Podnutz – Tech Podcasts – Official Blog

You wear a trench coat, smoke, and talk really fast, right? Oh you don’t? Well these are
assumptions people make of computer techs they don’t know yet.

Imagine you’re a customer. A woman. Now scan your website for 2 minutes.

Seriously ask yourself: would you invite this stranger into your home? Because more
than fixing your customer’s computer, you’re asking them to trust you, and you must build
trust and credibility if they’re going to pick up that phone and make the call.

More important than your prices and services, your website must feature your
business’s most important asset: YOU.

You need to answer two questions: Who is this person and why should I hire him?

3 tips for building trust with your website:

1. Show your face.

Get over your vanity and add your photo to your home page. You might think you’re
ugly, but the ugliest picture is…no picture. Remember how people assume the worst of
what they don’t know? A basic headshot is fine. It should have a link saying “meet the
owner” that links to your “about us” page.

2. Establish yourself as an expert. Offer proof.

Your “about us” page should give specific reasons that you’re the one (among so many)
to hire. Examples: cite relevant tech jobs you’ve held; certifications; years of experience;
publications; special projects (ie, volunteered for school district, set up network for
church, etc.); trade associations (ACRBO or local chamber of commerce); reviews (Yelp,
Citysearch, Yahoo, etc.) and awards (Angies List Super Service Award, Yelp, etc.).

Talks is cheap: “I’m the cheapest…I’m the best” is PURE NOISE. Give them something
TANGIBLE.

3. Who are you…off the job?

What do you love? Sports teams? Any movies? Play any sports? Hobbies? What town
do you live in? How long did you live there (people TRUST born and raised “locals.”?
College? Favorite people? Think of it like a Facebook profile: a short list of your likes
and loves which reveal the depth of your personality.

Remember, you’re technical, but your customers are EMOTIONAL and you must make
a personal connection with the visitor. The ultimate litmus test? If she didn’t know you,

would your mom hire you based on your website?

Author:
Robert Keppel is the author of MYPCREPAIRBIZ (guide to Internet marketing for computer repair businesses.

Guest post by: Eric Salce of Gem State Computers

Everyone loves a new gadget, but the pressures of buying a new phone can sometimes be very confusing. For instance you go to the local mall to look around and you are greeted with a hand full of carriers or service providers, and with what feels like hundreds of phones. How do you pick one? By following a few simple steps, you can sort though the stacks of phones, and pick the best one for you.

Step 1: Get flexible with your preconceived notions, Your friends tell you to buy an IPhone, or they tell you Sprint is the place to be, this is good place to start looking, but if sprint does not have service in your area, or you cannot figure out how the iPhone works, then they are not for you.

Step 2: Pick your carrier, not all carriers are created equal. Service is the backbone of any good phone, after all what good is a phone if it will not work. Do a little research what carrier works best where you live, and travel.

Step 3: Do you need a smart phone? Sure Smart Phones are great but they are not for everyone. There is typically an extra charge for the data portion of the smart phone, and if all you want to do is Text and Talk on a phone, they may not be for you, and this will decrease your choices to a handful of handsets.

Step 4: what are the features that you want in your new phone, for most of us, a phone needs to last eighteen to twenty four months. So I say don’t short change yourself, or you may end up regretting it later. You can pick the screen size, If there is a keyboard or not, speed of the phone, and the speed of the internet.

Step 5: Do Some comparing, By now you have you choices down to about five phones, Now do some looking around, and check the reviews for the handsets you are looking into. After all you don’t want to buy a phone that is plagued with problems. Amazon is a great place for reviews.

Step 6: Is the most important, Make the purchase and love your new phone. Most retailers have a fifteen to thirty day return policy, if the phone is not everything you think it should be then return it and get one that will be. After all, the phone will be by your side for the next two years.

As you can see if you take the time to follow these steps you will find that buying a new phone cannot only be stress free but also fun. By taking your time in selecting a phone not only will you not fall into the trap of following the sales person around the store, but also the choice you make will be your own.

Eric Salce

Gem State Computers

Guest Posting by Stephen McLaughlin

Hello all.

I have had the un-fun experience of trying to make a apple into a orange this past week. I had a concept in my head of what I was wanting a website to look like and I kept telling myself I can make a simple WordPress site look like it. I am not extremely dumb or a slow fellow but boy I felt like I was after 2+ hours of banging my fat fingers on my keyboard.

I truly believe and agree WordPress is one of the most simple solutions but I am always reminded when I forget some things are on opposite ends of a un bendable pole and you can only have/use one end at a time. When it comes to a CMS (content management system) for websites it is either simple or setup and use (aka easy) or it is wide open to changes of format, structure and layout (aka hard)

And I made the mistake of thinking I could hammer a square peg into a round hole and I failed, I failed hard, so it looks like I am going to uninstall WordPress from my site and go with another CMS system, of which the choices are great.

I could use ohh a hundred or so other PHP/MySQL based CMS’s http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_content_management_systems#PHP I believe I am going to use Drupal, I honestly believe it has the most to offer someone on my level, someone who understands code but is not a coder, someone who understands basic plug architecture and someone who really (no realllly) couldn’t design a proper layout to a site to save my life.

I have used Drupal 2-3 times before and sure I had painful experiences but the Drupal community is vast and rich with knowledge, so finding solutions is possible just sometimes you have to do a little digging and if you ever have to get into a file on your server and do some editing it always seems to be very well documented.

So in the end I do believe WordPress is a great product and can be the backend on great sites, I just think if you have a concept that looks “too different” from the basic theme you either have to become a php/theme/Wordpress hacker or dig into your pockets and pay a site/service to step in and do the dirty work

….. now if I could only decide on a good theme …. I might go with this one http://demo.symphonythemes.com/index.php?theme=conch
–
Thanks

Stephen McLaughlin

www.DoorToDoorGeek.com
www.LinuxBasix.com
www.Podnutz.com/LinuxForTheRestOfUs
www.Podnutz.com/AndroidAppAddicts
www.PodBuntu.com
www.LinuxForTheRestOfUs.com

Guest Post by:

Liam Tidwell of LiamTek in Longview, Texas

     We have all been there. You knock your iPod of the counter into the dogs water, your cell phone ends up in the pool thanks to a friendly toddler, or coffee is spilled in your laptop.

     Now what? That depends on the device. Follow the steps below to minimize your chances of damage to your device.

     Immediately pull the battery. Can’t get to the battery? Turn it off and get it to someone who can take it apart. DO NOT turn it back on, charge it, or try to use it!! Pull the device apart as much as you can and set the individual parts in rice or some other dry grain to help pull the moisture out of it. DO NOT try and dry it with a compressor or hair dryer this will only force the liquid deeper into the device. DO NOT put it in an oven or under a heat lamp. The heat will only speed up the corrosion or your electronics. Do flip it upside down so it can drain out the same way it got in.

     The main thing is to have a plan and to know how and what to do if your device(s) get wet/immersed. Learn how to get the batteries out. Take off your phone case and put it back on a couple of times. It can be harder than you think, and those things trap water really well…

Liam Tidwell – LiamTek

Longview, Texas

903 686 0200

Liam Tidwell is a Laptop & Cell Phone repair technician in Longview, Texas with over 11 years experience in IT and owns two Computer Repair Businesses. Liam can be found on Nutz@Night almost every Thursday night working hard to bring you the LULZ.

Guest Post by Eric Salce of Gem State Computers

I much like everyone else like a good deal, and what deal is better than free? Sure we have been there, hanging out online, and you stumble across, or you see an ad for software that speeds up your computer, or it could copy your DVDs and CD’s. The best part, it’s all free. Or is it? I think most people will find that this software comes with a very steep price. While many people think the only way you get infected with virus or malware is downloading pirated music, and movies, or to be surfing material of a more adult/questionable nature. While some infections are very obvious, for instance if you download a video or music file and it contains a program, then most likely you will find some form of malware waiting to jump on to your system.

     One of the most common ways computers are infected is by downloading free software. While not all free software is bad many free software comes bundled with tagalong programs or other malware. How do you know if you are infected? On sign of infection is the toolbars that have been added without your knowledge. Another Sign of infection is that your computer will slow down, as more and more spyware use up your systems resources, you will find your computer to slow to a crawl. What should you do if you find yourself infected? You should find yourself a friendly computer Technician to get your system cleaned up. If the infection is caught early then the damage should be minimal, and should be a very straight forward, inexpensive, and easy to repair. So just stop and think about what you are installing. If you are not sure give us a call and let us tell you what paid/free software might meet your need.

After all it’s like mamma used to say, if it’s too good to be true, then it most likely is.

Eric Salce
Gem State Computers

Guest Blogger: Leif Glass of AnyPCService.com

Hello,

Ever wanted to transfer a file to someone but didn’t know the fastest or easiest way to do so?

You could use e-mail or an instant messenger, but there are limitations on these such as Where, and When, needing to know the persons direct contact info and you may need to wait to see if they are available to receive it or if they have received it.

With these different options and questions it just is not simple. I’ve just found service called minus.com which I feel may solve these issues.

I like to try new things to help my clients and friends improve their efficiency and for them to be able to get through the day with one less thing to worry about.

Without further ado let me introduce you to a service called minus.com this is a free service where we can easily upload any type of file up to 200 MB and be able to share it with anyone that has an Internet connection. You can easily use the site with or without an account and still be able to share your documents, pictures, or any other file you have.

Another great feature that the service provides are apps. the service has applications for your Windows, Macintosh, and Linux computers. The desktop app allows you to drag-and-drop photos music documents and other files into the task bar and instantly they appear on minus.com.They also offer web applications for Chrome and Firefox. There are even mobile applications for your Android, iPhone or Windows 7 phone.

Once you upload your document or file to minus.com you have an easy interface to get a short link you can copy and paste or you can post right to your favorite social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, and Google plus. At this point you can send your short link to anyone in an e-mail or instant message and the content that you want to share is readily available. If you do create an account you can then share your items publicly and you also have a timeline of your shares so that other people can see what you’ve shared in the past.

I recommend taking this service for spin http://www.minus.com , but make sure to come back to leave a comment thanks and enjoy.

Leif – AnyPCService.com

Guest Blogger: Liam Tidwell of LiamTek

Do you still have a monitor like this one? I hope not. It could be bad for your health…


    Other than the back ache of moving it around it is far worse for your eyes than a LCD monitor. Why, because they are inherently different in the way they create the picture. A CRT makes the picture 1 pixel at a time. It has a beam that travels along the front of the screen, extremely fast, one line at a time lighting up each pixel along the way. This is what causes the perceived flicker when you wave your hand in front of one, or when you see a recording of a CRT. LCD and Plasma monitors have pixels that are lit continuously. This reduces the flicker effect dramatically. Less flickering equals less eye strain. You might be thinking, I don’t normally notice a flicker. That is a function of the way our eyes and brain process the images that we see. You can learn more about persistence of vision here.


    The eye strain this creates will often feel like a headache in the back of your head near the base of your skull. Some of this can also be posture related, more to follow. If this sounds familiar, you might need a new monitor. LCD monitors are better for your eyes and your desk. You get less eye strain, more desk space and a better looking picture in most cases. Don’t forget ergonomics when setting up your new monitor. To place it at the proper height, the top of the monitor should be just below eye level and it should have approximately 15-20 degrees of upward tilt. It should also be far enough away that you don’t have to turn your head to see the full screen.


    Another eye saving tip is to take a visual break every so often, 2-3 times an hour, so your eyes can rest. Our eyes have a natural focus depth that is much farther than the distance of the monitors at which we stare into for hours on end. So take a moment to stand up and just let your eyes focus at a more natural distance for a minute or so. Still feeling the eye strain talk to your optometrist about glasses for computer use, Yes they make such a thing.


LiamTek

Longview, Texas

Guest Post Courtesy of:

Guest Posting by :Liam Tidwell of LiamTek.com

Body:

My power brick is humming?

This laptop came into my shop earlier this week and it would appear that some work has been done on it before… The above is the power adapter, modified to use an old headphone jack to plug into the DC jack on the laptop. So for starters this is dangerous, there is nothing to stop a person from accidentally shorting the positive and negative leads (to the tune of about 5 amps) second the wire for the headphone jack is not rated for the amperage running thourgh it and could melt and short, and finally the wires were just twisted together, instead of being properly soldered and covered in heat shrink.

Laptop DC Jack...ermm headphone jack?

Pictured to the right is the female portion if the jack on the laptop itself. As you can see there are some tiny clearance issues. The motherboard was actually bent from being put in improperly. Luckily the motherboard was fine. I had the proper jack in-stock and was able to replace it same day.

Well there's your problem

To the left is what we have once I removed all the screws, most of which were not original to the machine, and was able to get to the motherboard. Some poor Walkman gave up its life so that this laptop could be put on life support long enough to reach my bench.

I’m happy to report that the machine was not permanently damaged and pulled through just fine. While I must say that the person who initally perfomed the “work” shown here had the right idea and is a geek at heart , I would ask that you kindly not destroy anymore unsuspecting Walkman. I mean they stopped making those things, and there are only like 300 million of them left in the wild*…

* Note no Walkman(s) Walkmen? were harmed in the second repair of this laptop…

Oh and FYI, Via Sony: “The plural form is not `walkmen` or `walkmans` but Walkman personal stereos”

LiamTek
IN Longview, Texas