting night. However Tech Pacific are
giving our Group 2000 invitations to attend a talk by him. The invitations will be sent by post. (Ed: when
he talks to the BCS members in Boston, he has been known to distribute free copies of Borland software.
Here's hoping!) The administration will generate a set of mailing labels by postcode. Further details
will be added to the mailing label (hopefully).
Reprinted from the November 1989 issue of PC Update, the
magazine of Melbourne PC User Group, Australia
