By W. Thomas Leroux
The Bytown Mac User Group (ByMUG) started in April 2006 to support Mac users in central Ottawa. Over the years it has grown to include iPhones, iPads and other devices and services in the Apple-ecosystem, and we sometimes dip our digital toes elsewhere for some balance.
Originally, the group met in pubs in the Byward Market or in Sandy Hill, and in March 2020 we moved the group online so we could continue safely.
User groups for computers have been around since the 1970s, and it could be argued that as the influence of the Internet and search engines has grown, the importance of user groups has declined. However, ByMUG has built a community of users who provide support for each other that has lasted seventeen years.
For so many people, the near ubiquity of mobile phones, tablets and computers, all with Internet connectivity, has generated more and more questions that can be difficult for regular users to feel confident in answering themselves.
ByMUG’s specific mission is to help users of all levels of experience do things confidently with their devices for free. There are no membership fees.
The most important thing is that all levels of experience are welcome, from beginners to experienced users. Some of the best discussions have come out of seemingly simple questions as all we chime in with options and ideas.
Topics range widely, such as tips for managing our ever-growing photo collections, Internet safety, back-up strategies, archiving digital media, video editing software, signing digital documents, tools for photo editing, strategies for right-sizing a hardware purchase, reviews of operating systems, along with tonnes of questions from meeting participants.
A couple of times a year meetings are also a venue for sharing our creative projects with others, sometimes as a sounding board or for feedback before committing and hitting “Publish”.
Meetings are typically held the first Sunday afternoon of each month between 1 and 3 pm, with the occasional shuffling for schedules and holidays.
You can find meeting information at https://bymug.ca
If you would like to join a meeting, send an email to info@bymug.ca and we can add you to the meeting information email list.
W. Thomas Leroux has been one of the co-organizers of ByMUG since its inception in 2006 and has lived in Lowertown since 1996.