Get By with a Little Help from Your Friends

In the early eighties, as a new devotee of the Apple Macintosh, I began looking for other Mac users so that we could trade insights, offer software recommendations, and share information. A few of us began to meet regularly and soon organized Little Apple MUG, a Macintosh user group in Manhattan, Kansas. In a few short months we attracted professors and students from Kansas State University, soldiers from Fort Riley, and many others to our meetings. The accumulated Mac experience of our members helped me on many occasions. We were a loyal fellowship, committed to a specific operating system and computing environment. We were there to help each other, and to do whatever we could to spread the word about the Mac.

Pocket PC users are very similar to the early Mac users. They are committed to a unique operating system (Windows CE) in a specific computing environment (mobile computing). And like the early Mac users, they are forming user groups from coast to coast and around the world. The number of user groups is growing. Comprehensive lists of user groups worldwide can be found on Microsoft's Mobile Devices Web site (www.microsoft.com/mobile/pocketpc/club/community/localclubs.asp) and on Pocket PC magazine's Web site (http://www.pocketpcmag.com/_top/user_groups.asp).

Users at every level of experience benefit from belonging to a user group. Ellen Beeman, one of the coordinators of the Austin Pocket PC User Group, observes, "Some attendees are experts. For example, one gentleman demonstrated using Microsoft Portrait to make a direct wireless connection between two Pocket PCs. And we've had people come to the meetings who've just bought a Pocket PC, know very little about the platform, and are looking for basic information about software and accessories. What's great about a user group is that everyone brings lots of stuff with them, so these folks can actually try the software, see the accessories, and talk with friendly people who are ready to answer their questions."

Still, some may ask what good are user group meetings anyway? We already have publications like Pocket PC magazine, a ton of Pocket PC Web sites, and several books on the subject. As busy as most of us are, why should we set aside even one day a month to attend a meeting?

A technical support lifeline

Ray Wiley, head of the Washington Area Pocket PC User Group (WAPUG) offered one of the key reasons to belong to a user group. "The main advantage to joining a local user group is that it's a technical support lifeline," he stated. "We offer training, technical support, presentations on products, demonstrations by vendors, and an all-important 'heads up' on new products and innovations."

Whether it is the latest Pocket PC on the market, a new software application, or a third-party accessory, it will probably show up at a user group meeting. Raj Sikand, an IT project leader and another member of WAPUG, said, "Belonging to the user group really reduces the time it would take to investigate each of these areas myself, allowing more time to enjoy the benefits of owning a Pocket PC."

Peter Fine, president of the New York City Digital Assistant User Group (NYCDAUG) also sees the importance of technical support offered by user groups. "Support on technical issues and other problems is often better at user group meetings, amongst a smaller more personal group of equally minded individuals, or on an e-mail list-serve."

Expanding our Pocket PC worldviews

When we buy our first Pocket PCs, the universe is fairly limited to the software built into the Pocket PC and bundled with it on CD. This may be a good beginning but the Pocket PC world is so much bigger than that. People need help to discover this "brave new world" and user groups are an obvious solution.