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Special Interest Groups (otherwise known as User Groups)

General information about each group is shown below. Remember, always check the calendar for changes or cancellations. All of the groups are led by volunteers. Some groups do not meet during the summer at all, and occasionally a SIG leader is ill or has an emergency at the last minute. If you enjoy coming to any of these groups, do get on the SIG leader’s mailing list to get up to the minute information or changes.

Chromebook Support

Led by Stew Bottof, this group focuses on getting the most out of Chromebooks.

Cut the Cable Presentation

Led by Stew Bottof. We cut high cost Cable TV bills using antennas and streaming technologies. I’m also concentrating on reducing the cost of our Internet. At this meeting I’ll have an presentation update and answer questions.

Cut the Cable Self-Help

Led by Stew Bottof. Cut the high cost cable bills using antennas and Amazon Firesticks. Bring in your Firestick (and remote) and we’ll help you install additional program sources plus answer your questions. Spend 2+ hours getting tips from fellow cord cutters.

Digital Music Meetup

Come to this group and learn how to make music using your computer!  We will be covering the ins and outs of digital music creation. The purpose of this group is to bring together musicians in the Tampa Bay area and help them make their music faster, easier, and sounding better!

EZ-Stock Trading

Led by Sue Tallmadge Meets the 2nd Tuesday of the month at 10am. If you are a serious investor, this is the place to hang out. Lots of strategies and resources: i.e. finding and using screeners, equity positions (buying, holding, selling, technicals, and alerts), options, and much, much more. Please bring your own stocks for sharing during Portfolio Selection.

The Tampa Bay Technology Center (TBTC) advises:
The financial content including all financial data, editorial content, provided at this SIG is intended for personal use and entertainment and does not constitute investment advice. Financial content that is heard here does not mean TBTC endorses this content. In addition TBTC makes no representation that financial information is accurate, complete or timely. TBTC does not accept any liability for any investment decisions made on the basis of this information. It is strongly recommended that you obtain professional advice before proceeding with any investment.

Podcasting

This group is held in our Podcasting Studio but is on hiatus due to the coronavirus.

Q & A with Howard

TBTC tech member, Howard, answers your questions on computing devices, smartphones, the Internet, etc.

Software Developers

Led by Tom Kiehl This group meets the 1st Tuesday of the month at 7pm. The VB SIG welcomes all members interested in programming in VB as well as other languages. All are invited to bring your coding triumphs and tribulations and share them with the
group. Topics covered are often impromptu discussions that may apply to Visual Basic, PHP, MysQL, C#, SQL Server and other platforms. One thing is for certain though, you’ll learn something new at every meeting of Tom Kiehl’s popular SIG.

Skeptic’s Corner

Led by Howard Gray. This SIG will look at interesting and/or controversial topics of our time using computer/internet support and invoke discussion.

Stocks, Options & Charts

Led by Wally Olopade.
The Tampa Bay Technology Center (TBTC) advises:
The financial content including all financial data, editorial content, provided at this SIG is intended for personal use and entertainment and does not constitute investment advice. Financial content that is heard here does not mean TBTC endorses this content. In addition TBTC makes no representation that financial information is accurate, complete or timely. TBTC does not accept any liability for any investment decisions made on the basis of this information. It is strongly recommended that you obtain professional advice before proceeding with any investment.

The Thinkers’ Salon (formerly Doc’s Café)

Led by Dave Dockery Meets the 4th Wednesday of the month at 7pm. Doc shows provocative videos designed to highlight a wide variety of issues and suggested solutions about our world and followed by the opportunity for attendees to discuss. The salon takes place on the 4th Wednesday of every month at 7-9pm.

US History

This lecture series is held by Howard Gray.

Windows by Bill

Led by Bill De Lucia This group meets each Tuesday at 1pm. We welcome all of the folks just starting into the world of computing. We meet every Tuesday afternoon at the Resource Center. Our emphasis is on word processing, greeting cards, and Internet
& e-mail basics. Our additional purpose is to help the novice become computer literate and suggest ways to keep out of trouble. All questions will be answered and treated with respect.

WordPress

This group is led by Sam Richardson. Each meeting will be comprised of a lecture / teaching portion and a troubleshooting / discussion portion. Meeting themes will include topics such as themes, plugins, security, contact forms, graphics, media, post and page tweaks, incorporating social media accounts, maintenance and anything else that comes along. The goal is to delve deeper into using WordPress and find new ways of getting more out of WordPress. Feel free to bring your specific topic or question, and we’ll try to include it. Please RSVP for each meeting at Meetup.com so we can be prepared for the number of attendees.