FREE 2017 SUMMER VIRTUAL TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCE (VTC)
Saturday, August 19
10:00 – 1:00 PT
Attend the FREE conference from the convenience of your own home! All you need is your computer, tablet, etc. and Internet access. The sessions are 50 minutes in length and offer attendees the opportunity to ask questions via Q&A; the questions are answered by the presenter at the end of the presentation or via e-mail if there isn’t enough time after the presentation.
APCUG uses ZOOM for the VTC webinar presentations (www.zoom.us). If you have not participated in a VTC, go to https://zoom.us/download to download the app for the device you will be using to ‘attend’ the conference. You should also make sure you have the latest version of Zoom on your device.
Videos from earlier conferences can be found on APCUG’s YouTube channel www.youtube.com/apcugvideos.
To register for this VTC, please click on the below link:
https://apcug-summer-2017-vtc.eventbrite.com
Spread the word by forwarding this e-mail to your members. VTCs are a great way for them to expand their technology experience and be introduced to new skills. Below are the sessions that are currently scheduled.
TRACK 1
1:00 PM ET – Pi-hole – Don Arrowsmith, President, Philadelphia Area Computer Society – Pi-hole is a LAN-wide ad blocker that runs on a Raspberry-pi. If you’re sick of ads all over the web pages you look at, tired of auto-starting audio and video ads, and disgusted at pop-up and pop-under ads every time you click a link, then you need a Pi-hole. It will eliminate all of those annoyances from every device on your LAN without having to make any configuration changes to those devices. The software is free and runs on a Raspberry Pi, a small, inexpensive system about the size of a deck of cards. If you have been wanting to learn more about hardware like this, it’ll also be an educational tool. I’ll run through the entire process of getting the software and hardware, installing everything, integrating it into your network, and maintaining it.
2:00 PM ET – Home Automation Security – Bill James, Vice President, Computer Club of Oklahoma City – Are you worried about home automation devices listening in on your conversations? Wonder if your devices can be hacked and don’t know how to keep them from being hacked? Many smarthome devices are designed to be easy to use but don’t come with a ton of security features – what should you do? Bill will answer these questions and more in this presentation, maybe making it a little bit easier to take the first step to automate your home and get a better price for it when you sell.
3:00 PM ET – Finding Tech Information on Medium.com – Kathy Jacobs, President, Pasco Area Computer User Group – Medium is a large site for writers and readers. The platform is built to make it easy to share stories about almost anything. This presentation will introduce you to the basics of Medium’s interfaces (app and website) via the introduction to some of the best tech publications on the site. You will also learn:
**How to search for publications, articles, and writers on topics of interest to your club
**Navigating the 3 basic kinds of articles in the Medium universe: Stories, responses, and series
**Tagging on Medium
**Writing responses that will get read
**Connecting with authors and publication editors
TRACK 2
1:00 PM ET – GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) – Why You Shouldn’t Get Lost! – Bill Hobbs, Member, Modesto PC Users Group – This presentation includes information about GPS and other systems. He goes over GLONASS, Galileo, etc., history, signals, accuracy, and errors involved in the global navigation systems. In addition, he will demonstrate how to calculate location and time using a very simplified system.
2:00 PM ET – Chromebooks are for Seniors – Ron Brown, Program Coordinator, Silvercom Computer & Technology Club – Are you looking for a computer that isn’t complicated to use? How about one you can’t ruin by making a mistake from the keyboard? No maintenance, malware, trojans, and viruses, no subscription cost and it’s always up-to-date with web technology? The Chromebook is for you!
3:00 PM ET – Ideas for Revitalizing Your Computer Club – Judy Taylour, President, SCV Computer Club – Is your group suffering from?
**Officer / leader burnout
One, two, or three officers are in charge of everything
They have done everything for years
**Lack of volunteers
**Reduced membership
**Same person / people always give presentations
**Presentations don’t meet members’ needs
**Newsletter editor retired – no one wants to learn a desktop publishing program
**Webmaster moved away – no one knows how the website works
This presentation offers ideas you might want to try to revitalize your group.
