September 2009 - Issue 005

Virtual University of the Third Age

NEWSLETTER No. 5

September 2009. Issue 005

We are the vU3A that is an online U3A operating entirely on the Internet, with the objective of serving the needs of those who are unable to attend a local U3A by reason of location, health, disability, caring for others, other commitments, or those working unsocial hours. 

We particularly need new members to give the critical mass to the various groups and would appreciate your help in making contact with potential members who fall within the definition in the opening paragraph of this newsletter. We can supply you with draft letter(s) for you to pass to any of your friends or acquaintances. Please feel free to discuss this with any member of the committee. Your help is really needed.  Make a start now by forwarding this newsletter to any potential member(s).

In the first instance e-mail linda.clark@virgin.net

The idea behind this quiz is to facilitate contact between pairs of vU3A members. The technique proved successful recently at Guildford U3A.

 If you would like to participate, and we naturally do hope you that you will, please send an email to quiz@wariner.waitrose.com, confirming your email address and Skype ID if you have one and stating whether you would like to contact another member using (a) email (b) Skype or (c) either. You will be put in touch with the sender of the next email requesting the same channel of communication as you and details of the quiz will be included in the notifying email.

The challenge is to see if you can work together to solve all sixteen items in the quiz. There are no prizes but you will have had an opportunity to meet another member, and there's nothing to stop you having a second or third go, if you so wish.

A full set of answers will appear in the next Newsletter.

One of our initial links that developed with the wiki page formats was the increasing use of Skype by members to establish contacts with colleagues working on the same tasks.  (continued overleaf)

With the advent of the “Coffee Shop” page in April this year, it did not take long for Duncan Tribute to take it to further lengths, with his “Coffee ‘n Skype” sessions at 11.30 am BST on Mondays, in getting a group of members together on a conference call, creating an opportunity to meet on a live link and exchange news and banter about their activities and plans.   Over just a few weeks, this has become a regular feature of Monday mornings and new members particularly are welcomed to introduce themselves and their interests!   This has now expanded and Duncan also has a similar session, but at 7.30 am BST on Mondays, linking members in Australia and New Zealand via Skype.  The sound quality is excellent and it’s quite inspiring to hear the chimes of a distant clock, striking the hour in a faraway place with the clarity of it appearing to be in the next room!  

If you want to learn more or wish to participate in either of these two groups, use your Skype package to set a link to ‘duncantribute’ and register your interest with him.  Duncan will arrange to bring you into the discussion from his end, provided you are online with Skype at the correct time!  Need help with Skype?  There is excellent advice on the “Coffee ‘n Skype” wiki page and there’s useful advice on setting up Skype in the side bar.

Not everybody can afford the microphone and speakers required to use Skype, indeed all the development work for vU3A and the resultant friendships were all achieved just using e-mail facilities. For that reason Joan, Peter and JohnMW will response to an e-mail sent to ‘vu3achat@vu3a.org’ suggesting a day and time for a chat . Full details are on our wiki under the heading “Join us for a chat”

Linda Clark was born in Liverpool during WW2, brought up in London but mostly in Hertfordshire before migrating to Scotland where she now resides with her husband Graham.  After leaving school at 15 a one year secretarial course set her up for working life in the office.  She married at 19 and produced a son and daughter and then began to think about a career.  Evening classes followed by a part-time BA degree in English led to the luxury of a full-time teacher training course.  Linda then took up a lecturing post in further education and fell in love with computers - a love affair which continues to this day.  She is a committee member of Inverness & Black Isle U3A and runs two IT interest groups for them.  She also acts as relief tutor for the U3A on-line digital imaging course.  Linda belongs to the local art society and is treasurer of the local history society which she says, “is a bit of a challenge and a relief once the accounts have balanced”.  Linda was an interested observer of the emerging vU3A when the need for a replacement secretary arose and she could not resist the urge to get involved.  As Secretary of the Steering Group she organizes agendas and minutes, deals with correspondence and the Third Age Trust, keeps an eye on two vU3A interest groups and currently is acting as Interest Group Co-ordinator.  Linda adds that she has not yet decided what she wants to be when she grows up.

This is your the newsletter, so that your comments or letters on any subject will be very much appreciated.    Editor: JohnMW. E-mail: wariner@waitrose.com.  Skype: johnmichael1800