When I think back to 20 years ago, or even 10 for that matter, it’s amazing how far technology has come. Being a Baby Boomer (barely, I was born in 1962, toward the end of the so called “Baby Boomer Era”), I had to learn about computers out of necessity. In 1982 I was a secretary at a college in Florida. I came in one morning and found someone removing my trusty purple IBM Selectric III Typewriter, my best friend, and replacing it with an IBM PC Computer, one of two that was donated to the college by IBM. It was one of the first released by IBM. My Italian blood was boiling, and I said, “You will NOT take my typewriter”. I was told “Yes, we are, and you WILL learn to use it!” That was a life changing moment for me, I realized later, after I got over my resentment.. and frustration. (Italians MUST get the Last Word, you know. It Is Written.. somewhere..)

All of a sudden, words like Floppy Disk, RAM, Monitor, Software and Tech Support all became words used in my every day life, just as much as words like car, family, ice cream, and Happy Hour, as well as the occasional swear word in Italian. Yes, I learned how to use it, it wasn’t easy, but I did it…I needed the job! What I found out was that there were so few people back then that knew how to operate a PC, all of a sudden my “computer skills” (self taught, I might add), were much in demand. There was no such thing as “computer help” or “Tech Support” back then! Now we phone Tech Support  just as easily as we call about our telephone bill. (Well, it’s not always “as easy”, but more about that later!)  We ask friends, we google it, we have all kinds of sources.

Computer jargon has become an integral part of our every day lexicon. I no longer ask for someones phone number. Now it’s “What’s your email address, MySpace page, etc”. “Google it” has also worked itself into our vocabulary. If you want to know something, google it. We don’t even capitalize it anymore, it’s just a “word”. I realized this when I saw an episode of NYPD Blue quite a few years ago, and a character said it. I also realize as I write this, that it’s probably been at least 10 years since I’ve gotten a REAL letter from someone.. as in.. via the US MAIL… with a POSTAGE STAMP on it!

My mother, (bless her, she’s the best!) is going to be 71 soon. I have to give her credit. She has really tried to join in the computer “craze”, and she hasn’t done half bad! She bought a computer, and promptly said to me, “Now, what do I DO with it”? She will call me up from time to time (she lives about 1000 miles from me), and says, “My computer has an mistake on it (meaning an error message). What does it mean?” “Mom, what does it say?” “I don’t know, I clicked it away.. but now there is a funny thingy in the corner by the time”. “What does it look like, Mom?” “I don’t know.. it’s just weird”.. and so it goes. My mother is rarely at a loss for words, so I know she’s perplexed! (Wonder where I got it from??) I got on her just yesterday for not checking her email. I helped her set up a Gmail account. I asked her why she even bothered to have email, to which she replied, “So people can keep in touch with me!”. I gently reminded her that email was meant to be READ or else it had no purpose…go figure. My two Kidlets, ages 18 and 19 grew up with computers. They never knew a time without them. They can find their way around My Space and ITunes like nobody’s business. To them, not having a computer in the house is just as foreign as the idea that when I was a kid, *I* was the “remote control”, and we actually had a big antenna on the roof of the house. No cable for us, we didn’t even know what it was. We got 7 channels and considered ourselves lucky to have that, since we were in a suburb of New York City.

My point to these ramblings is, technology has changed our lives in ways we couldn’t even imagine years ago. I’ll be sharing some ways that this has occurred, and what the changes are, specifically aimed at us, the “Baby Boomers”, as well as ways they can enrich our lives. There are new “buzz words” flying around, and I’ll (hopefully) help to demystify them for you. We’ll talk about computer support, technical support, references, etc.

Stay tuned, as they used to say on my favorite TV shows growing up, stay tuned!

MinuteFix is powered by a community of technology experts. Not only are they highly qualified and certified in their areas of expertise, but they are required to feel passion for what they do, and share our vision to make this world a better place through the use of technology. A network of people who form a community is stronger, and in many cases more valuable than a traditional help desk team working under the same roof. Here are five reasons, on this Friday, why a community is better:

1. Only a community member would do this.
2. A community is self-motivated. Their performance is directly related to their success.
3. A community is challenged by their distance, so they grow stronger ties (our private Certified Technician Social Network proves this point. See to the right).
4. MinuteFix can grow faster. The pool of talent is global.
5. MinuteFix can grow broader. The Internet provides access to unlimited sources of knowledge.

As the old expression goes, some words are worth their weight in gold. Today we woke up to this blog post that is titled MinuteFix Revolutionizes Technical Support, Period.

We’re glad our message is coming across crystal clear. We’re here to make a change, and we’ll work tirelessly until the job is done.

The big day has arrived. We have been working for this day for several months now, and it has been well over a year since this idea came about. Over seven of us have been working on this project full-time, tirelessly to deliver a product that will change the world of tech support, and the time has come.

We are very proud of what we are releasing today, and are well aware that it is far from over. On the contrary, this is the very beginning.

We are happy to annouce that we are launching with a 50-strong community of Certified MinuteFix Techncians. A group of stellar support experts who are certified by MinuteFix and bring with them a great deal of industry-related certfications from Microsoft and HDI. The community is certified by MinuteFix in Microsoft Windows, Vista, Office, Antivirus and Security and general technologies. They are online now and ready to help.

Thank you to all of those who were part of this, for your individual contributions and for your support. It’s time to start helping people with their technology problems, and today, with the launch of MinuteFix, it is our promise that we will do our very best.

Welcome to MinuteFix.

Windows is full of little surprises (the very reason why we’re around!). When digging deep into the Windows sound files and arranging them correctly, a pleasant surprise is to be had:

We’re just few days from opening the doors to the world. After months of planning, testing and fund-raising, the day is almost here. We already have a fast-growing community of Certified MinuteFix Technicians rolling up there sleeves for the big day. We’ve opened the site to a select number of users to kick the tires and so far, we’re getting great reviews. Now, we’re almost ready for primetime.

We’ve been getting tons of requests for a sneek view into what’s cooking behind the curtain. So, you’ve asked for it, here’s a preview of what is to come…

1. Zunzi’s in Savannah
2. Singapore Airlines
3. Rackspace

Wow! This is a harder list to make than I thought. Anyone have any others to add?

A five-year-old girl in Nigeria sets up shop to troubleshoot and repair broken XOs (i.e. the One Laptop Per Child laptops). The infamous One Laptop Per Child initiative has developed a laptop that was designed for children in developing countries who live in some of the most remote areas. The laptop, naturally, has to be able to withstand harsh conditions — not unlike those of rural Nigeria.

The laptop is designed to be easily repairable since the consumer can’t just pop into a Fry’s Electronics to buy replacements, much less call MinuteFix. The computer components can be easily changed with nothing more than a screwdriver, and the PC even comes with embedded extra screws. The backlight for the LCD is only a $1 replacement, otherwise worth thousands where we live.

Fixing these computers is so simple that a five-year-old Nigerian girl took it upon herself to troubleshoot and fix her classmates XOs. With her teacher’s support, they started a “Laptop Hospital.”

Talk about taking tech support into your own hands. More power to the people.

• The rate at which the technician community is growing
• Our conference calls that span 6 different time zones
• When people we talk to say “I would totally use your service”
• Our brand
• Getting ready for launch

“Treat every customer as if they sign your paycheck…because they do.”
Author Unknown

It is 1:15AM EST and I am preparing to go to bed. Something just occurred to me. I have a bed to go lay down in. I have central heat and air. I have fresh drinking water in a glass next to bed. I have egyptian thread sheets that make my life so much more luxurious than I never imagined. I have an iPod to listen to as I fall asleep. I would have none of this though without you, the customer. I wake up to serve you and to help you and I thank you for allowing me to be part of that relationship. Thank you.

One of the final steps in opening up our doors has been the integration of our secure payment system. Today we received a welcoming package from the friendly folks at Discover. Discover? I said to myself — does anyone still use Discover? Well, we’ll soon find out.

Inside the welcome package was this window decal. We don’t really have the proverbial glass door to display it on, but it does make us feel like we’re in business.

Do you have a Discover card?

As a society we have always held the expected standards of customer service rather high. Rarely are those delivered though and probably NEVER at this height. Let me explain.

There is a new customer service man on the block and his name is Denny Flanagan. Denny is a pilot for United Airlines and was the focus of a front page article in Tuesday’s Wall Street Journal. You can read the article here.

Captain Denny goes out of his way for his passengers exceeding the standards of the United Handbook and even most of his passengers. Here are just a few examples:

• He takes pictures of people’s pets in the cargo area and show them to passengers.
• When there are long delays he buys McDonald’s hamburgers or fruit for all the passengers.
• He hand writes notes to passengers in first and business class, thanking them for choosing to fly United.
• He calls the parents of unaccompanied minors on his cell phone if there are delays.

The article states that the airline reimburses the pilot for his expenses for these unique services, and I’m sure they would do it for others as well. It isn’t that Denny asks for the reimbursement. That was never his intention. His intention was to offer a personal and corporate service that would redefine the friendly skies. Captain Flanagan is taking personal responsibility for his customers.

Now I am not saying that we will be sending fruit out to all of our customers. However, I am saying that we dare the world to raise the bar for customer service on us. Expect us to go above and beyond. It is our desire to take customer service to a new level. Like Denny we have decided to make choices that will make a difference for our company and our customers.

1. He produced his own episode of MTV Cribs.
2. He was born in nowheresville: Barnsville, Georgia.
3. He has spent some time in Tokyo, and is dying to go to Paris.
4. He is an ordained minister. He can actually marry people in the state of Georgia. Scary.
5. He is the only person I know who walks into a Starbuck’s, and is so well known for going every day, that the barista actually takes his coffee to his table. Without even having to order it.