Official Newsletter of the Tampa Bay Computer Society www.tampa-bay.org

Hello TBCS,

I have a lot to update you on, but very little time to do so.  I'm going to keep this message short and to the point.

Our own Howard Smith is honored!

The Federation of Genealogical Societies honored Howard with an award as the
outstanding "Volunteer of the Year" for 2005.  Way to go, Howard!

Howard is the SIG leader of 2 genealogy SIGs here at TBCS.  You can also find him assisting budding genealogists weekly at the Palm Harbor Library, and he occasionally finds the time to teach basic genealogy at area schools.

You can find a more detailed listing of his accomplishments as well as a profile of him in the October issue of the "Suncoast Searcher".

Congratulations, Howard.  We're very pleased for you.

Quest for a New Home

We have, FINALLY, signed a new 5-year lease!  We'll be staying in the same complex that we occupy now, but we'll be moving into a different building there.  We'll have over twice the room that we have now (AND we'll have over twice the rent and twice the expenses that we have now also).

We are hoping to make the move to our new home sometime in March of next year.  The Board of Directors has decided to raise our yearly dues from $30 to $40 (Associate memberships will remain $10).  The increase takes place as of March 1st of 2006.

Elections

Once again we will not need to hold an election at the December meeting.  We have 5 nominations for the Board and the very same number of positions are open.  Myself, Vern Goheen, Millie Jones, & Chuck Vroman will all be staying on for another 2-year term.  We'll be joined by Don Flinton.  Many of you have met Don at our repair clinic.  Don joined our repair crew, and has been volunteering his time for awhile now.  Welcome aboard the Board, Don.

Van Adams, Jim Boynton, Frank Bucca, & Lynne Robertson will remain for the moment.  Their terms of office will expire at the end of next year.

Club officers will also remain the same for the coming year:

	President:      Dave Dockery
	Vice President: Chuck Vroman
	Secretary:      Lynne Robertson
	Treasurer:      Millie Jones

Random Acts of Kindness Computer Clinic

I've been a slacker for the last several months.  I've put off scheduling another RAK event.  However, I'm getting fired up again.  I have scheduled the next RAK on Valentine's Day of 2006.  We'll take our topnotch crew of computer troubleshooters to the Palm Harbor Library on Tuesday, February 14th.  I'll be posting more details as the time draws nearer.

Computer Security Faire

Here's the big news: TBCS is going to sponsor a Computer Security Faire at the Largo Cultural Center on Wednesday, March 22nd.  This will be a very special event.  We plan on having an open invitation to the public to bring their wireless routers (AND computers if they desire), and we'll have a crew of technicians there to set up security on their router for them.

We will also have some security seminars throughout the day so that people can learn everything they need to know about computer security by attending. We will also be inviting local computer security companies to set up booths to sell their security solutions to attendees.

We've only just started the planning.  I'll keep you posted with updates via our weekly Bulletin as well as the Bits & Bytes.

We need more volunteers!

Our club is, in my opinion, at a turning point.  We need to do better at attracting and keeping members.  We increased our financial obligations substantially when we signed the new lease.  Our club only has two things that generate income: computer classes and memberships.  Classes provide a modest income, but TBCS memberships are our main source of revenue.

We've often been slipshod about club recruiting.  I think it's important for us to do better about getting out the word about what a wonderful deal we are.  If you want to help us, we are looking for volunteers for Public Relations and Membership Recruiting.  We would also like some "Greeters" at our monthly meetings who will explain to new members what their benefits are.

Please let us know if you are interested in taking a more active role in our club.  We'll do our best to match your skills to useful positions within TBCS.  If you're interested in volunteering with us, please write to the Club Secretary and let us know.

There's more to tell you about, but I just don't have any more time at the moment.  See you soon at either the Resource Center or the Largo Cultural Center!

Doc (Dave Dockery)