Computer users? group has resources for all ages

The NuCom computer users' group has more than doubled its membership since Ray Carlson joined five years ago. Carlson, now the group's president, noted, "Four or five years ago the club had 80 members. Now we have around 200."

A nonprofit organization and a member of the Association of Personal Computer User Groups, NuCom began in September 1995 when 14 people got together and decided they wanted a computer users group.

Today, the organization includes members of all ages, from teens all the way to those Carlson calls "super seniors" people over age 80.

Meetings are open to anyone, Carlson said, and usually feature presentations on computer-related subjects.

The upcoming Dec. 1 meeting, for example, will highlight a presentation on Microsoft's new operating system, Win-dows XP, by Scot Travers, a Microsoft representative.

Group goals

Helen Dean, editor of the group's newsletter and a founding member, said, "We are educational, we are civic and we are social, but our main goal is education. Our main thing is learning more and more about computers. We are always trying something new."

NuCom has a Web site www.pcis. net/nucom, provided by Panther Creek Information Services. It also is co-sponsored by the Springfield/Greene County Park Board, with regular monthly membership meetings taking place the first Saturday of each month at 1 p.m. at the Doling Park Community Center, 2600 N. Campbell.

In addition to regular presentations, the group offers special classes each week at varying locations. "We have a class on computer basics which is meant for beginning computer users," Carlson said.

SIGs

For more experienced computer users, NuCom offers several SIGs, or special interest groups.

"We have a SIG on the World Wide Web, one on Windows and another on graphics, which covers digital commerce, scanners, imaging editors and the like," Carlson said.

NuCom members are welcome to attend as many SIG meetings as they want, he added.

The World Wide Web SIG meets 7 9 p.m. the third Thursday of each month at the Oak Grove Community Center. Windows 95/98 classes are held the second Friday of each month at 443 S. Patton St.

NuCom also is offering a digital cameras special interest group that will be conducted for the most part online and will discuss all aspects of digital photography.

Carlson added that NuCom also has a panel of knowledgeable people who can help users with individual computer programs such as Word or Excel. "We also have online message groups, so people can submit questions to the newsgroup, and other members can answer the questions or direct them to someone who can help."

Resources

Group resources available to members include a library of computer-related materials and shareware, Dean said.

"We have a lot of CDs and a lot of books in our library that can be checked out," she said.

NuCom also is active in the community, according to Carlson.

Members collect used computers, make any necessary repairs, and donate the machines to the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill and to the Multiple Sclerosis Society, Carlson said.

"It's really helped some of the people who are chair-bound or bed-bound," he added.

Dean said that group members also go to the homes of people with disabilities who need help with their computers. "We go to schools and help kids with their computers, too. We just help out in every way we can," she added.

Carlson noted that NuCom's activities are driven by member volunteer work and most financial needs are met through member dues.

Occasionally the club holds raffles and auctions to raise additional funds. "If a particularly good piece of software is donated by someone such as Microsoft, we either raffle that off or have an auction," he said.

Dean and her husband, Bill, publish the 14-page monthly newsletter, The NuCom Advantage. The club sends out 250 copies of the newsletter, which contains information about the club, upcoming meetings and technical articles, Dean said.

Carlson said that nationwide, seniors are the fastest-growing group of computer users and that fact is reflected in Nu-Com's membership. "Probably the majority of our membership is seniors," he said.

"When you compare the age groups, it almost seems to me that the seniors are the most enthusiastic about computers," he added.

NuCom membership dues are $25 per family for the first year, $20 for each succeeding year, Carlson said.

Classes and services are offered at no additional cost to members and their families.