The XyUser Group board had its annual business and conference planning meeting in January. We are well on our way with planning another exciting conference which will be held in Charleston during September, as well as planning the SPC meeting targeted for the May timeframe.

An important part of our job as Board Members is to analyze the business and finances of the user group. Based on analysis of the current requirements of managing membership and organizing the conference, the board concluded that these duties require much less of a time commitment than in past years. The Board has made the decision to phase out the position of Executive Director as a full-time employee. Bob Carr has been handling these duties for several years now, and the Board made the difficult decision to deliver the news to Bob at the January meeting. We wish him well for the future and thank him for his input over many years.

The XyUser Group board proposes to create a new post which will be a part-time position and we will advertise details on the website in the near future. We welcome any enquiries from people who might be interested in this part-time position.

We have also noted that SDL is changing and adapting, and we are constantly monitoring that. To reflect some of these changes and to try to appeal to a wider audience whilst maintaining our commitment to existing members, we are planning to rename and rebrand the XyUser Group to align better with the new corporate identity of the software provider that makes this independent user group possible. We are currently looking at ideas and options and would welcome user feedback.

If any one has any questions or wants to discuss this announcement further then please email me directly at chris@letterpart.com and I will gladly answer your questions.

Chris Leggett
President, XyUser Group