2017-10-01

Mac news – October 2017

Greetings folks! I can't believe it's October already, but what else is new?

Getting straight to the point, here are my October events/classes:

Thursday, Oct. 12th, from 7-9 pm at Montrose Proximity Space, at the monthly Black Canyon Mac User Group meeting, I will be covering the latest operating system updates for iPhones/iPads & Macs. iOS 11 for your iDevices, and "High Sierra" (10.13.x) give us lots to talk about! Admission is free.

Saturday, Oct. 14th, from 10 am -2 pm at the Sherbino Theater, as part of Weehawken Creative Arts' ongoing "Business of Art" series, I'll be offering a class titled: "Grow Your Business Online". Cost is $40, and you'll need to register with Weehawken to sign up.
  • This 4-hour intensive will cover everything from A to Z in the world of online marketing. We'll start by making sure you have claimed your business on Google Maps, which will then enable you to post photos, price lists, menus, etc, as well as build you own free website and possibly begin advertising on Google search. Instructor John Clark has recently gotten certified by Google as a "trusted verifier", meaning he can bypass the annoying postcard requirement for verifying your business with Google if you haven't claimed it as of yet. There will also be instructions for getting listed on other online resources such as Apple Maps, Yelp & Trip Advisor. Apps such as Google's "My Business" and "Google Primer" will also be covered, demonstrating the ways in which you can manage your business listing from anywhere.
Thursday, Oct. 19th, from 3-5 pm at Montrose Proximity Space, I'll again be doing my "iPhone/iPad Overview". Remember, this class is no longer free; it costs $20 like my other classes.
  • This class will give you an in-depth review of all the tips & tricks you need to get the most out of your iPhones and iPads. As I mentioned above, there's a brand new operating system, iOS 11, that just came out, so if you want to learn what all the fuss is about, join us!
Saturday, Oct. 28th, from 10-noon at the Ridgway Library, I will be revisiting my "Photos for Mac" class, since I haven't done that one in awhile.
  • If you're using one of Apple's latest versions of their "Photos" program on your Mac, you surely know why you'd want to take this class, right? 😎
Remember, visit my website to learn more about these classes, or give me a call at (970) 417-8434. I do need you to sign up ahead of time for any class you hope to attend.

Hope to see you at a class sometime soon!
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2017-09-04

Mac news – September 2017

Happy Labor Day folks!

Thank you all for your patience with the lack of classes over the last two months. It was a crazy summer for me, and I needed to clear my calendar of anything I could, in order to keep up with everything else!

I'm coming to you this month with a bit of a new approach. I'm going to offer just one class a month, one in Ridgway, and one in Montrose, plus there will be occasional extras from time to time. I'm going to give you the topic, location and date/time here in the newsletter, and then have a link to get all the details on my blog at https://macdoktor.net. This will save me a bunch of time every month, and hopefully make this email more readable. So, without further ado, here's are my September classes:
  • Tuesday, Sept. 12th, from 7-9 pm at Montrose Proximity Space, at the monthly Black Canyon Mac User Group meeting, I will be hosting a lively Q&A session. Bring all your nagging questions and comments. Admission is free.
    • This isn't a "class" exactly, but more of an opportunity to ask questions about things that may have been annoying you for awhile, or that you simply don't understand. Bring any and all questions, and come prepared to learn some things!
  • Thursday, Sept. 21st, from 3-5 pm at the Montrose Proximity Space, I'll be offering a new class: "Keeping Things Organized On Your Mac". Cost is $20, and please contact me to sign up.
    • This new class is the result of my inquiry earlier this summer about ideas for classes you might be interested in taking. The idea will be to help you better understand where everything lives on your Mac, as well as how to better organize it using all the tools at your fingertips: folders, special locations, tagging, etc.
  • Saturday, Sept. 30th, from 10-noon at the Ridgway Library, I'll be bringing back my "iPhone/iPad Overview". This class will no longer be free however; it will cost $20 like my other classes.
    • For years, I offered this class for free, every other month at the Ridgway Library. Then they told me they couldn't afford to pay me to teach computer classes any longer, so I had to stop. I've had enough requests for this class however, that I've decided to bring it back as a paid class. This time around it should be pretty fun, as Apple's brand new iOS update, iOS 11, will have just come out later this month. There will be tons of new things to learn about, so join us if you can!!
Give me a call at (970) 417-8434 if you need more info. I do need you to sign up ahead of time for any class you hope to attend.

Hope to see you at a class sometime soon!
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2017-08-02

Mac news – August 2017

Mac news – August 2017

Greetings, and a belated happy Colorado Day to you all! I want to thank everyone that weighed in after last month's email with your suggestions for class topics, locations and times. It was all quite helpful, and I'm excited to get back into action with some new topics, but alas, I've decided to take another month off.

August is shaping up to be almost as busy as July, and since I'm on a much-needed vacation right now (back next week), I figured it would be better if I focused on enjoying the rest of the month, getting caught up on things, then be primed & ready to hit the ground running in September.

In the meantime, I've been reminding folks that a one-on-one session of just 30-60 minutes can be a lot more productive than trying to follow along in one of my 2-hour classes, especially if you've ever felt like you get lost too easily in my classes. Let me know if you might be interested in trying that approach instead, as I've found it to be much more helpful (and less frustrating!) for many of my clients. Just so you know, I charge $60/hour, and make house calls! 😁

First Generation 9.7-inch iPad Pro For Sale

Having just upgraded to Apple's newest iPad Pro (the 10.5-inch model), I have last year's model to sell to some lucky local looking to upgrade themselves. This 9.7-inch model has a whopping 128GB of storage and includes the Apple Silicone case and Smart Keyboard, just like you see in the photo above (sorry, I'm keeping the Apple Pencil to use with my new iPad 😜). It also has almost 6 months of AppleCare+ warranty left! The entire package cost me more than $1200, including AppleCare, and I'm asking just $600. Give me a ring, or drop me a line if you're interested. First come, first serve!

Thanks for your patience on classes; I think you'll be pleased with some of the offerings I'm planning for September!

Have a great rest of your summer, and get out there & enjoy the wildflowers!!

John
(970) 417-8434
macdoktor@gmail.com
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2017-07-03

Mac classes – July 2017

Greetings followers! 🤓 Happy summer to you all. The 4th of July is upon us, and I'm afraid that means it's all downhill from here. Just kidding. 😁 There's plenty of summer left, and it's going to be outstanding, eh?

July is another extremely busy month for me, and I've spent the whole weekend trying to figure out what to teach, and where to host whatever it is I decide to teach. I guess you could say I've got a bit of "teacher's block"!

You see, my classes have tended to be sparsely attended as of late, and I'm not sure if it's just that everyone's busy, or that I'm not mixing it up enough with my class topics. So this month I'd like to ask all of you:

  • What would you like to see me offer in the way of classes? More of the same (Photos, Backups, Online Security, iPhone Photography, etc.), or is there something I haven't covered yet that you'd like me to offer? Please, respond to this email and give me your thoughts!
  • Where & when do you prefer to attend classes? Montrose, Ridgway, Telluride? Weekday evenings (and if so, which evenings are best for you?) or weekend days, or perhaps I should be exploring more in-depth online classes?? (If I did that, they would be significantly more expensive, just as an FYI.)

Over the years, I've had folks ask if I could teach more advanced topics like Photoshop, Lightroom, WordPress, etc, but I've always felt that it was unlikely enough of my clients would be interested in classes like that. Am I wrong?

In short, I really need your help, all of you, in order to figure out the best direction to go with my classes at this point. Honestly, the venue opportunities have changed this year, so one of my biggest challenges is figuring out the best place to host classes going forward.

Thank you all for taking the time to give me your thoughts, if you can. I'd really like to make sure I'm serving your needs to utmost, and I can't do that without some input from you!! The sooner you respond, the sooner I can schedule a couple of classes yet this month, so don't delay!

Again, happy summer. Hope to see you at a concert in the park sometime this month in Ridgway.
🎶🎻🎤🎷🎶
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2017-06-01

Mac classes – June 2017

Another month has rolled on by and summer is drawing nigh... 🌞 This is going to be one crazy busy month for me, so I'm only teaching one focused class the whole month, but I also want to share info about another fun iPhone Photography class I'll be doing at the Ah Haa School in Telluride on the first of July.

On to the details (however meager they may be 😁)...

Class list for June 2017:

  • Thurs., June 8th, from 6-8 pm at the Montrose Proximity Space, by continued demand, I'll be revisiting Apple's "Photos" program. Cost for this class is $20.
  • Sat., July 1st, from 10 am to 2 pm at the Ah Haa School in Telluride: "iPhone Photography"; a four-hour intensive exploration of everything you need to know to get the absolute best photos possible out of your iPhone! Cost is $65 for this 4 hour class; sign up with the Ah Haa School.

Please do let me know if you plan to attend either of these classes; if I get enough commitments ahead of time, I don't have to send out a nagging reminder!


 First up, on Thursday, June 8th from 6-8 pm at the Montrose Proximity Space, by continued demand, I'll once again be covering Apple's new "Photos" program for Yosemite, El Capitan and Sierra. Most everyone who has ever used a Mac is thrown off by the switch to Photos, but it's actually quite a powerful upgrade from iPhoto. Of course, there's a whole new interface to learn too! If you're running Yosemite, El  Cap, or Sierra on your Mac, you'll want to take this class to learn all the ins & outs of the new program. Please, do let me know if you plan to attend. Cost is $20.


 Then, a month from today, on Saturday, July 1st, from 10 am - 2 pm, at the Ah Haa School in Telluride, I'll be teaching "iPhone Photography". This stimulating class, presented by the Ah Haa School, will be an intensive exploration of iPhone photography. As the quality of cameras in smartphones like the iPhone increases, it's easier than ever to always have a great camera with you. But wait, you say, why are my photos always blurry, or just so-so? It's mostly because you need to learn how to use the device properly, and there definitely are tricks to using the iPhone's camera! So sign up for this class, and learn how to start getting really good photos out of your iPhone. As a bonus, we'll spend some time learning about the dozens of powerful camera apps available for your device, from the Instagram craze to the more techy HDR realm, and everything in between. Registration is $65. Sign up with the Ah Haa School if you'd like to attend.

I hope your June won't be quite as busy as mine, and that you get out & explore this beautiful area a bit, take in some of the Thursday concerts in the park (Ouray in June, RIdgway in July, Paonia in August) or any of the hundreds of other fun things our region has to offer!
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2017-05-10

Mac classes – May 2017

Apologies to anyone that may be wondering what happened to the class newsletter this month, but I'm afraid I had a bit of a 'perfect storm' of circumstances (including two different commitments that involved travel), that combined to keep me from posting this until today. Thanks for your patience!!

I will reiterate my big news from March one last time, that the Ridgway Library is no longer able to offer my free last-Wednesday-of-the-month classes. Don't worry; even though I won't be doing those specific classes for free any longer, I will continue to offer lots of classes, and some will be free, so be sure to read the fine print on every class. The number of venues I will be teaching at continues to grow, and I'm excited about that. Lastly, I've only got a couple of things on the docket for May, due to the confusion that led to the lateness of this email.

As spring turns to summer, there's so much going on that it's hard to squeeze in a lot of classes!

On to the details...

Class list for May 2017:

  • Sat., May 20th, from 1-4 pm at the Ridgway Library: "iPhotography"; a three-hour, in-depth exploration of intensive covering everything you need to know to get the absolute best photos possible out of your iPhone! Sign up with Weehawken Creative Arts. Cost is $35 for this 3 hour class.
  • Thurs., May 25th, from 6-8 pm at the Ridgway Proximity Space, by continued demand, I'll be revisiting Apple's "Photos" program. Cost for this class is $20.
Please do let me know if you plan to attend either of these classes; if I get enough commitments ahead of time, I don't have to send out a nagging reminder!


 First off, on Saturday, May 20th, from 1-4 pm, at the Ridgway Library, I'll be teaching "iPhotography". This stimulating class, presented by Weehawken Creative Arts, will be an intensive exploration of iPhone photography. As the quality of cameras in smartphones like the iPhone increases, it's easier than ever to always have a great camera with you. But wait, you say, why are my photos always blurry, or just so-so? It's mostly because you need to learn how to use the device properly, and there definitely are tricks to using the iPhone's camera! So sign up for this class, and learn how to start getting really good photos out of your iPhone. As a bonus, we'll spend some time learning about the dozens of powerful camera apps available for your device, from the Instagram craze to the more techy HDR realm, and everything in between. Registration is $35.. Sign up with Weehawken if you'd like to attend.


 Then, on Thursday, May 25th from 6-8 pm at the Ridgway Proximity Space, by continued demand, I'll once again be covering Apple's new "Photos" program for Yosemite, El Capitan and now Sierra. Many people are getting more than a little discombobulated by the switch to Photos, but it's actually quite a powerful upgrade from iPhoto. Of course, there's a whole new interface to learn! If you're running Yosemite, El  Cap, or even Sierra on your Mac, you'll want to take this class to learn all the ins & outs of the new program. Please, do let me know if you plan to attend. Cost is $20.

I'm wishing you a splendid spring full of wonderful opportunities for taking pictures with your iPhone! hope to see you at a class sometime soon!
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2017-03-31

Mac classes – April 2017

I was trying to think of a good April Fools joke to play here, but then I decided it would be simpler to just give you my class news for the month. You're spared for another year. 😜

I need to remind everyone that the Ridgway Library is no longer able to offer my last-Wednesday-of-the-month classes for free. Don't despair; I will continue to offer lots of classes, and some will be free, so be sure to read the fine print on every class. The number of venues I will be teaching at continues to grow, and I'm excited about that.

April is unusually busy for me, so I'm only offering two sessions, but I am bringing back 'Office Hours' at Montrose Proximity Space on April 11th!

On to the details...

Class list for April 2017:
  • Tues. April 11th, from 1-4 pm: prior to the BCMUG meeting below, at Proximity Space, Montrose, I'll be holding a bit of a new take on "Office Hours with the Mac Doctor". This 3-hour block will be available at a discounted rate of $50/hour for BCMUG members, and $60/hr for non-members.
  • Thurs., April 20th, from 6-8 pm, at the Ridgway Library, I'm revisiting an essential class: "Get Yourself Backed Up!". If you don't have a current (and healthy?) backup of your computer, this class is for you!
Please do let me know if you plan to attend the Backup class; if I get enough commitments ahead of time, I don't have to send out a nagging reminder!


 First, on Tuesday, April 11th, from 1-4 pm at the Proximity Space, Montrose, it's the return of at Proximity Space in Montrose, I'll once again be offering "Office Hours with the Mac Doctor" sessions. I will be available to answer your questions, take a look at your wonky Mac/iPhone/iPad, or whatever you need. As I mentioned above, I'll be charging for this service now, but BCMUG members will get a $10/hour discount ($50/hour). Non-members pay $60/hour. Short questions may not incur charges at all, depending on how complicated the answer is! 🤓


 That evening, Tuesday, April 11th, from 7-9 pm, at Proximity Space, Montrose, I'm going to cover the latest ebook from the good folks at Take Control Books, "Take Control of Your Paperless Office". This FREE presentation, as part of the Black Canyon Mac User Group's monthly meeting, will guide you through choosing your tools: scanners and OCR (optical character recognition) software, devices and services for storing scanned documents, and apps to categorize, locate, and view your documents. Then I'll show you how to convert paper into digitized files and give you ideas for how to organize your workflow. We'll give away a free copy of the ebook to one lucky attendee, as well as give you a link to buy the book for 30% off!


 Lastly, on Thursday, April 20th from 6-8 pm, at the Ridgway Library, I'm revisiting an essential class: "Get Yourself Backed Up!". This class will cover all aspects of backing up your devices, from online tools like Dropbox, Google Drive, iCloud, Carbonite and the like, to the best external hard drive options for physical backups. The importance of having good (and redundant!) backups is increasingly critical, for obvious reasons, but less obvious is that a good backup is your best protection against viruses and hackers! Due to popular demand, I will also cover Time Machine, and how to use it, so you can confirm your backups are working! Come learn all there is to know about how to make sure your precious photos and documents are safe for many years to come! Cost for this class is $20. Please let me know if you plan to attend.

I'm wishing you all the best that spring has to offer! Hope to see you at a class sometime soon!
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2017-03-02

Mac classes – March 2017

Happy March 1st everyone. If any of you know where the first two months of the year went, please let me know. 🙄

The big news on the Mac class front is that the Ridgway Library is no longer able to offer my last-Wednesday-of-the-month classes for free. Even though I won't be doing those specific classes for free any longer, don't despair; I will continue to offer lots of classes, and some will be free, so be sure to read the fine print on every class. The number of venues I will be teaching at continues to grow, and I'm excited about that.

Hope to see you all at a class sometime soon!

On to the details...

Class list for March 2017:

  • Sat., March 4th, from noon-4 pm at the Ah Haa School in Telluride: "Intermediate iPhone/iPad Tips & Tricks"; an especially in-depth exploration of everything your iDevice can do. Sign up with Ah Haa. Cost is $65 for this 4 hour class.
  • Tues. March 14th, from 7-9 pm: as part of the monthly Black Canyon Mac User Group meeting, at Proximity Space, Montrose, I'll be showing you how to "Take Control of iTunes". This FREE presentation will include a raffle to give away an ebook of the same title.
  • Tues. March 21st, from 6-8 pm, at the Sherbino Theater, it's another installment of "iPhones & IPAs!", covering the wonderful world of iPhone photography. Presented by the Sherbino and Weehawken Creative Arts; sign up through Weekhawken. Cost is $35.
  • Wed., March 29th, from 5-7 pm at the Ridgway Library, by popular demand, I'll be revisiting Apple's "Photos" program. Cost for this class is $20.

Please do let me know if you plan to attend any of these classes; if I get enough commitments ahead of time, I don't have to send out a nagging reminder!



 Coming right up, this Saturday, March 4th, from noon-4 pm at the Ah Haa School in Telluride, I'll be doing another "Intermediate iPhone/iPad Tips & Tricks" class. Ever since I've been doing my basic overview classes covering Apple's iDevices, I've had many requests to offer an intermediate version. This class will be perfect for anyone who is hoping to use an iPad as their only computer, but also for those of you who know their way around their "iDevice" pretty well, but would love to know more of the advanced things it can do. Sign up with Ah Haa if you'd like to attend. Cost for this class is $65.



 Next, on Tuesday, March 14th, from 7-9 pm, at Proximity Space, Montrose, I'm going to show you how to "Take Control of iTunes!". This FREE presentation, as part of the Black Canyon Mac User Group's monthly meeting, will cover all the ins & outs of the media management program everyone loves to hate. To anyone that uses it, iTunes is a source of constant confusion and headaches, thanks to its many semi-related features and Apple’s frequent interface changes. Join us for an in-depth exploration of this 900-pound gorilla, and learn to master it! There will also be a raffle to give away a free ebook on the topic.



 Then, on the following Tuesday, March 21st, from 6-8 pm, at the Sherbino Theater in Ridgway, it'll be another installment of "iPhones & IPAs!". This fun class, presented by the Sherbino and Weehawken Creative Arts, is a lively & wide-ranging exploration of the fascinating world of iPhone photography!! You'll learn tips and tricks for getting the best results when you shoot photos with your iPhone, as well as learn about some of the many astounding apps that will help you take your iPhone-ography to the next level. Just $35 per person, which includes a beer ("iPA" recommended! ;-) or glass of wine. Sign up with Weehawken if you'd like to attend.



 Lastly, on Wednesday, March 29th from 5-7 pm at the Ridgway Library, by continued demand, I'll once again be covering Apple's new "Photos" program for Yosemite, El Capitan and now Sierra. Many people are getting more than a little discombobulated by the switch to Photos, but it's actually quite a powerful upgrade from iPhoto. Of course, there's a whole new interface to learn! If you're running Yosemite, El  Cap, or even Sierra on your Mac, you'll want to take this class to learn all the ins & outs of the new program. Please, do let me know if you plan to attend. Cost is $20.

I'm wishing you a spectacular March; spring is just around the corner! hope to see you at a class sometime soon!
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2017-02-05

Mac classes – February 2017

I have a common experience as the Mac Doctor: whenever I get stumped and say something like "I'm not sure what's going on here!", the client almost always says "It's good to know it happens to you too sometimes!" Well, this month's class announcement is late due to a glitch that I can't figure out, since I was sure it was set to post on Wednesday of this past week. I hope that makes you all feel better. 🤓

Class list for February 2017:


The details:


 First off, on Monday, February 6th, from 6-8 pm, at the Sherbino Theater, in another of the "Business of Art" classes co-sponsored by the Sherbino, Weehawken Creative Arts & the Ridgway Creative District, we'll be focusing on "How to Hashtag (Instagram Fundamentals)". If you want to take your Instagram skills to the next level, particularly as a powerful 21st-century marketing tool, this is the class for you! The class is only $10, but you need to sign up through Weehawken at this link.


 Then, on Tuesday, February 14th, from 7-9 pm, as part of the monthly Black Canyon Mac Users Group meeting, I'll be presenting a free program on "1Password, the Ultimate Password Manager". There are a lot of password managers out there these days, and many of them are quite handy, but 1Password, from Agile Bits, is the granddaddy of them all. It may not be the simplest to get set up, but once you get started, you'll find its integration with every aspect of your system to be invaluable. This class will give you the fundamentals to get up and running with this amazing tool.


 Next, on Tuesday, February 21st, from 10 am-12:30 pm, at the Montrose Assoc. of Realtors building, sponsored by the Montrose Center for the Arts, I'll be covering "Arts Marketing Through Social Media". This class offers introductory skills for using social media to market your products and/or business (with a focus on artists & creatives), covering everything from Facebook to Instagram. There is a lot of interest in the power of social media as a marketing tool these days, and this class will help you learn all the details. Cost is $25. To register, call (970) 240-1350, or mail your check to MCA, P.O. Box 1474, Montrose, 81402.

 Lastly, it's the FREE macOS Overview (for Macs, not iPhones/iPads), on Wednesday, February 22nd from 5-7 pm at the Ridgway Library. This class is held in the small meeting room at the Library, and space is limited, so you have to sign up. Give me a call at 970-417-8434 (or drop me an email) if you'd like to attend. (Be aware that first-timers take priority over anyone who has taken the class before, but there are often openings for repeaters).

As usual, I hope to see you all at a class sometime soon!
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2017-01-03

Mac classes – January 2017

Happy New Year everyone! Once again, my class email is coming out a little late. Such is life for the Mac Doc these days. Busy as can be (as a 🐝?), with no end in sight!. I've got a couple of unique things on the schedule this month as well. Read on...

Class list for January 2017:



The details:



 First off, next Tuesday, January 10th, from 7-9 pm, at Proximity Space in Montrose; I will be doing a FREE presentation as part of the monthly Black Canyon Mac User Group meeting, which I'm calling "Clean up your Mac!" I've been a member and presenter at the BCMUG meetings for years, and highly encourage any of you with an interest to check it out and join up! For Tuesday night's meeting, I'll be talking about how hard it can be to figure out where stuff is that might be clogging up your Mac, and demonstrating how to manage the ongoing task of keeping your machine from overflowing with data!


 Next, on Monday, January 16th, from 5:30-7 pm, at the Sherbino Theater, as part of Weehawken' Creative Arts' 2017 series, Art as a Small Business, I'll be presenting The Art of Business: Social Media Marketing. This class offers introductory skills for using social media to market your products/business, covering everything from Facebook to Instagram. There are 25 seats available for this $10 class (register with Weehawken), and you don't have to be an artist to attend! 👩🏼‍🎨 There are no materials required but please bring your laptops and smartphones.

 Then, it's the FREE Mac iPad/iPhone Overview, on Wednesday, January 25th from 5-7 pm at the Ridgway Library. This class is held in the small meeting room at the Library, and space is limited, so you have to sign up. The Library staff has asked that I handle the sign ups, so give me a call at 970-417-8434 (or drop me an email) if you'd like to attend. (Be aware that first-timers take priority over anyone who has taken the class before, but there are often openings for repeaters).

I hope to see you all at a class sometime soon. And in the meantime, I'm wishing you nothing but success in your computing adventures this year!
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