Chuck Joiner leads off the latest news at the Macintosh User Group (MUG) Center with his newest User Group Report. The latest report also focuses on IDG World Expo Group vice-president Warwick Davies’ discussion of Macworld Expo’s relationship with user groups as well as new attractions that can be found at Macworld Conference & Expo Boston; Macworld Boston conference chairperson Paul Kent’s rundown of the conference tracks available at next month’s show; and Chris Kiltz, who talks about Josephine County MUG’s upcoming Rogue Valley Mac Expo, which is an all-day event that will be held on June 13 in Grants Pass, Oregon. You can listen to the streaming QuickTime file of Joiner’s report or download it in MP3 format on the MUG Center site.
In other MUG news, Joiner notes that Macworld Boston will be the site of the User Group Leadership Conference, which will be held on July 12. Anyone who’s looking for a way to get to the show might want to look into the bus trips being hosted by The Connecticut Macintosh Connection, The Main Line MUG and the Bux-Mont MUG. Visit the MUG Center site to learn more.
Many MUGs are also hosting their monthly meetings across the country during the rest of June, starting with visits from Microsoft to Victoria MUG and Boston MUG on June 9. Company representatives will offer tours of Office 2004 for Macintosh. Elsewhere, MacWaves will cover iMovie and QuickTime on the same day, and June 10 will see a visit from graphic artist Bert Monroy to East Bay MUG, while Digital Design Group will feature Photoshop CS Tips & Tricks and Capitol MUG will host Bob “Dr. Macintosh” LeVitus, who will explain the ins and outs of GarageBand. On June 11, Apple’s Dave Marra will stop by Long Island MUG, and on June 12 dBug will have their Mac computer swap meet. Stop by the various groups’ Web sites for meeting times and locations.
Later in the month, Portland Mac Filmmakers User Group will get together at the theater in Portland’s MacForce store on June 17 for a pro digital video seminar with Apple’s Bill Foster. They’ll cover Final Cut Pro HD, DVD Studio Pro, Shake and Motion, a new motion graphics application that Apple will publish later this summer. The event, which starts at 5:00 pm, is actually a special one — the group’s next regularly scheduled meeting is on June 28 at 7:00 pm in the same location. Stop by their Web site for more information.
Macintosh User Groups interested in seeing their events listed on MacCentral are welcome to send us their news. We post roundups of MUG events and gatherings each week.
If you’re wondering what user group events are happening in your area, visit the MUG Center’s online calendar. Apple also hosts a user group site where you can look for a MUG near you or find out how to start your own group.