The Ottawa PC Users' Group is a self-help group of computer enthusiasts that has
been in operation since 1982, 2017 was our 35th anniversary.
One of the activities of the Ottawa PC Users' Group is a monthly meeting
where we have invited speakers give presentations to the membership.
OPCUG is always seeking presentations on any aspect of personal computing
that would be of interest to our members. If you could provide a talk on
any computing topic, or know of another individual who could do so, please
contact our Meeting Coordinator.
Following is some information about the OPCUG, how we are set up and what facilities are available.
The auditorium is near the entrance of the church, a little past the front doors.
It's open from 7:00 PM or earlier if you let us know in advance so that we can be sure
someone from the group is there to assist you. The church is completely wheelchair accessible.
Schedule:
Meetings are normally on the second Wednesday of the month, from September to June.
The calendar
and previous meeting topics
are available online.
Dates for 2019: Jun 12
Dates for the next season, to be confirmed:
Dates for 2019: Sep 11, Oct 9, Nov 13, Dec 11
Dates for 2020: Jan 8, Feb 12, Mar 11, Apr 8, May 13, Jun 10
Meeting time:
The presentation is normally from 7:30pm to 9pm. Usually the first 60-75min is for the
talk itself and the remainder for Q&A, drawing tickets and making announcements.
We usually start pretty much on time and try to end by 9:00pm, but if more time is needed,
presenters are welcome to continue after the draws and announcements. The setup can start
at 7pm or earlier if you let us know in advance. After the main presentation, we
have a general Question & Answer
session until 10pm.
Meeting announcement:
The newsletter goes to press 4 weeks prior to the general meeting and includes a short
section of one or two paragraphs about the topic of the upcoming meeting, usually
written by the presenter, or otherwise by the Meeting Coordinator with your approval.
Please submit the description to the Meeting Coordinator at least
5 weeks before the meeting. We also have an announcement mailing list; all are welcome to
join it.
Parking:
Ample parking is available at the back of the chuch, for free.
Equipment available:
An LCD projector with up to 2560x1600 resolution is accessible from the podium via a
supplied VGA cable (HDMI is NOT available). A laptop computer with PowerPoint 2010
can be made available with a one day notice prior to the meeting.
Internet access:
The stage has a high speed wired and WiFi internet connection with DHCP address assignment.
All computers plugged into the museum's Internet connections must be completely
up-to-date from a security vulnerability point-of-view, including an up-to-date
anti-virus software and firewall installed and activated.
Audio:
The presenter can use the fixed microphone on the podium or the mobile microphone.
Raffle Prizes and/or door prizes:
If presenters would like to donate
anything to use as a door prize or a raffle prize, these are most gratefully
accepted. In particular, items suitable for a raffle help the OPCUG keep
its membership dues very low ($25/year). Raffle items are acknowledged in
the newsletter that goes out to all members in the weeks prior to the meeting,
on the Announcements list on our listserver the weekend prior to the meeting,
as well as on the "Honour Roll"
page on the OPCUG web site.
Specials:
For presenters who are also vendors of goods or services and would like to give
a special deal to members of the OPCUG, we would be happy to announce this in
our newsletter and on our
"Promos" page.
Audience:
Our membership is mostly composed of hobbyists but we do have IT professionals in
the Group as well. We typically have about 50 members and visitors that attend the
meeting, and have a monthly newsletter that goes out to about 125 people.
Thanks:
As a small gesture of appreciation, all speakers are given a gift and a complimentary 1-year
membership in the Ottawa PC Users' Group (Please be sure to provide a completed
membership application form to the
Meeting Coordinator or any member of the Board of Directors).
Guests:
Guests are welcome to any of our meetings.
Special Events:
December:
collection for the Ottawa Food Bank
June: pizza for all our members and presenter(s) before the meeting and
eWaste collection.
