My Reader's Digest this month had an article from Adam Bluestein that I really liked. Being married to a computer geek, I know all of this but I know some people don't so I wanted to share it with you. (Hopefully crediting Reader's Digest and the author of the article will keep me out of copywright violations.)
1. Turn it off, turn it back on. "Nine times out of ten, rebooting your computer- and any equipment that connects to it, will solve the problems," says Aaron Schildkraut, who owns a home tech support service in the New York tristate area.
2. Just because we're "buddies" at work, don't expect me to come running every time you've got a problem. I've got a slew of IT problems to fix. (That's why Tom has two great T-shirts...one that says simply "No I will not fix your computer" and the other that says "No I will not fix your computer, GET LINUX!"
3. We're like Santa: We know if you've been bad or good. Fessing up to what really happened right before the system crashed is going to save time - and I'm going to figure it out anyway.
4. Use "strong" passwords. Geek Squad Derek Meister suggests combining letters and numbers - but not your birth date - to create a "base" password and adding a unique suffix for each site you use. If your base password is your spouse's initials and your anniversary date (say SP061789), your Amazon password might be "SP061789AM."
5. Make sure you have current antivirus and anti-spyware protection and set it to update at least once a day and run a full system scan at least once a week.
6. There is no free lunch. Downloading free music, movies, and games from file sharing sites can open holes in your system for others to exploit. Play it safe and use established services like Rhapsody, ITunes, and Netflix.
7. Remember Public Wi-Fi is public. If you don't have a compelling reason to check your email or bank account while sipping a latte at the mall, don't do it. While you're on a public network, even one that's encrypted, a nearby hacker can capture your passwords.
8. Give it a rest. Turning off your computer when it is not in use saves energy and clears out the RAM, or temporary memory, which would otherwise slow your machine over time.
9. If you can't get online, call your Internet Service Provider first. Connection problems can often be checked and fixed - free.
10. If you want to see less of me, get a Mac. That's what we use. "Macs are actually a little bad for my business," says Schildkraut.
11. No you can't use your cell phone to pop popcorn. Next time an internet rumor drops into your inbox, don't just pass it on - check it with snopes.com first. (I completely agree. I absolutely HATE getting e-mails that sound totally stupid but are usually meant to spread fear and panic. I always check with snopes and not once has one been true! To me, it makes the person that forwarded it look like a moron. So let's not be morons people....check with snopes before forwarding!!!)
12. Sometimes we talk about you - in code. If you hear "HKI error" (for human keyboard interface) or "PEBCAK" (problem exists between chair and keyboard), we're insulting you. (Tom once told me I had an ID10T problem. When he said it, I didn't think anything of it. But he told me to write it and then I realized he just called me an idiot! He thinks he's funny! ;^)
13. If you don't understand me, I'm not doing my job. Confusing tech jargon is a sign of insecurity, not intelligence. (I totally agree!! This applies to any field you are in, in my opinion. I work in the medical field and I could use the big words that are exact medical terms like esophagogastroduodenoscopy. But people would understand "going down your throat with a light" alot easier and I don't feel the need to use the big words to show off what I know. I only use the big term if I'm asked.)
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