1. Elections
2. APCUG Annual Conference
3. 2006 Membership Drive
4. Consumers Trust Each Other More Than Advertising
5. Program Ideas
6. Microsoft Intergeneration Day Photo Story Contest

1. Elections. Has your group voted? Voting closes on November 30 at 11:59 pm EST. The APCUG Representative (or President) for each eligible member group (more than 25 members) was sent a user name and password along with a link to our online voting. If you have any questions, please contact Rich Schinnell, OLS Chair at election05@apcug.net.
2. APCUG Annual Conference. The conference will be held at the Stardust Hotel & Casino from January 2 through lunch on the 5th. You have until November 30 to register for the conference at the $100.00 fee. After that date, the cost is $150.00. Please remember to make your hotel reservations by December 2 to obtain the APCUG conference rate. Registration information may be found at http://conference.apcug.org/  and hotel information at http://apcug.net/events/conference06/index.htm   click on Hotel Information.
3. 2006 Membership Drive. Annual membership for the Association of Personal Computer Users Groups is $50.00. Invoices will soon be sent to all groups but you can already renew your membership in APCUG online by completing the form at http://apcug.net/contacts/forms/renewal_application.htm  After you Submit the form, you will have the option of paying by check or credit card. Groups renewing by 12/31/05 will be entered in the renewal conference contest. Three groups renewing by that date will win a prize donated by one of APCUG’s vendors (thanks to David Steward, Advisor, Region 8). The winning group names will be pulled at the Annual Conference (winner does not need to be present).
4. Consumers Trust Each Other More Than Advertising. Among one of the many benefits of belonging to a User Group is the ability to talk with members who use a program or product you are interested in purchasing, or to have it demonstrated by a vendor or group member at a meeting. User Group members are not hesitant to share their computer knowledge with even total strangers and are often asked by friends and relatives for advice regarding computer-related purchases. The below information, taken in part from an e-mail from Andy Marken, Marken Communication, affirms that User Group members are influential in the electronics industry.

The "2005 Consumer-Generated Media (CGM) and Engagement Study" a new study of consumer behavior by Intelliseek Inc., reports that consumers are 50 percent more likely to be influenced by word-of-mouth recommendations from their peers than by radio/TV ads. Consumer trust toward traditional advertising is being challenged by growing confidence in consumer-generated-media (CGM), and the recommendations of other consumers.

The research also finds important correlations between consumers who regularly skip over or delete television or online ads and those who create, and absorb consumer-generated media (defined as experiences, opinions and advice posted on the Internet by consumers for others to read and share). "Active ad skippers " are 25 percent more likely to create and respond to Internet message boards, forums and blogs.

Intelliseek CEO Mike Nazzaro said "The advertising landscape is... forcing marketers to broaden and redefine the concepts of media, influence and audience reach. If consumer-generated media is the most effective and trusted form of advertising, it's critical that marketers begin to measure, manage and influence it..."

Key findings from the analysis:

• Word-of-mouth behavior among "familiars" trumps all forms of advertising and is more trusted than news or "expert commentary."
• Positive word-of-mouth from a personal acquaintance carries just as much impact as negative word-of-mouth.
• Consumers are on track to post close to 2 billion comments on the Internet by the end of 2005.
• Key industries susceptible to GCM influence are health/medical, auto, electronics, video games and music.

5. Program Ideas. We are always looking for different program ideas or just a jazzy meeting title. One place where you can find new ideas is to check out the Online Newsletter list on www.apcug.net or the newsletters that you receive from other groups. Here are a few ideas from those sources:

Toy Time Show and tell - Geek Toys for the Holidays / Kennebec Valley Computer Society

Vandals, Tramps and Thieves: User’s Guide to an Existence Free of Hackers, Spam & Spyware – Boeing Employees’ Computing Society Joint meeting with your local Genealogy Society – Colorado River Computer Club Joint meeting with your local camera club – Antelope Valley Microcomputer User Group Using Mail Merge to help lessen the burden of sending out all of your Holiday Greeting cards – Alaska Computer Society PC User Group Computer Tutor Session – Napa Valley PCUG has a member do a short tutorial during this session Orange County IBM PC Users’ Group – Win a Free Yahoo E-mail Account. OK, we all know it’s free but a vendor cancelled at the last minute so the group held a drawing to set up a free account for a member and showed everyone else how easy it is to have a throw-away e-mail address to collect Spam. Alternative to Microsoft: Try Linux without touching your hard drive! – SouthWest International Personal Computer Club. This meeting was based around a review of Marcel Gagne’s book and accompanying CD. Internet Explorer Tips and Tricks based on an article by Richard O. Johnson, TUGNET September PUSH article 29 Useful Bookmarks by Richard Johnson, TUGNET – August PUSH article Search Engine Tips & Tricks by Richard Johnson, TUGNET – July PUSH article

6. From the Microsoft Mindshare (User Group Program) Newsletter …