andygaunt Posted January 18, 2005 Share Posted January 18, 2005 To view an HTML version of this newsletter visit http://www.fmpug.com/newsletters/2005/jan_1.html Greetings, Welcome to the first newsletter of 2005. IN THIS EDITION: * 2004 - What a year! * Membership that's made for you * FMPug - For any user, anywhere! * New FMPug Chapter in Tampa, FL * What's "news" in January? - Reviews - Giveaways * Meeting Dates & Locations * PugViews - Its Launch on Society * RSVP - It's IMPORTANT * Visit our sponsors 2004 - What a year! ------------------- Well, 2004 was certainly a great year for FMPug! It is hard to believe my dream of FMPug began less than a year ago. Just goes to show you that old adage is true -- time sure does fly! It all started back in February of last year when I began my dream of uniting user groups under a common umbrella. After forming the inaugural group in Central Florida, we slowly began to branch out, with groups cropping-up across the country. With users from sea to shining sea, I began to speak with FileMaker vendors in the hope of receiving some great products & merchandise. And boy, I must say the 'Pug' certainly landed the "mother load"! It started with a single copy of FileMaker Pro 7 client, courtesy of Darrin Quick at FileMaker Inc and subsequently escalated into numerous giveaways at FMPug locations around the country. The final tally of merchandise presented to our members in 2004 totaled over $50,000 (MSRP-US)! It's absolutely incredible. But never in a million years could we have done it without the support from our Contributors & Sponsors. That being said, I would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank our Contributors & Sponsors for their continued support of the FMPug endeavor: FileMaker Inc, Productive Computing, The Support Group, The Virtual Training Company, Total Training, Database Pros, OneStopFileMaker, Brian Dunning, FMPtraining, FMWebschool, ISO FileMaker Magazine & FMForums Over the course of the year, we were pleased to welcome several new Chapters around the globe. The Pug-union was certainly coming together. However, it was quickly apparent that managing one group and managing over a handful of groups was truly a different kettle of fish. To work through our growing pains, we introduced a new business model in November and opened up the 'Pug' family to encompass persons who were already a part of a local user group, those who wished to form their own group and to those who may not have access to a local user group. FMPug became unique in the sense that as a user you can be a member no matter where you live. We took a great user group concept and opened it to the virtual community, making sure there were opportunities for the every-user! Since FMPug's inception, we've worked hard to ensure FMPug stands-out from the crowd, and we plan to only get better with age! If you have been wanting to check out what FMPug has to offer, no better time than the present! Head up to our site and check out all that FMPug has going-on. We've introduced some new pocketbook friendly membership options as well. Again, FMPug wishes to personally thank each and every one of our Members, Contributors, Sponsors & Speakers for making FMPug a success in 2004! Here's to a mind-blowing 2005!! Membership that's made for you! ------------------------------- What makes FMPug unique? At FMPug it is our goal to help make you a stronger user, a better developer. We want to expand your horizon by opening the doors to all facets of the FileMaker world with the hope of making your job or project a bit easier next time round. I guess one could say it is our goal to redefine the concept of the user group, making it a full-blown user experience! All the "hoop-la" aside, joining FMPug provides any user and/or developer, regardless of your skill level access to some fantastic, top-end FileMaker Pro resources. We're talking everything from product discounts, training opportunities to merchandise specials, not to mention the *free* monthly giveaways. The best part...FMPug membership is open to anyone, anywhere! Whether you have a local group in or around your area or not, with FMPug you have the ability to join the 'Pug' community & take advantage of the great membership opportunities no matter where you live! Membership opportunities are available from just $7 month! Just take a look at some membership highlights... EXCLUSIVE DISCOUNTS from vendors such as: Productive Computing, The Support Group, ISO FileMaker Magazine, The Virtual Training Company, O'Reilly Publications, Peachpit Publications, Buddy Systems, etc. SPECIAL OFFERS: You also gain access to special limited-time offers from countless vendors, manufacturers & professionals. The offers are updated monthly & cover everything from hardware, software and training, to discounts on conference tickets. FREE PRODUCTS - Review it & Win! In late 2004 we launched "PugViews", a for-user-by-user review process which consist of regular reviews of products truly valuable to the user and/or developer community. Products include Books, Training CDs, Applications and Plug-ins. Each month we select interested members from both the Chapter and Virtual community to perform these reviews. Upon successful review, the product is your's for the keeping! For books, applications or CDs, you will receive a *free* copy of the product in exchange for your opinions. For plug-ins, a *free* Site or Developer's license is issued. You tell us your thoughts and the product is your's -- it's that simple! Interested? To sign up as a member, visit http://www.fmpug.com/join. We accept all major credit/debit cards+. +Please Note: You do NOT require a PayPal account if you sign up via the one time payment option. If you choose the installment plan you are required to have a PayPal account as per their terms of service. Can you see the value of membership yet? Still need more convincing? How about.... PRODUCT GIVEAWAYS In 2004 we raffled off over $50K worth of products! That's nothing to sneeze at! Our members were able to win *free* copies of FileMaker Pro, FileMaker Developer, training opportunities from VTC & Total Training, hosting from Buddy Systems just to name a few. ONLINE BUSINESS CARDS+ That is right, once you are a paid member you can give us details of your business and we'll add your card to our growing list of members using this service. Each business card includes icons to denote popular services offered by you/your company. You can see an example of a business card in the What is new in January section of this newsletter. +Please Note: This service is strictly voluntary and is provided as an opt-in service by FMPug.com. We will not add your details unless you complete the member directory form online. We want you as a member -- join today!! Okay, so you want to know even more?! You can visit http://www.fmpug.com/about to read everything there is to read about FMPug, more specifically check out the Pug Perks or our extensive FAQ sections to learn all about FMPug membership. Or simply get in touch by email - [email protected] or phone - 407.801.4722. We're here for you! Let us know how we can help! FMPug - For any user, anywhere! ------------------------------- Here's a little secret, even if there isn't a group for thousands of miles, you can still be a member. That's right, you can hop aboard the Virtual train my friend. As a Virtual Pugger, you still gain access to all the weird, wild and wonderful giveaways, discounts and specials out there. There are reviews available too! Come one, come all....sign up today! But don't take my word for it. Read what our members have to say! "Although I am a Virtual Member and cannot attend meetings, FMPug has already more than paid for my membership. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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