I ask, cause when I first started coming here in 2005 (wow was it that long ago?) there used to be a ton of Diaries with fellow Kossaks asking technology related questions. I mean this was ages ago in Internet time.
Many folks still had dial-up. There were no "smart" phones. People couldn't figure out how to embed a photo or video. If you said "social networking" almost nobody knew what you were talking about. Oh how things have changed.
There used to be super detailed Diaries, welcoming new members and explaining how the site worked. How to post. The rules of the site. How to format a Diary. Just as there are many, many Diaries today about books or food well back then about that many about helping people to get around this site, heck their computer or just the Internet in general.
Well I am a tech geek and I always loved those Diaries. I like to help people. People help me here on things I don't know or understand, so why not give back.
I built my first computer with my dad in 1982. Been online since 1989. Been on sites like this, they used to be called Bulletin Boards, since about 1992. Had a web site since 1994.
I am thinking about bringing back a bi-weekly Diary series where folks can ask technology questions. Questions they might be afraid to ask, and all the "smart" folks here can help.
I now work for myself doing web development. Not what I have a MA in. Not what I did for the first 18 or so years of my professional life. But all that tinkering I did online and with technology, well I found a way to turn it into a second career.
I have clients that are 10 times smarter than me. Make more money then I would ever think about making. When I start working with them I have this "canned" phrase I use when talking about technology:
I am not talking down to you.
I have clients that can't turn on their computer (I am not really joking) and one guy that might hold the copyright on the chip in your cell phone. A wide range of folks. When my clients buy a web site from me. A Google ad campaign. Well anything really I want them to know what they are buying. That means we have to talk about technology.
I never know how much the other person knows, cause the smart tech people want to hold their cards close to their vests to determine if I know what I am talking about. But the other people, well they don't want to admit they don't know even the bare basics. They are embarrassed their kid is doing stuff on her cell phone they can't do on the $3,000 PC they bought. They don't, to be frank, know how to ask for help!
So with that said, this is a place you can ask anything. Ask for help. Nobody will laugh or make fun of you. Ask away. Technology should be empowering. I want to help empower you.