dacs.doc electric

We need your help, and we need it bad. DACS, which has been around for more than 15 years, is in desperate need of your help. Every month we put out one of the top user group newsletters in the world, an award winning document that is the heart and soul of our group. Yet we are struggling every month to get enough articles to fill it.

I know most of you can write an article. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, or even remotely professional (although they prefer a quick spell-check). If you’ve read any of my columns you know they’ll take what they can get.

What do you write about? I’ve spoken with a lot of you, and almost every single one of you is passionate about something. Write about something you like, such as a new printer, computer, software program, or even how you use your computer in your business. If you write for DACS, you can get some great FREE software to review (it’s a lot easier than winning the raffle - I’ve never won!).

If you’ve read some of my columns, I like to write about gadgets, Microsoft, Macintosh (yes, I’m one of THOSE people), graphics software, the Internet, and things that interest me. This is not a job and I’m not getting paid. I can typically write what I want (although Allan has held back my article on growing genetically modified turnips for some unknown reason).

What makes a user group like DACS a huge success is not the fancy speakers (we’ve had some bad presentations from great companies), but the DACS members. One of the best presentations we have ever seen was done by a DACS member and his son (Bruce’s networking presentation a few months back). We may be losing sight of why people join a computer group such as DACS: to meet with similar people and share their experiences. DACS is a great way to share your interests with others.

What gives me the right to complain about the lack of articles? I’ve been writing articles for DACS for almost 6 years. I am not a professional writer, and I think I’m as busy as most of you (I’m writing this article with a five-day-old baby sleeping next to me). It doesn’t take long—I spend as little as an hour and as much as three hours writing each article. The quality of the writing is less important than the content.

Write what you’re passionate about.

Write what you want to talk about. You can even use a pseudonym if you’re shy. Several people have approached me about writing articles. It’s easy. Just fire up your word processor of choice, and make a quick outline of what you want to write about. At the bottom of the page I usually keep a list of topics I want to cover. I write a few paragraphs, edit them, and then write a few more. The DACS newsletter team, easily the most underpaid and overworked editorial and production staff in the industry, can help you with ideas and editing. They make me look good.

If you’re stuck for ideas, don’t hesitate to send me some e-mail. I’d love to help you get started.