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A Message to our Members

by Jim Scheef

 

Editor’s note: At its next meeting on April 8th, the DACS board will select a slate of officers for the next year. Jim Scheef has offered to run for the office of president. Below, Jim offers a vision of the direction DACS should take in the future, and his role in fulfilling it.

Being president of DACS was not quite on my agenda. "Maybe next year", I told the rest of the board. As a new board member, I felt I should be on the board for at least a year before taking on an office. Well, despite my protests, here I am. For the next year DACS will either grow or suffer under my leadership.

As Allan Ostergren moves into his new position as Immediate Past President, I want to commend him and the rest of the board for a job really well done. Allan remains on the board and will continue as newsletter editor. He will also continue to provide his leadership as we move to grow th club.

For those of you who don’t know me, here’s a little background. I joined DACS sometime in the late ’80s. At my first meeting, the members were struggling to find a new name for the group. The name Danbury Osborn Group didn’t quite fit anymore as more members bought PCs and let stuff pile up on the Osborn in the closet. The name they selected was Western Connecticut Microcomputer Users Group. I suggested the "microcomputer" part since that seemed all inclusive. Over the intervening years my activity level has varied from virtually nil to gung ho. Several years ago I wanted to learn Visual Basic and took a class from DACS University. That class led to the Visual Basic SIG that I still co-lead with Chuck Fizer. The Server and Networking SIG started about two years ago as the Back Office SIG to explore server-based computing and application-development.

The last few years have been difficult for computer user groups as the personal computer and the computing industry have changed. Using a PC is no longer a mystical experience, although new users are just as challenged today as we were 20 years ago. For many people, the ‘Start’ button is no less daunting than the A> prompt was then.

While I certainly don’t want to sound like a politician, my goals for the club all seem to include the word "more".

  • More SIGs
  • More and better networking opportunities
  • More business-oriented functions, particularly small business.

The Special Interest Groups are the heart of DACS. If you’re not attending at least one SIG, you are missing out. At one time we had more than twice as many SIGs as we have now. They covered all manner of topics from networks and multi-tasking to investing and DOS for beginners. Certainly the topics will change over time but we need to keep alive the concept of people sharing information and helping each other learn.

Networking should be a major goal for DACS - and I don’t mean ethernet! This networking brings people together so they can meet, make friends, learn and find business opportunities. We can do much more here than we are doing. Something in this area just might even be a social event!
Many DACS members own or operate small businesses. DACS can provide both an opportunity to learn to build their business as well as a place to market their services. The new Small Business SIG is a big step in the right direction.

How do we accomplish all this? Thru your involvement, of course! Grab me at a meeting and tell me what you would like to see and just maybe we can all make it happen.


Jim Scheef is the Mad Scientist at Telemark Systems Inc. where he develops custom software using Visual Basic and SQL Server and provides networking services using Windows NT/2000. He has been a DACS member since the day DOG became WC/MUG.

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