Board of Directors 12/6

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Quick recap

The meeting began with casual conversation and updates about attendance before discussing technical matters like time zone settings and iPad functionality. The group reviewed and corrected previous meeting minutes while also addressing financial matters including the MediaFire storage account and treasurer’s report. The conversation ended with discussions about upcoming events including the holiday party plans, CES presentation, and various holiday movie traditions among the team members.

Next steps

• Gerry: will put MediaFire login credentials in chat for board members

• Steve: will call Dave Shuman at 269-321-0952 to check on his status

• Kathy: will change treasurer’s report to remove Dave Shuman’s MediaFire reimbursement line item

• Kathy: will send membership renewal letters to expired members before December 11th

• Steve: will process membership renewals and send updated list if needed before leaving for North Carolina on December 11th

• Gerry: will pay $50 membership fee to Kathy

• Chris: will submit presentation description for January CES meeting to Cassie by December 10th for Observer deadline

• Chris: will prepare Name That Tune Christmas game for holiday party on December 13th

• Gerry: will compile Christmas/holiday video playlist for December 13th holiday party

• Kathy: will bring large card for Dave Shuman to December 13th holiday party for board and attendees’ signatures

• Kathy: will bring apple cider to December 13th holiday party

• Cassie: will send email announcement about December 13th holiday party to wide member list

• Gerry: will organize MediaFire cleanup and preserve historical data on Blu-ray disks

Summary

Team Updates and Social Chat

The meeting began with casual conversation about beverages and local events like Krampus Night in Lansing and Midnight Madness in Ann Arbor. Cassie informed the group that Fred would not be attending due to his wife’s birthday celebration. The team discussed time zone settings and the ability to mass-delete on iPads. Steve showed a mask from Haiti, and Cassie shared a picture of “Snowman Cam.” The conversation ended with the announcement that Chris was on his way, bringing the group close to a complete quorum.

Meeting Minutes and Festival Planning

The group discussed the process of creating and distributing meeting minutes, with Cassie explaining the workflow for combining AI-generated summaries with additional notes. They decided to make meeting notes available to both paid and non-paid members who attend meetings. The next board meeting was scheduled for January 3rd, while the regular meeting was set for January 17th. Gerry shared details about an upcoming Music and Gaming Festival in Maryland.

Meeting Minutes Correction and Discussion

The group reviewed and corrected several areas in the November meeting minutes, including changing “Comcast” to “screencast” and fixing punctuation issues. They discussed cataract surgery experiences; and the impact of the internet on children’s knowledge of literature. The conversation ended with a motion to accept the corrected November meeting minutes, which was seconded and approved without opposition.

MediaFire Storage Cost Review

The board reviewed the treasurer’s report, which showed a current bank balance of $1,708.94 after paying off the grant. Steve raised concerns about the cost of MediaFire storage for club videos, noting that Dave Shuman’s reimbursement had stopped. The group discussed alternatives, including free storage options from Geronimo and paid options from MediaFire, with the current MediaFire cost estimated at around $50 per year. Gerry demonstrated the current MediaFire directory structure and offered to share login credentials with the board members who needed access.

MediaFire Storage Account Review

The group discussed their MediaFire storage account, which is currently using 29% of its 3TB capacity, with 813.07GB hosted and 2TB remaining. They confirmed the account details, including the username, password, and website link, which were shared in the chat. The group also discussed the account’s cost, noting it was $45.48 per year. Keith mentioned he had sent a message to Dave Shuman, but received no response. Steve shared Dave’s phone number, which the group could use if needed.

MediaFire Account and Email Strategy

The board discussed continuing the MediaFire account, which costs $3.83 per month for 2TB of storage, and voted to pay for it directly from the MacTechnics treasury. They agreed to thank Dave Shuman, who has been grandfathered into a discounted rate, and discussed potentially giving him a gift at the Christmas party. Cassie reported on her work developing an email strategy to promote revenue growth, which will be implemented through the website and automation tools.

Email Strategy for Revenue Growth

Cassie discussed her email strategy to promote revenue growth, focusing on automating emails and generating additional names for the email list to increase awareness of MacTechnics. She is currently learning how to compile data from a website form she just built; and plans to test Constant Contact for free to assess its suitability. The board discussed potential methods to obtain email addresses, including focusing on student Mac groups or computer users, and Keith suggested exploring targeted email lists. Cassie will provide more information on the email strategy and potential (and expected) board involvement in 2026.

Membership Renewals and Project Updates

The meeting discussed membership renewals, with Steve noting that 16 members are currently active and several others have expired or not renewed since 2024. Kathy suggested being proactive about renewals, and Steve agreed to help send letters before his departure on the 11th. The group also discussed payment options, clarifying that PayPal is active for online payments, though members can choose to cover the PayPal fee if they wish. Chris provided an update on a film project, mentioning their collaboration with Creative Washtenaw for an ARPA grant and plans to coordinate a showing with other local filmmakers, including Trevor Zhou.

Hybrid Holiday Party Planning

The team discussed plans for the upcoming holiday party, which will be a hybrid meeting. They agreed on three activities: a Name That Tune game with Christmas songs, a scavenger hunt using phone apps, and possibly taking mugshots with interesting mugs. Gerry offered to compile a playlist of Christmas music videos, including some classic Apple ads. The group also discussed bringing non-alcoholic snacks to the party.

Holiday Party Planning Meeting

The group discussed plans for the upcoming holiday party, confirming it will be held from 11 AM to 1 PM. Steve confirmed his availability to attend despite having a concert ticket in Asheville that night. The group agreed to send a wide email distribution about the party to current and expired members, and Kathryn offered to bring a large Christmas card for the event. The discussion also touched on finding and compiling old holiday party videos and photos, with Kathryn mentioning she has extensive photo archives from past parties, though Cassie clarified that there are no existing video recordings from previous events.

CES Meeting and Observer Transition

The group discussed the upcoming CES meeting in January, where Chris will present a poster but needs to wait until the event to gather detailed information. Cassie confirmed the Observer’s print deadline for the January edition is December 10th, and Chris agreed to provide content by then. The conversation also touched on the transition of the Ann Arbor Observer to be managed by the Ann Arbor District Library, though it will remain an independent publication. The conversation ended with Gerry mentioning he would compile a playlist of videos, including humorous ones, for future discussion.

Holiday Movie Tradition Discussion

The group discussed holiday movie traditions, with Gerry sharing that their family watches extended versions of Lord of the Rings and Die Hard during Christmas. They explored various winter-themed films including Smilla’s Sense of Snow, The Thing, and The Grand Budapest Hotel, with Chris recommending Rover.com as a pet-sitting service for Steve’s son. The conversation concluded with plans for an upcoming gathering, where Kathryn offered to bring apple cider, and Cassie confirmed she would attend in person.

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