By Mary Sheridan, President, Tampa PC Users Group
mcpease@mindspring.com

Plans are being firmed up for the FACUG fall conference. The conference will be held in Lakeland, FL at the Imperial Lakes Country Club, 6 Country Club Lane, Mulberry, Florida 33860. The conference date is Saturday, October 13, 2001 from 8:30 AM until 4:30 PM.

The FACUG (Florida Association of Computer User Groups) is the leading regional association of its kind in the country; FACUG is a southeast regional non-profit tax exempt association of independent computer user groups with 46 member groups, including PC and MAC groups. The group was founded in 1993 to assist user groups in the performance of their managerial and educational activities, to promote communications among local user groups, and to facilitate relations between user groups and the computer industry. FACUG is the successor organization to the Florida Suncoast Conference of PC User Groups. Suncoast was one of the early regional groups having been started in 1989 in Sarasota. (http://www.facug.org)

I am finalizing my plans to attend the fall event for the APCUG. APCUG (Association of Personal Computer User Groups) is an organization dedicated to helping member computer user groups succeed. The APCUG helps to foster communications by operating as an informal network between user group organizations and also with companies that provide computer related and Internet related goods and services. The APCUG also assists member groups in the fulfillment of their educational missions and activities by sharing with officers of member user groups the knowledge of what it takes for user groups to better serve their members. The APCUG operates as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. (http://www.apcug.org)

Microsoft is planning their next event on October 20^th at 10 AM. I’m not sure what TPCUG’s involvement will be, but I may need to ask for volunteers to work the event.

I will not run for president again. I think people get stagnant and complacent when they stay in one place for too long. I’d like to see the board at least shake up positions. The best situation is to find new people to come into the board, bringing new ideas and new energy. If it ends up being the same group of officers again, then at least we should switch positions on the board, so we all know how to do each others’ jobs. The member-at-large will present a roster of candidates at our October meeting. If you or anyone you know would make a good officer, please contact Kevan Sheridan(kevan57@tampabay.rr.com) (813-988-6480). Remember this is an election, and you can run for a position even though an existing officer may stand for re-election.