Plain English Chat

Open to all comers seeking people-friendly information about computers. Come as you are – and ask any question you like. Beginners welcome.

Where: Function room of the Canberra Irish Club, Parkinson St, Weston, not far from Cooleman Court, close to Namatjira Drive intersection.

When: Thursday morning 5 October – arrive around 9.30am for a cheery cup of coffee and meeting start at 10am sharp. Meeting closes 11.30am.

Stay on for a chat afterwards and also for lunch, if you like. Menu and order list will circulate during meeting. Light meal from $5.

Future meetings: First Thursday of every month until end of year. 

Watch the PCUG Special Interest Group's webpage for 2007 meeting dates.

Cost: Associate Membership of Irish Club, $3 p.a.

Convener: Philip Bell pmbell@pcug.org.au, tel 6251 5837.

Thinking of coming along? For the first chat group meeting on 5 October and in order to help the Irish Club make their arrangements, please email your likely attendance to the coordinator: philip.bell@pcug.org.au by end September.

Background: PCUG member Gloria Robbins set up the club’s original Computer Coffee and Chat Group in 1991. This has become the club’s most successful and popular Special Interest Group, growing from fortnightly meetings of around 20 people in the early 1990s to weekly meetings of 40 to 60 people today. The new PCUG chat group will be based on the same formula, proven over 15 years – but oriented more to beginners and the non-expert.

How the chat group will work. Before meeting start, members may list any question or topic on a whiteboard. This list becomes the meeting agenda. After the meeting, these questions and topics are emailed around the group with invitation for comment, particularly from those who raised them. Experienced PCUG members have offered to attend meetings and contribute to email discussion until the group develops its own skills and confidence in finding information on computers.

Some U3A (University of the Third Age) members will also attend the group.

Other activity

Outside of meetings, chat group members may also raise other questions or post matters of interest direct to the email list – and others may respond. 

Likely questions at the chat group

• My children have offered me their 5 year old computer. Is this okay, or do I need a new one?
• How much should a PC cost just for email and some web browsing? Where’s the best place to buy?
• How much will it cost to connect to the internet – and which provider should I choose?
• What’s the best way to keep viruses off my PC?
• I sometimes get mysterious and alarming messages on my computer screen, such as “You have performed an illegal operation”. How should I respond?
• How can I keep spam out of e-mail in my inbox?
• How can I find information I need on the web? My Google searches give me millions of results, mostly irrelevant and trying to sell stuff.
• How can I get my husband to switch off his computer and go get a life?

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