Happy Anniversary to The Computer Guy!!

Well in all of the excitement of the 4th of July last week, I forgot to mention the 1st of July in my "The Monday Morning Memo"

The 1st of July was our 3rd anniversary at our Downtown Hampton location!!! Many thanks goes out to many people who have been supportive of our efforts. I am very appreciative to all who have done business with us.

In this weird economy, up and down gas prices and the age of "faster and cheaper" computer repairs -- I am grateful for your support. I keep track of people and companies in a 45 mile radius of Hampton who do computer repair. Some of these people are in storefronts like mine and some are out of their homes. Some have the training, background, certifications and insurance -- and some, well, don't. As a matter of fact, there are roughly 70 places in and around Hampton in that 45 mile circle that do computer repair. We feel that we can provide the best solution to your computer issues that's not only fair to you, but to us as well.

Do we make mistakes? YES.

Do we own them and try to do what's right? YES.

There's no other way to say how much we value you as a customer, other than, "We value you as our customer."

Stay cool and have a fantastic week!

Facebook & You -- After Death

What happens to your Facebook Account when you die?

Since I've been on Facebook (around 2007) I have had a number of friends pass away.  Naturally, it is sad and I read their wall to see what has been posted, but out of respect, I delete their profile as I do not want any of my stuff to show up on their wall like they are still alive or be alerted that they want to be my friend -- after I know they've passed on.

SO, I did find an article on the topic, but to summarize it there are several things that can be done.

1. Nothing.  Now, with this being said, it's a poor choice.  People who were not friends with them on Facebook who may have friends in common with them will have them constantly showing up in the "Joe wants to be friends" column of your page.  Awkward, at best.  Creepy, at worst.

2. Contact Facebook To Have Their Page Removed.  You naturally have to provide some documents, but this would be one way to do it so that it is completely removed and has no way to be re-activated....or resurrected, if you will.

3. Memorialize The Page.  I've seen this a lot with young people who have been killed in car accidents or who tragically die way before their time.  People can leave tributes on their wall and a lot of nice things are said.  This would be nice to read about for a grieving family and DOES give some family members administrative control as to what is posted and can delete posts.  It also removes some personal info from the account as well.

Even though you may not think you are going to die tomorrow, what would you want your loved ones to do???  Now that we are fully immersed into the digital age, a decision like this may be as valid as what songs are sung at your funeral or what you want on your headstone.  Anyway, something to think about.

Here's the link, for more information:

http://www.thedigitalbeyond.com/2012/02/what-happens-to-your-facebook-account-when-you-die/

Good luck!

Big vs. Little

There are a lot of On-Line companies who will try to lure you into "click here to fix your computer" or other such gimmicks. Other companies are reputable, but just charge way too much. I do contract work for some of these companies. For example, Wednesday, I had to do a virus removal for a gal from Webster City. She paid some company around $200 to remove a virus and I was the guy dispatched to do the job. I was there about an hour and a half, did what the work order said, but that was it. There were no extras. No hardware assessment or additional checks or cleanup -- just remove the virus and leave. She has already prepaid the fee, so I wasn't there to collect any money.

Now, had she taken the time to Google a LOCAL computer repair company, my name would have come up. Maybe I wouldn't have been at the top of the list, but she wouldn't have had to pay that amount of money and her service would have been better. As a contracted tech, if you don't follow the work order, or are there longer than what they want, you get docked in pay. My point is, when I serve a greater amount of a 9 county area, PLUS I also offer remote repair, The Computer Guy would have been a better and cheaper alternative.

In addition, we could have offered her our warranty package that would have fixed her bad USB ports and defective DVD-Rom drive.

It's just another example of how, in some cases, smaller may be better.  Think about that the next time you pass up a local business for something you find online.

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

Earlier this week, I got a call on my cellphone from someone with a badly broken Indian accent who claimed he was from Microsoft and could fix the issues I was having with my computer.  Funny thing, at the time, I WAS having issues with a computer.

Now, out of the MILLIONS and MILLIONS of customers that Microsoft has, why did they call me?  I have no answer, but they've been calling a LOT of people in Northern Iowa lately and tricking them into doing damage to their computers.

It starts off with this sympathetic (or pathetic) person concerned about my computer, then they want to install some monitor software like TeamViewer on it, so they can take control of the computer.  Then they want to open up the Command Prompt so they can do more damage by "inspecting" the computer.

It was at this point, I used some very colorful language at this person then hung up.  I really should have stayed on the line to hear the whole thing and find out what exactly they were going to do.  Some techs have told me they get into the computer registry and start a bunch of RUN commands....Very bad.

One lady who had this issue is now getting abusive calls at 3am demanding money.  Sad.

Again, if it's too good to be true, it is...they want your credit card info and PLEASE don't give it to them!!  Be safe, call The Computer Guy if you have issues -- we'll solve the problem and we won't call you back at 3am!

Mr. Alexander - A Fine Man Remembered

A while back in February, for those who are regular readers remember, I had a computer repair job at my old school superintendent's home.  His name, was Jim Alexander -- Mr. Alexander to a whole lotta folks for a long time, and STILL Mr. Alexander to me.  I rang the doorbell and after a bit, a tall, frail man with silver/white hair answered the door.  Naturally, I recognized the big smile and he knew mine.  His computer had "issues" and he just wanted to get them fixed because he LOVED reading his emails from his kids and former teachers.

He was slow, but steady -- he took his time getting from place to place in his house.  But, when I was done we chatted for a bit and I left.  As I stated before in a former post, he had slowed down.  Not until last Thursday when he passed away, did I know he was 84.

I'll share a few stories, but FIRST, I'll tell you I was never on the wrong side of the desk with him, so to speak.  While I had a few "chats" with Mr. Nelson, the Middle School Principal and Mr. Johnson, the High School Principal, Mr. Alexander and I were on good terms....well most of the time.

The first time I ever met the man, I was in 5th grade and our bus driver Lucy had some ruffians on the bus to Hansell.  It was odd that when Mr. Alexander rode the bus one morning, you could have heard a pin drop...thus we had no more "issues" on the bus.  He commanded respect.

Between my 8th and 9th grade, I received my Eagle Scout Award.  He was not only at the ceremony, but had sent a very nice card with some thoughtful words in it.  He was also invited to and attended my graduation reception in 1983 at the house.  Another nice card, with thoughtful words.

From what I could tell after high school, Mr. Alexander had somewhat of a temper if he couldn't watch the Hawkeyes play football.  When I was on the Hampton City Council he called the house and told me to "straighten out those morons" who ran our cable system.  For some reason, the next week, the Hawkeye games were able to be broadcast on cable and I was happy to call him back with the news.  His reply, "I knew you could straighten them out, Palmer."

In 2003 I had to go to Oelwein for work and ran into some people at the Yankee Scoreboard Hotel/Lounge, as I remember.  Naturally small talk occurred and like everywhere I go, I tell them I'm from Hampton.  The first thing out of the old timer's mouth who was behind the bar was, "Hey, I remember a Jim Alexander who moved there who was a damn fine ball player."  So, we chatted about Mr. Alexander and sort of caught them up on what he was up to and that he had retired.  I saw Mr. Alexander in Seven Stars Restaurant after that and told him the story, he just smiled.

In the spring of 2010, we both got called for jury duty.  Judge Drew, also a former student, asked if anyone had any issues or conflicts and needed to be excused.  Judge Drew also referred to him as "Mr. Alexander" when he raised his hand and was promptly excused from jury duty.  No explanation needed.

In December of 2011, we didn't have a bad winter, but it was one of those windy days with just a bit of ice here and there on the pavement.  I was at Kum & Go in Hampton and Mr. Alexander was just getting ready to walk out the door.  The cashier looked scared as the wind had picked up and it really wasn't nice out.  I saw him and asked him how he was doing and then I decided I'd chit chat with him and walk him to his vehicle.  We both knew that he was not good on his feet, so I know he appreciated someone strolling to his vehicle that was out at the gas pumps.  We took it slow and he went on his way, big smile, big wave.

After posting the notice of his death on Facebook, an outpouring of words came from people around Hampton to describe him -- Gentleman, Classy, Fair, Honest, Role Model, Wonderful, Tremendous -- It doesn't get much better than that.

Thank you, Mr. Alexander, you've made us all better people for having known you.

James Alexander Obituary

The State Of Now -- Follow Up

Last Monday was the #140 Character Conference, AKA State Of Now AKA #140ConfDM.  What a nice day to listen to people come to Des Moines and share their ideas, dreams, stories, fears and triumphs.

This year, I could tell the conference was off to a good start was the microphones and cameras worked just fine, Deb Brown and Jeff Pulver were on point and the speakers had great content.  Several speakers came from out of state, some I didn't understand their points, but mostly I had a nice time listening and participating.

My segment was a 20 minute panel on the restaurant business and how there are tools out there to actually help your food business.  I enlisted the help of Christopher Juhl and Phil James and we filled 19 1/2 out of 20 minutes with stories (mostly mine) and helpful hints and tips plus a challenge to restaurants to get out there and DO SOMETHING!!!

Here's the video from our segment -- Enjoy!

Food Panel - State Of Now - 2012

I guess that's the point of this conference -- After it is all said and done, DO SOMETHING.

Overall, I'd give the day a B+.

Next year, I'd like to see more media attend the event with THEIR stories and some people from the entertainment world (local or national) to share their stories as well.  You can bet, I'll be there as it is worth attending and being a part of the show!

The State Of Now Conference!

Last year I attended and was part of a great conference called The #140 Character Conference.  Speakers from all over the midwest attended and spoke for just 10 minutes each (WHAT!! JUST 10 MINUTES??) and talked about how Social Media has changed, improved or revamped their life or the life of their business.

The conference has changed slightly and is called "The State Of Now" -- because social networking IS now!

I'll be speaking, along with about 50 other folks.

You could watch online, but it would be great to have you there!!  Tickets are available for $70, but save money by using the code "VERIZON" when you check out and you will be SHOCKED at how much you will save!

Here's the link, we'll see you there!!

STATE OF NOW CONFERENCE!!!