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Our letter head and our newsletters all carry references to our web site www.istug.com which is very fast growing especially the content of the Members Club. We have been told that "I have looked at the date on the index page and because it has not changed, I assume the content of the site has not changed". I recall one of my teachers saying " never assume, it makes an ass out of you and me", how right he was. We looked in some depth at both the Open and Members Club sites. OPEN SITE - All the pages have a directory of content. The aim being to ensure the casual visitor does not assume that all that is on the page is what is immediately visible. The pages were looked at in some detail and the full content explored, see the following notes.- ABOUT - this delivers exactly what it says, information about ISTUG and its activities. - EVENTS - visitors can review agenda's for our meetings, look at meeting dates, and book online to attend our meetings. In addition it is possible to submit questions to both the meeting and our Special Interest Groups using online submission forms. Travel details and maps are also available on this page for attendees to our meetings. - LINKS - you can establish all the points of contact for user group committee members here. Did you know you can find out all about the Sage Resellers here. There is also some useful information about specialists you may wish to call upon to solve some of your technical issues. - UPDATE - use this page to tell us when you change your system, DO IT ONLINE. - NEWS - all items of general interest are posted on this page, including past online copies of our newsletters (unlike the online copies in the members club, they are not linked to the speaker presentations, or the MBE listings etc.) - JOIN - if you are not a user group member, join online. MEMBERS CLUB - Where appropriate there are directory listings on the pages like the Open Site. Many facilities are very similar to the open site but expanded. The major additions to this site are the fully threaded Discussion Forum, and Web pages for the Special Interest Groups. The aim of this site was to be able to give our membership access to information of a commercial sensitive nature that could not be published on an open web site. The major additions by web page follow.- NEWS - Presentations from our meetings, most recent, and previous. Sage Customer Day presentations. Online newsletters and the way they link to the presentations and other useful information. - Special Interest Group pages, Distribution, Finance, Manufacturing, and reporting - This where members gain visibility of the MBE's to be voted upon, what has been accepted, and the MBEs currently delivered as the result of voting. In addition meeting details, agenda's and minutes fron the SIG meetings are all shown here. - LINKS - in addition to the information carried by the Open Site, this page carries information about the Sage Training Courses available (did you know these were available to you?). Also on this page is the information we are building about products that work with the Sage product. We have grouped these into like products, so you can review what is available, who supplies it, look at reviews and presentations, and even find out who already uses the products. You save money because we have done the leg work for you. This area is called TECHNOLOGY BLOCKS. - DISCUSSION FORUM - the most significant area of the Members Club. This is what end users told us they wanted, and was the driving force in the creation of the members club web site. It consist of two main areas FAQ pages, and a fully threaded question/answer discussion form. Both areas are split into the most frequently used modules. Both were reviewed in some depth, with the depth and breadth of information being shown. The above was a revelation not only to those present who are not yet members of the users group but also to some of our members. It was pleasing to note the vast number of members in the room who do make good use of the site by asking questions and helping other members by submitting responses. It is to be hoped more will be encouraged to do so. THIS IS THE BEST INDEPENDENT KNOWLEDGE BASE OF INFORMATION FOR USERS OF SAGE ENTERPRISE SOFTWARE - LETS KEEP IT THAT WAY |
