AWUGU: iCloud Experience
by Tom Piper, Coordinator
This Apple World User Group University online gathering of Apple user group leaders was held at 5:00pm CT, on January 18, 2021, via Zoom. We had 25 participants who joined for the topic of sharing the “iCloud Experience” (see attached PDF images and attendance list). The 122-minute video can be viewed at: https://youtu.be/gqPld3QCt0o (unlisted on YouTube).
This session opened with my new year welcome, plus a description of how Apple’s online services have evolved since the beginning of the Internet (see attached slides). I also introduced Doug Smith, Chair of the Apple User Group Advisory Board (AUGAB), who monitored the Chat Room and Zoom support.
An extensive open discussion followed about the detailed services provided in iCloud, including advantages, disadvantages and alternatives, with questions, answers and other information shared by many participants with specific links offered by:
- Victoria Herring of Des Moines Macintosh Users Group uses Mail Butler for the snooze function (https://www.mailbutler.io/apple-mail)
- David Ginsburg of Suburban Chicago Apple Users: recommended Retroactive to run older versions of Aperture, iPhoto, & iTunes (https://appleinsider.com/articles/20/10/27/how-to-run-aperture-iphoto-and-older-versions-of-itunes-on-macos-big-sur)
- pointed out that Take Control Books just updated Pages to version 3.0 with our 30% discount (https://www.takecontrolbooks.com/pages)
- access to past AWUGU files at iCloud.com/awugu (https://www.icloud.com/iclouddrive/0kF7XwYI98VG0fqvL86PJm02g#AWUGU)
- Chita Hunter of Naples MacFriends User Group has Pages videos which explains how to tell which templates are word processing vs layout (https://www.youtube.com/user/chitahunteronyt)
- George Brooks of Suburban Chicago Apple Users (vp@myscau.org) suggested that a Discount Offers Committee of user group leaders be formed to help identify more offers, and he volunteered to chair it if others would volunteer.
Additional discussion was held about suggestions for future meeting topics. Previous suggestions included sharing presenters & presentations, joint user group meetings, pro apps for Zoom, advising new user group members about what to purchase, migrating from old Macs to new Macs, and best method for Zoom presentations. New topics were offered including hybrid Zoom and face-to-face meetings, target new markets for user group members, and how Apple user groups to cooperative meetings and information sharing. The AWUGU iCloud resource area is available to share past meeting information at (https://www.icloud.com/iclouddrive/0kF7XwYI98VG0fqvL86PJm02g#AWUGU).
We are very pleased that this first meeting fo 2021, was enjoyable and helpful. Our next tentative meeting is scheduled for March 15, 2021 at 5:00pm Central Time with “User Group Interchange” as the topic. All AWUGU previous registrants will receive an invitation to all meetings.
To become a participant, any interested Apple User Group leader must first register with the AWUGU Coordinator by emailing their name, location, and user group name and web link to macquest@mac.com. Registration must be received by March 13 in order to receive a Zoom Meeting invitation (a download of the free Zoom app in advance is also necessary, and an update will be important for existing users).
