President's Message

July 1998

For user group leaders, the annual InterGalactic Officers' Conference, held on the eve of PCExpo, is a combination of ashram, gold rush and holy grail. Sponsored by the Association of PC User Groups (APCUG), the event is a great opportunity to share ideas and information with other groups, particularly its co-sponsor, the 2,300-member New York PC Users Group (NYPC).

DACS takes Gold and Silver

For geeks seeking gifts, it is an occasion for getting free software and interacting with more than a dozen leading application vendors. But most important for DACS, it is a chance to compete for recognition from among the more than 300 constituent groups and 300,000 computer users that make up APCUG's worldwide membership.

The ribbon proudly displayed at the bottom of this page commemorates our 1994 IG award for best newsletter. In subsequent years, we've received additional kudos for our Web page and for our reporting of user group events. The fierce competition for the top prizes has led IG to move the awards to the gnawed-nails end of the conference day to heighten suspense and anticipation.

Finally, dacs.doc was heard among the awards for mid-sized publications: Best Design; runner-up for Best Newsletter; runner-up for Best Feature Articles; and runner-up for Best User Group Coverage.

Our award-wining design goes back to 1993 when co-editors Tom McIntyre and Dick Sperry turned dacs.doc from a ragged handout into a professional publication. But special recognition must now go to Frances Owles and Marc Cohen for their tireless efforts to mold a distinctive mix of text and graphics, and their steadfast persistence in making every style consistent and every column
line up at the bottom of the page. Of course, it would be all style and no substance without our dedicated writers, and for group coverage, there's little that could be done to improve on Dan McLeod.

All these efforts have one profound result--a publication that says more about DACS, its professionalism, and its commitment to its members than any award can possibly convey. With dacs.doc in your outstretched hand, you need no further introduction.

Voice for Joanie ModelCommunity outreach

In 1994, DACS and Voice for Joanie won the national REACH Award (Recognizing Exceptional Achievement in Community Help) sponsored by Ziff-Davis and the APCUG. So it was not a surprise when I was asked by our hosts at InterGalactic to talk about VFJ and our other community outreach programs. Although I abhor speeches, all I had to do was give a brief outline of our efforts and then show a ten-minute video presentation from Ziff-Davis produced for the award ceremony
that tells it all. What did surprise me was that I was to talk to the entire IG assembly of more than 600, rather than the small discussion group I had anticipated. It was also hard to anticipate the overwhelming support and enthusiasm other user groups have for this small Connecticut based service organization.

Although DACS offers technical support and volunteers, Voice for Joanie owes most of its enormous success to Shirley Fredlund and her tireless efforts to give a voice to the paralyzed victims of Lou Gehrig's disease. That's why I could offer other user groups only one suggestion on how to establish their own outreach program--to look to the community for individuals or organizations with a special vision, and then offer your group's special skills in helping to make
that vision a reality.

Our area has many such organizations with a vision. Besides Voice for Joanie, DACS has been able to help the Danbury Senior Employment Center provide hands-on computer training; we have provided refurbished PCs for schools through Computers 4Kids and other municipal organizations; our volunteers have helped to organize the Connecticut Special Olympics; and we are working to help area communities post their adult education activities on a local Web page.

All these efforts need your assistance, in whatever way you can provide it. By pitching in, whether in community outreach, in organizing and running special interest groups, or in helping with dacs.doc or dacs.org, your contribution help enhance the image of DACS and all its members.

-Allan Ostergren
dacsprez@aol.com


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