I've been a member of the Wisconsin Midrange Computer Professional Association (WMCPA) for several years now, where I have served as Technical Conference Director for two years, with the last two as Webmaster. In March 2012 we will be putting on our 27th Annual Technical Conference at the Grand Geneva Resort & Spa in Lake Geneva WI. Over the years there have been many great speakers on topics current for the day. Many people have taken a lot of information back to their employers and put it to constructive use. User Groups across the country provide valuable information and an opportunity to talk to experts in all areas of IT.

The last several years there have been an increasing number of webinars (web-based seminars) offering pertinent subject matter, often at no charge. With the economy hurting as it is these days and businesses (and IT professionals) having to do more with less, "free" is an attractive price. I have attended several of these and have gained insight into topics as a result.

So, if it costs a person (or a company) to be a member of a User Group and many webinars are free, why belong to a User Group? The answer to that question has to do with exactly what you get with each. Webinars do provide information, but what is missing is interaction, or at least it is not as easy. At a live session it is easy to ask a question of the speaker and hear questions of others, sometimes important questions that you hadn't thought of. Webinars do offer a Q & A session at the end and I have heard some good questions come from that medium. However, during a webinar you can't easily have a side conversation with anyone about how they plan to use the material.

Webinars do serve a valuable purpose by exposing us to topics and giving us a useful overview. User Groups can take that information to the next level by allowing the speakers to delve more deeply into the topic.

As we prepare for our March Conference, we are reviewing the subjects that speakers present and comparing that to what we believe our members are interested in. If I had one suggestion that I could pass on to speakers it would be this: don't use your webinar presentation at a User Group meeting or conference. Instead, springboard off of the webinar at our meetings and conferences to give us some real depth.

Unless (until?) the technology for webinars changes so that it can be a more interactive experience they can't replace the personal touch that User Group meetings and conferences bring. So, companies: continue to support Local User Groups...they are providing a valuable service for you. Continue to attend webinars and use them to learn the basics on a topic...but be active in your User Group to get the details you need to make those subects work for you.