Since 1982 
Club History:
The Metro Area
Personal Computer Club, (M.A.P.C.C.) was originated in 1982 by a small
group of computer enthusiasts who worked with the ‘new’ Radio Shack Color
Computer. During that era, the Color Computer was quite
powerful and allowed the home user to get in on all the fun.
Of course, things have progressed rapidly over the years and
today’s computers are quite different from the very simple ‘basic’ Color
Computer.
We had one of the longest running 24/7 “BBS” operation
with well over 100 registered members. A BBS, (Bulletin
Board System), was a forerunner to present day Internet ‘chat room’ type
activity, long before the Internet was available to the home user. Members
could leave messages, comments etc. for other members and read replies to
their comments.)
We have taken part in many local annual Science Fairs
and were regularly part of the action at the McMillan Jr. High School
Computer Fair in Omaha, with usually two booths set up. We introduced the
first voice activated computer program, called “Ears” long before such a
program was available for any other computer.
The Club has held many special events over the years including summer and fall picnics, Pot Luck Christmas parties and a fun event we all look forward to called our “Action Auction”, an event where a variety of any items, not just computer items, are donated, then all the proceeds go into our club treasury to help support the club activities. We have gone on group member campouts over the years, attended by those members who had camping facilities and enjoyed the outdoors. We try to donate to worthy causes annually at Christmas time to those who are less fortunate than we are.
Club Goals:
The main purpose of
our group is simply to “Pass It On”… to share with fellow members
what knowledge we can to help and encourage their use of the home
computer, be it with a particular program, game or computer
technique. There is always the new user who often needs
help and those in our group who are able, are happy to do what they can to
offer such help. It provides a great time monthly, for
those with a common interest to come together and enjoy the camaraderie
and learn more about their computer.
Meetings:
Our meetings are held
on the 3rd Tuesday of each month at, (except December). Activities
at each meeting include conducting any necessary business during the first
portion of the meeting, including an opportunity for discussing problems
you may be running into. During the second half of the meeting a member
offers a hands-on demonstration. The equipment we
use is all club owned. Over the years we have acquired our own desktop
computer, P.A. system, electronic projector, a built-in wall-type movie
screen housed at the meeting place, Godfather’s Pizza on
30th & West Broadway in Council Bluffs, IA., and
Nov. 2006 we added a 17" Laptop Computer.
We now have high speed Internet available in our meeting area,
thanks to Mike Gotchalk, owner of Godfather's.. For added interest, a
drawing is held at both the beginning and end of the meeting.
Dues:
During the early years of the club we
voted to institute nominal annual member dues.
Individual dues are only $15.00 a year and Family dues, (all those
living under your roof), are $20.00 annually. These
fees help support some of the club activities and expenses. Unlike most
rising costs these days, we have never raised the membership fee since
they were first instituted in the early 80's!. We publish a monthly
newsletter which is posted on this web site, as are important notices,
such as next meeting date, what the coming demo will be, and any current
notices.
Officers:
We hold annual
nominations, (usually at the April meeting), and vote for officers during
the May meeting. Elective offices are: President, Vice
President, Secretary and Treasurer.
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