An upcoming preview of the instructors and class for the 2024 NMUG Class Season.

Are you a member? Log in to view the Zoom Meeting ID and Link. Not a member? Join today!

Summary

Summary was created by ai and may contain inaccuracies.

2024 Classes for Members: Schedule, Speakers, Topics

Chita led a discussion about the classes for 2024, emphasizing their importance for members and the benefits they offer, such as expert instructors, recordings, and PDFs. The schedule for the classes was announced, with 10 classes each costing $25, held on Saturdays from January to March. Speakers for the season were introduced, including Jeff Gore, Christian Voice, David Mcguire, and Joe Kassell, who will cover topics such as Mac OS 14, iPhone 15 models and iOS 17, iPad, iCloud, and iCloud Drive updates, and iCloud and iCloud Drive updates. Chita also introduced the topics to be covered in their meetings, including Apple Watch Series 9 and iPhone 15 updates, health and fitness features, accessibility, Apple TV, imazing app, digital legacy planning, and professional photography using photos. Registration for the classes starts on December 1st.

Website Classes and Registration Process

Chita, Mike, and Dan discussed the new classes added to their website and the registration process. Dan demonstrated how to navigate the site, including using Apple Pay for registration and joining separate Zoom meetings for each class. The team clarified that members could register directly on the platform and bundle classes together for a discounted rate. They also confirmed that not all classes come with handouts, particularly those taught by Joe Kassel, who provides a book instead. The team decided to add all classes as an add-on during registration and to make class descriptions visible to non-members to incentivize membership. Audio issues affected the meeting, but it was eventually resolved.

Class Materials and Accessibility Discussed

Chita, Dan, and others discussed the details of a class, emphasizing the benefits of early registration. They confirmed that participants would receive all class materials, including books, three days prior to the class, and in some cases, an updated version of the book would be provided. Participants raised concerns about accessing materials and videos while out of the country, which Dan clarified could be done on the website with no expiration for reviewing the materials. Furthermore, Chita and Dan confirmed that the class materials could be reviewed for at least two years. The possibility of purchasing classes after they have taken place was also discussed, with Gill expressing interest in future relevant classes. Chita confirmed that past classes have been made available for purchase, and Dan began looking for ways to show the available classes.

Pricing, Website, and Calendar Discussions

Chita answered two questions, one about a price break for Tate control books and another from an anonymous individual about the pricing strategy for classes. She explained that they try to keep the prices low for the classes, which are a significant source of funding for Inmugmug. Chita also discussed the website’s improvement, acknowledging Bob Mackenzie’s comment and noting the complexity of the design process. Bob then questioned Dan about the functionality of the calendar subscription for classes, which Dan clarified, emphasizing that the calendar is a single calendar, and individual class subscriptions were removed due to confusion. He advised participants to use Apple Calendar and explained how to refresh the calendar daily for updates. Bob confirmed that his Nmug Calendar was already set up to refresh daily, and Dan confirmed this was correct.

Apple Classes, Spam Issues, and SpamSieve Advice

Chita addressed Michael Tolby’s question about the process of deciding which classes to offer, explaining their strategy of offering classes on the latest updates for Apple products and other important ones. Chita also clarified why it’s difficult to combine classes on two different apps developed by two different developers and why they avoid sharing personal information in their classes. Furthermore, Michael shared an issue with his wife’s spam, which led to a considerable charge. Chita acknowledged this problem and suggested ways to handle it, such as marking the emails as junk. Michael sought advice from Chita about using SpamSieve, a spam filtering software, on his wife’s computer, which is about to upgrade to Sonoma. Chita advised that SpamSieve would be beneficial in dealing with existing spam and training it to recognize spam in old emails. She also recommended it for future emails. Michael expressed concern about potential issues with upgrading to Sonoma while having existing spam, but Chita reassured him that this wouldn’t be a problem. They also briefly discussed malwarebytes, which Chita doesn’t have personal experience with but recommended as reliable.

Apple TV Class Discussion

Chita led a discussion about the upcoming classes, with a focus on the Apple TV device. David confirmed that he would cover the Apple TV device and streamlining, but also offered to include information about other streaming devices if there was interest. James asked about the inclusion of other devices, specifically Roku. Gill asked about automated calendar refreshing, which Dan clarified through a demonstration. Mike asked about the opening of registration for the classes, which Dan had not been aware would open in December. Eckart reminded the members about the non-profit nature of the organization and the importance of the instructors’ fees. The group also discussed the membership period, with Chita clarifying that it is from the time of joining until the next year. Nancy and Heidi had questions regarding their profiles and membership information, which were clarified by Dan.

Apple Calendar Subscription Guidance

Heidi received guidance from Dan on how to subscribe to the Nmug calendar from Apple Calendar. Dan also addressed Mary’s issue of having two entries for each Nmug meeting on her calendar, suggesting she delete one of them. James noted a discrepancy in his subscription, which Dan promised to investigate. Ward asked for a method to modify events in a subscribed calendar, to which Dan admitted he was unsure. Dan further informed Debby that Apple only allows subscriptions to be made on a single device and not all devices, suggesting she provide feedback about this limitation. Finally, David and Dan discussed the process of adding a calendar to an iCloud account from an iPad, which Dan found could now be done following recent changes made by Apple.

Storage, Classes, Accessibility: Family Account Issues & Future Topics

Don faced storage issues with his family account that includes two email accounts. Dan clarified that the accounts need to be confirmed to be added to the family plan. Chita reminded everyone to ask questions related to the class lineup. The tradition of holding classes between January and March was explained by Chita due to winter constraints in other states and limited space in Naples. Eckart stated that extending the class period might lead to loss of momentum and focus. Heidi suggested a future class on accessibility, which Chita agreed to consider. Carol Bunch received guidance from Hank and Chita on how to delete contacts from her desktop.