Grex Publicity Conference

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Grex Publicity Item 14: MacTechnics and Grex
Entered by srw on Thu Mar 25 19:58:37 UTC 1993:

As a Macintosh-using Grex user, I am a member both of Grex (recently
joined) and MacTechnics. MacTechnics is Ann Arbor's own Macintosh Users
Group. It also serves a large portion of SE lower MI. I am posting this both
to publicize MacTechnics to any Macintosh users out there on Grex (I know
there are some), and also to investigate using the MacTechnics newsletter to
publicize Grex.

MacTechnics and Grex are very complimentary organizations. MacTechnics
provides tons of neat Mac freeware and shareware. It offers a number of SIGs
that meet monthly. It has a BBS, but it is focused on downloading, not
messaging or conferencing. Membership is $35/year (I think), and they
publish a newsletter to their membership monthly (or bimonthly).

I can place a description of Grex and a paragraph or two about what's good
about it in this newletter for free. Rather than compose my own description,
though, I thought someone might suggest where I could pick up a copy of one
already written. We might need to tweak it a bit so that it comes off like a
news article, but that might not even be necessary. and I would be happy to
clear the wording with anyone who cares. Where do I look to start?

22 responses total.

#1 of 22 by remmers on Thu Mar 25 21:42:39 1993:

Nice idea, and thanks for offering!

Selected parts of Grex's NEW Center application might be fashionable
into a news article.  There are narratives in there concerning what
Grex is, how it came to be, what's available, etc. etc.  It's in
~remmers/newcenter/apply.txt (ascii file) and
~remmers/newcenter/apply.doc (Word for Windows document).

#2 of 22 by mta on Thu Mar 25 21:42:49 1993:

Steve,

How many words would you like?  ;)

This sounds like a great opportunity for us, thanks for thinking of it!

#3 of 22 by srw on Sat Mar 27 06:34:10 1993:

I don't have a clear idea on how many words would be ideal, maybe
500 words?  I took a look at apply.txt, and there is probably
enough info in there. I'm going to have a try at writing a news
article for MacTechnics based on that, and I will have something
to show you soon.

#4 of 22 by aa8ij on Sat Mar 27 11:41:49 1993:

  Please mail me some info on how to become a memeber of MacTechnics,
I really need some support for this dino... and the software would be
a plus as well.

#5 of 22 by srw on Sat Mar 27 16:22:53 1993:

I mailed aa8ij this info, and then decided to post it here since I had gone
to the trouble of looking it up.


This info is from the MacTechnics membership form, which is in the
newsletter. It's not necessary to use the form, though.

Membership in MacTechnics is $40 for new members, $35 for renewals, $15
for students, $5 extra for family membership, $100 for corporate
memberships (includes 4 membership cards, 4 newsletters, and a free 1/8
page ad per month).

Mail check to: MacTechnics, PO Box 4069, Ann Arbor, MI 48106-4069

Include your name, address, home phone, work phone, occupation.

Optionally include  your mac configuration info.

It appears that I forgot that new memberships are $40 when I posted
earlier, sorry. The BBS is 973-8630 Guests are allowed but downloading
is limited until your membership is processed. MacTechnics has a voice
line at 747-6475.

Main meeting is held at Chrysler Center on North Campus 3rd Saturday of
each month at 11:00 am.  Copy session is earlier, but I'm not sure,
exactly when.

#6 of 22 by srw on Sat Mar 27 20:40:15 1993:

OK, I have taken a pass at writing a news article for inclusion in the
MacTechnics newsletter. Right now it is /u/srw/mt.news .  It is based
largely on the info remmers had left over from the New Center application.
Please criticize constructively. I will have to run it by someone at
MacTechnics also, but I'd like someone here to scan it first to make sure
I'm not saying something that I shouldn't.

#7 of 22 by popcorn on Sun Mar 28 07:17:17 1993:

This response has been erased.

#8 of 22 by ecl on Sun Mar 28 07:56:06 1993:

Great Idea, Grex has been in the Michigan Amiga Resource Organization's 
Newsletter for some time. and now with the addittion of MacTechnics
all that is left is the Ibm groups newsletter and we will have the major
systems groups covered.

#9 of 22 by srw on Sun Mar 28 15:59:48 1993:

I'm going to send what is in /u/srw/mt.news to MacTechnics Monday morning
so get your comments to me today if you have any.

#10 of 22 by remmers on Mon Mar 29 04:47:38 1993:

Looks very nice.  Thanks for doing this!

#11 of 22 by srw on Mon Mar 29 17:48:42 1993:

My pleasure. I would like to see more Mac users using a system like this.
It is interesting to note that in the March and April issues of MACWEEK
magazine, a regular columnist (Deborah Branscum) has been extolling the
virtues of the Internet and Usenet. Of course most of the people who are in
her audience will need to contract for private internet accounts to
accomplish this kind of connectivity. Ann Arborites are fortunate that
systems like this are available to meet a portion of this need. I really
wanted to just sound off and say so.

Her column goes on to explain that some BBSs run by Mac User Groups (MUGs)
are getting Newsfeeds so that their membership can read the Mac Newsgroups
(there are quite a few). Our MacTechnics BBS has no such facility, nor is it
likely, but it does represent a potential source of new users for Grex.

#12 of 22 by mta on Tue Mar 30 04:57:09 1993:

Thanks very much, Steve!  Your work is appreciated!.

#13 of 22 by popcorn on Wed Mar 31 03:48:46 1993:

This response has been erased.

#14 of 22 by danr on Wed Mar 31 12:27:13 1993:

How much and what's their circulation?

#15 of 22 by srw on Wed Mar 31 13:55:50 1993:

I will have to ask the Newsletter people. I will do so. I need to talk to
them anyway. Watch this space.

#16 of 22 by ecl on Thu Apr 1 05:12:35 1993:

I will make sure to have some grex flyers with me at NAUGSAW
(National Apple User's Group Symposium And Workshop) while
I'm promoting MACRO and the Amiga.

#17 of 22 by pegasus on Fri Apr 2 15:56:20 1993:

If grex is interested, it can also place a one line listing in the
CONNECT Inter'l BBS List.  The cost is $12 for 6 issues (a year).
See the form in CONNECT for more details.

#18 of 22 by popcorn on Fri Apr 9 17:48:48 1993:

This response has been erased.

#19 of 22 by srw on Sun Apr 25 01:27:24 1993:

Re #15. It tool them 3 weeks to post the ad policy on Mactechnics, but they
finally did, and I reproduced it here. I suspect we may be able to improve
on the rates based on the conversation at the JCC sale. This is the official
schedule.

----

<2 classes of ads that don't apply to Grex deleted>

3) Other ads are done on a full, half or quarter page format. The ads must
be submitted to the newsletter editor before the deadline of the first
newsletter they should run in with payment for the number of months they are
to run. The price of ads is set by the board of directors with the advice of
the newsletter editor. The current prices are: $50.00 for a full page,
$35.00 for a half page and $20.00 for a quarter page for a month.

<1 more class of ads that don't apply to Grex deleted>

----

I will bring an issue to the next Grex board meeting and show it around.
I still don't have circulation info.

#20 of 22 by danr on Sun Apr 25 13:06:38 1993:

Sounds kind of expensive to me.

#21 of 22 by srw on Mon Apr 26 06:23:58 1993:

Yeah. I'm not pushing this, only passing the info along.

Recall that in #13, Valerie said she met someone from MT who said Grex could
get a good deal on an ad in MacTechnics.  If that's true, maybe it wouldn't
be so expensive.

#22 of 22 by pegasus on Mon Apr 26 16:07:36 1993:

Valerie expressed an interest in having Grex listed in the CONNECT BBS
Listing.  That is only $12 for 6 issues.  We would need the form soon, tho.

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