Salisbury — Jan 31st 2023
Barry opened the meeting by paying tribute to Helen, who died suddenly at the end of last year. She had been a valued member, had helped on several occasions with the distribution of promotional material, and had made her garden available in the summer of 2021 for the very meeting which led him to taking on the role of local organiser. On a different matter, he mentioned that discussions between a number of the group’s officials had uncovered a small number of members whose records showed that they had opted out of all communications. This had possibly arisen through some confusion concerning the requirements of GDPR, but currently meant that there were members who had joined an organisation that could not be in touch or provide them with any help or information. All the members present who were in this category were unaware of this status and steps have been put in place to correct this anomaly.
An illustrated presentation on Online Security followed, Barry showing the numerous pitfalls that the unwary could succumb to and the various steps that could be taken to minimise the risks of internet use, including testing the stealth mode of computer ports with ShieldsUP!; using a VPN when on mobile equipment away from one’s own wifi network; having secure passwords; not responding to scammers; not unsubscribing from unwanted material; and not employing factual information as security question responses. He mentioned some distressing issues dealt with by himself and others working for a local charity dealing with Staying Safe Online for elderly and vulnerable people. For those whose mathematical skills were somewhat more than basic, he showed the basis on which Passkeys most probably will operate.
Brian then illustrated how he had roughed out a number of ideas before deciding on the final layout for his promotional poster available with suitable modification for each of the groups in AUGW. The more unusual features of the layout such as the placement of text to a predetermined curvature were achieved using iStudio Publisher, a feature-packed yet inexpensive alternative to other publishing software. All agreed that the final poster version was most impressive and at least one request has been submitted for more posters to be available at our next meeting for distribution.
Prior to the meeting, Lindsay had submitted a request concerning the placement of a number of photos on a single screen and the problem was quickly solved.
This meeting was run according to the wishes of those local members who responded to the Chairman’s online questionnaire on meeting format. It was a great success. Subsequent meetings will follow the same format, with no presentation exceeding 40 minutes; multiple presentations would not total more than 60 minutes; and there would always be time for questions and, hopefully, answers.
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