Location on map is approximate.
Portchester Community School is on White Hart Lane in Portchester. The school is probably best approached via Castle Street and then turning west into White Hart Lane. The school being the third turning to the right. Merton Avenue is almost opposite the turning into the school. The school is not visible from the road so proceed carefully to avoid missing the entrance to the school. The entranced is marked by a signboard. The warning signs for a school also provide a hint.
The majority of the meetings will be held in Classroom 2 (also referred to as the English Classrom). Go past the reception desk and turn left into the body of the school and then turn left again and the classroom is on the left side of the corridor.
The meetings typically consist of talks and demonstrations of software, hardware and techniques with follow up discussions.
The meeting then is opened to the attendees to raise issues and problems which the group will attempt to solve or suggest further avenues of investigation.
Members bring along their own Macs so that they can participate in the demo or illustrate any issues they might have.
The meetings are friendly, and informal, as with all WAGs meetings, with the emphasis on sharing knowledge and experience of the Apple range of products be it Mac Pros, MacBooks, iMacs, iPhones and iPads, plus any new products introduced by Apple. Please feel free to come along, if nothing else to listen and have a chat. We look forward to seeing you there.
Location on map is approximate.
The Colliton Club is in a large Country House in the centre of the County town near the County Hall. In the evening there is plenty of parking round about. We hire the Dorset Room, one of its fairly large & grand rooms, for our meetings and various members bring along the equipment we need to add to the standard furniture.
One of our members is also a member of the Colliton Club & by complying with the Club’s licensing arrangements by supplying them with a list of WAGs members attending each meeting we are able to make use of their well stocked & reasonably priced bar for drinks & snacks.
Meetings are a mixture of demonstrations of software by members or tips & ideas and often wide ranging discussions. Everyone is most welcome to arrange to demonstrate whatever interests them & our presentations range from the slick to the frankly laid-back! It’s the enthusiasm that makes the evenings so interesting & informative.
Sockets & tables are available around the room where members set up their machines, if they have brought them, to share their enthusiasms or ask for informal help with problems & queries both great & small. Members have a wide range of experience from beginners to professionals but all of us are there to share our friendship & support. If you have any kit you would like to sell do bring it along!
The meeting organiser moves the evening along and there is always a break to visit the bar downstairs. Often after the meeting & computers are packed away discussion continues in the bar. Do come along to see what is going on and have a chat.
Location on map is approximate.
Our meetings in Bournemouth are held on the 3rd Tuesday of the month starting at 7.00pm at Solutions, the Apple Reseller, in Old Christchurch Road very near the centre of the town. This is immediately opposite the pedestrian entrance to the Richmond Gardens car park which provides easy parking which need not be expensive. We have been told that the barrier at the exit is raised every night between 9.30 and 10.00 after which there is no need to 'pay as you leave'. Those who know the area well say that there are also some nearby residential roads which are parked solid during the day by workers but which usually have plenty of empty spaces in the evening.
We meet in the presentation room in the basement the Solutions shop, where we have full use of a projector and a big screen, a speaker's podium and a usually reliable connection to the internet. And of course we are able to see and 'play' with the latest Apple products in the shop above.
We follow the usual WAGs meeting structure beginning with a Q&A session, which can prove invaluable for anyone with an vexing problem, or just a query about how to do something.
Then there are usually two presentations during which members are welcome to chip in. We have an interval for tea, coffee and biscuits (kindly provided by Solutions) when we chat and swap ideas and information — always worthwhile because most people come away with ideas for new programs or new ways of doing things. It’s always very informal and friendly so do come – you are very likely to enjoy it if you are already a Mac user or are thinking of being one.
Location on map is approximate.
Salisbury meetings are held at The Pheasant Inn which is in Salt Lane. We meet on the last Wednesday of each month starting at 7:30pm and finishing around 10pm. After this, several of us adjourn to the restaurant to continue a social evening over anything from a cup of coffee to a full meal for those who've either come straight from work or are just plain hungry!
The content of the meeting is fairly fluid but does attempt to follow a format. We always start with an open session where members can ask the assembled crowd about any problems or issues they may have. If the answer is a simple and quick one, it's dealt with there and then, but for more detailed explanations, there is always time after the main body of the meeting for questioner and answer provider to get together, hopefully over a Mac.
The meeting then proceeds with one or sometimes two presentations of software. They range from explanations aimed at the total beginner to "How I mastered my film on white rhinos for the BBC Natural History Unit". In truth, I live in hope of someone offering the latter but we have a broad range of experience and try to cater for all levels of knowledge. So, if you're a seasoned Mac user or are even just toying with the idea of buying your first Mac we'd love to see you at our next meeting.
