2002 Favorite Vendors

Referred to as the "Vendor of the Month" or "VOM"

[*]   VOM: Deneba

[*]   VOM: MYOB, Inc.

[*]   VOM: Peachpit Press

[*]   VOM: Interstate Batteries

[*]   VOM: Aladdin Systems

[*]   VOM: Soldier of Fortune II comes to Mac X

[*]   VOM: Mediafour

[*]   VOM: Casady & Green

[*]   VOM: Corel

[*]   VOM: Amazon.com
 

VOM: Deneba

This month we are looking at Deneba Software. One of their products, Canvas started out as a program that was an update to MacPaint/MacDraw and SuperPaint. Which were their main competitors at the time and the others didn't have the feature set of Canvas. It has since blossomed to much more. In addition to the graphic (paint & vector) features today it also has major page layout and presentation capabilities. I have used it for years since it is a much less expensive to the alternative group of products from Adobe.
Curtis Christensen, is the Public Relations Manager and the user group contact. He can be reached at
Of course, they do have downloadable versions of their software at the web site. See the product line up at: http://www.deneba.com/products/default.html

While they do not have regional representation, Curtis is willing to do a limited number of demonstrations a year at groups around the country.
If you are interested in having Curtis do a presentation or signing up for one of your members to do a presentation, a User Group President must contact Curtis and provide him with the following:
* URL of your groups web site.
* Membership numbers
* Demographics of the members
* COMPLETE and ACCURATE contact information, including phone number, email and mailing address. NO P. O. Box PLEASE!
He will provide a NFR copy of Canvas 8 Professional Edition in the appropriate OS to the club that promises:
* Review the product and
* Publish the final review on the club's web site and in the club's newsletter.
Additional marketing materials will be provided for distribution during the general membership meeting when Canvas is discussed.
Curtis of course can't do all presentations that are requested. So if after contacting him, it turn out that yours is one he can't get to, he will make arrangements with the group President to handle a locally produced presentation meeting. Another restriction on the presentation is that the club must have a decent quality LCD projector (at least 800x600) to be used for the presentation.
For his personal presentations, he will give priority to clubs that can GUARANTEE a minimum of 50-60 minutes for the presentation. An additional 15-30 minutes should be set aside after the main meeting to allow him an opportunity to answer individual member questions and to allow attendees the opportunity to purchase Canvas on site.
Curtis also served on the Board of the Gold Coast Macintosh User Group for about 9 years, so he knows user groups and their needs.
http://www.deneba.com/products/default.html

VOM: MYOB, Inc.

Todd Salkovitz is the designated MYOB's MUG evangelist. He comes to the position honestly as the President of MacBUS in Philadelphia. (Web site at: www.macbus.org - BTW it has a perfect example of how to promote and recognize vendors who are and have appeared at their meetings.)
__ I have worked with Craig Runeberg, their local representative in Dallas area a number of times. He has always put on a good show. Even the one time I asked him to present to both the Apple Corp and the North Texas PCUG in the same day.
You can get full details on how MYOB can work with your group by visiting http://www.myob.com/us/usergroups/.
__ At minimum, they offer the following: Local representation, (In most areas, they can provide a local MYOB Certified Consultant to present to your group) , if no local representative is available, they can provide a presentation outline. Along with that comes handouts, trial versions on CD, Spec sheets and User Group special pricing. They will also put your user group in their calendar on their web site.
__ There is an Acrobat form to fill out for a presentation on the site. I am sure that you will get the great service that Craig has given me over the last several years.
Visit MYOP at: http://www.myob.com/us/usergroups/

VOM: Peachpit Press

I have dealt with Peachpit Press over the last 10 years or so at three different user groups. They have always done well by my group. They offer a 40% discount to user groups and members who order eleven books at once. (Plus a small shipping charge). For less than eleven books, they offer a 20% discount.

They also offer copies for review and door prizes. Contact Alexa Smith at: alexa@peachpit.com
New Books:
__ - Real World Adobe Illustrator 10
__ - Real World QuarkXPress 5
__ - Adobe Photoshop Elements One-Click Wow!
__ - Certified Macromedia Dreamweaver 4 Developer Study Guide
__ - New Visual QuickStart Guides
Visit Peachpit at: http://www.peachpit.com/

VOM: Interstate Batteries

This month's vendor is different. Instead of a traditional software or hardware vendor, I am going to mention a battery retailer. Interstate Batteries has a program where they give a 1/3 discount to groups who sign up at any of their stores. Your members don't need a membership card, just the knowledge that your group is registered. This is a good way to get your members an additional reason to renew their membership, without costing the club anything just an officer's time. They need a contact person and additional address information. Go for it.
http://www.interstatebatteries.com/

VOM: Aladdin Systems

The Vendor of the Month this time is Aladdin. As I was putting this to bed, I got an email that was apparently sent out to user group leaders in their database. It introduced a new user group coordinator at Aladdin Systems. She is Shannon Rose.
They have a list of special prices for user groups good until October 1, 2002
Spring Cleaning 5.0 is now shipping along with iClean, TechTrackerPro and Secure Delete. All for only $30!! Got to: www.aladdinsys.com/usergroup/springcleaning.html
iClean by itself is only $15 at: www.aladdinsys.com/usergroup/iclean-special.html
Secure Delete also is only $15 at: www.aladdinsys.com/usergroup/secure-delete.html
Information on the products are available at: http://www.aladdinsys.com/
They do provide demo material complete with scripts. Welcome to the club Shannon!
For information on Aladdin Systems' user group support program or to register/update registration of your group
go to: http://www.aladdinsys.com/support/usergroups/index.html

VOM: Soldier of Fortune II comes to Mac X

Get ready to kick some X butt...

SOLDIER OF FORTUNE II: Double Helix COMING TO MAC OS X
     MacPlay has announced a deal with Activision to bring Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix to the Macintosh OS X.
     Developed by Raven Software, Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix drops players into the ranks of America's shadow soldiers in a gritty and intense battle for survival. Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix is rated M for MATURE (17 and above) for animated blood, violence and gore. (Just what we need.) New recruits are being called to active duty for an early summer release.
     In Soldier of Fortune II, players once again assume the role of John Mullins, a military consultant working for the top-secret agency known as The Shop. In the game, players must make use of stealth, as well as firepower, to tackle a wide-range of missions including hostage rescue, intelligence gathering and search-and-destroy. To fully immerse players in the experience, Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix brings the grittiness of combat to the PC like never before with incredibly detailed skeletal animations that enable lifelike character movements and per pixel hit locations for ultra realism.
     Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix also advances the genre with the introduction of a new random mission generator technology for both single and multiplayer. By entering variables into the game’s random mission generator players can create millions of single or multiplayer maps on the fly for endless replayability. In addition to the RMG maps, multiplayer in Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix offers nine professionally designed maps, more than 100 unique model/skin combinations and four different game modes including and deathmatch, team deathmatch, elimination and infiltration.
SEE IT:
screen thumbnail
screen full: (HUGE)
Read all about it... URL = http://www.macplay.com/games/sof2.shtml

VOM: Mediafour

Mediafour is our vendor of the month. On June 24th, Meadiafour released XPlay.
XPlay enables Windows users to use an Apple iPod. It does require that you provide your own Firewire (IEEE1394) interface on your PC. However it works with Windows 98SE, 2000 or 32 bit XP based computers. It also does require a CD drive. It is even compatible with MacDrive 5.0 and newer. (They also produce it.) Sue Nail has offered each user group a boxed copy of XPlay to use a review copy. Of course, it would then be available to use as a door prize. While this isn't strictly a Mac product and most of my readers are Mac users, many Mac users actually have both platforms and this will give them added flexibility. BTW - XPlay was a finalist for Best of Show at last month's PC Expo in New York. To get a copy for your group contact Sue Nail at: Sue Nail; Mediafour Corporation; 515-225-7409 ext.111 Or suenail@mediafour.com For more information about MediaFour's products,
see: http://www.mediafour.com

VOM: Casady & Green

Most user groups have dealt with Casady and Green over the years. But I wonder how many of you have contacted them recently. They used to do "Party In A Box" kits that were a wonderful way for small groups to demo some software and have a good time while promoting C&G products. I know that I took advantage of the offer when I was program director at TUMS. But when I was program director with the Apple Corp in Dallas, I didn't even think of them for presentations. Although I have put their discounted materials on my "specials" list a number of times. The do offer user groups good discounts. You can register your group and see the price list by going to: http://ug.casadyg.com/
      Bonnie Mitchell, their user group coordinator would love to have your members take advantage of those special prices. Contact Bonnie about how they can help with presentations and review software.
Here's where you can find them http://ug.casadyg.com/

VOM: Corel

Corel has long supported user groups with review copies, presentations and at regional/national events. I remember doing a "demo in a box" of WordPerfect when they were still developing it for the Mac. In order to take participate in their program, a group must be registered with Corel. To do that, you must send an e-mail to ugpro@corel.com.
      For more complete description of the Corel user group program, see the web site at: http://www.corel.com/products/user/index.htm<
For a complete listing of Corel's products go to http://www.corel.com/product/index/htm

VOM: Amazon.com

Surprised to hear me call Amazon.com a "Vendor of the Month"?
     Think about it for a moment and you might agree. While they're not an "Apple" vendor, they are a vendor of an entire gamut of products your club members buy -- everything from books to CDs to scanners, printers, peripherals, hard drives, and yes, even Apple Macintoshes! And, they have an open arms policy that will allow your group to pick up some change each quarter -- depending on membership -- which could be sizable. I've heard tales of groups averaging in the $200 to $400 per quarter range without much problem. The network Amazon account partially pays for the servers and bandwidth which hosts UGN, the Academy, and AACUG web sites.
     An Amazon.com "Associate" account is easy to set up and is a no brainer to operate. All the group needs is a valid credit card account. You can even set up the Associate Account to automatically transfer your commissions directly into your bank account.
     Next, you search the Amazon site for popular products that your members want and buy, code your web site links properly and voila -- commissions. They also offer a web-based wizard that allows you to set up your own "search" engine in your web site with 'hints' on popular software, books and other Mac related products. Your members simply search Amazon directly from your group's home page.
     Most products only carry a 5 to 7% commission, but some carry as high as 15%. Take for instance printers. Fred Showker wrote to say he just purchased an Epson 1650 scanner, and an Epson 860 color printer. The total tab was just over $300 -- commission: $22. Consider all the products your members buy. Fred's purchase earned nearly a membership fee for the club. An active group with lots of members could feasibly pay for the newsletter printing each month. The sweet part is no one in the group had to do anything for it.
     If you market the program properly to club members, you can even inspire them to purchase through Amazon because it's earning a club commission. Publish the member reference code in your newsletter and make sure every one in the club knows how to modify the product link in Amazon so that the group gets credit. Then the product doesn't have to be in the web site.
     Finally Amazon also offers a "Gifts" feature to the Associate account. Members can either openly donate money to the club, or pay for group sponsored products using the "free donation" function. At that point your group can offer product -- CDs, tshirts, books, etc., and accept major credit cards without having a merchant account nor fussing with any of the hassles associated with maintaining a merchants account. Amazon takes a small percentage (smaller than the standard merchant account fee), you get your money, the member gets the product and everyone goes home happy.
     Now consider all the online shopping predicted for the upcoming holiday season. If you've got 25 members, and they each spend $20 for gifts from Amazon during November and December, that could mean a $40 to $65 check to the club in January.
Find out about it by selecting the "Associates" link at http://www.amazon.com/

pau

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Also see: MUG NEWS bursts from the AACUG Mac User Guide (MUG)

The Info Manager is a veteran of the UGN (AOL User Groups Forum) and User Group Network. He's been a supporter and volunteer on many, many UGNet and User Group Academy projects. As a long time user group member, he's served as volunteer from Honolulu to Boston and many points in between. Currently working with the Apple Corp of Dallas, the Dallas Mac Pack, Cowtown MUG of Ft. Worth and TUMS (the Tulsa Users of Macintosh Society) doing newsletter articles and the monthly CD-ROM Update. Post a lead Info Manager should follow up on.

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