Sure It's A Tough Job, But Somebody's Got To Do It
Bob Brodie hasn't been called the Atarian's best friend for nothing. Since his arrival at Sunnyvale in late 1989, Bob has turned the office of U ser Group Services into the place where corporate executives seek the user's perspective on everything from machine prices to presidential hires. In the process, Bob has become a celebrity. Aside from his duties as user-group liaison, Bob is Atari's unofficial spokesperson, fielding tough questions from the press and ST owners with point-blank honesty and wit.

Bob's hands-on style and determination to "get the job done" are throwbacks to an era when product support was just as important as the bottom line. If Atari's looking better lately, this perception is due in large part to Bob's dynamic efforts. START, for one, is glad he's around.

Associate Editor Amy H. Johnson's incisive look at Bob begins on page 32.

What Are You Waiting For? Join A User Group
Software, magazines and dealers are excellent sources for learning more about your computer, but none of them comes close to providing the benefits of a user group. A well-run user group is an invaluable resource for information on the latest applications and utilities - with plenty of hints and tips - that will make your computing life easier.

User groups commonly meet once a month. Here members can see demos of the latest in public-domain, shareware and commercial software and swap computer "war stories" with other users.

Larger user groups sometimes produce a club disk packed with shareware and public-domain software, and a monthly newsletter. A more established club maintains a bulletin-board system.

There are plenty of other benefits to joining a user group. Verifiable members often receive special discounts at their local Atari dealership and, ever once in a while, software houses conduct special promotional offers for club members only. Guest speakers also show up to make that month's meeting even more interesting. (Bob Brodie is a frequent guest at these meetings throughout the country and usually brings loads of goodies from Atari to either demonstrate or give away in raffles.)

Where To Find Them
Through a special arrangement with Atari (and thanks to Bob Brodie), START presents on disk the entire list of registered Atari user groups in the United States. If there isn't one in your area, think about starting one yourself. Bob tells us that the rules for founding a club are fairly loose - a user group can be any amount of members (over one). To that end, present and future user-group presidents will find Jim Rinncr's User-Group Disk/File Library, also on this month's disk, an indispensable tool.

TOM BYRON
START Editor