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The DIY Path to Technical Expertise |
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How many times have you heard, “If you want it done right, do it yourself”? Technology can be complex but in most cases you can quickly figure out how to do it yourself. Seminars, conventions, and tutorials can be very helpful and should be part of any effort to learn about technology-- that’s one of the reasons CRT exists, after all! But there are other sources for quick information. Learning where to learn about technology will not only come in handy, it will enable you to get more out of the more traditional information resources. And it will help make you the envy of your peers.
The following ideas about where to find help are listed in the order you should follow when solving your tech problem.
1: Application help functions:
The help button is a tool that many help desk technicians use, and most of your basic how-to questions can be answered via this oft-forgotten button. Whether you’re using Top Producer or MS Word, there’s plenty of useful help information built right into the application. You can try it out right now in the browser you’re reading this in—though I suggest you try it on a desktop rather than a mobile phone browser. Go to your browser’s toolbar and click ‘help.’ If you’re using Internet Explorer select ‘Contents and Index.’ Now you can search for answers to basic problems right from your application. If you check, you’ll find that just about every application has a help function. Try it out the next few times you open an oft-used application; I think you’ll be surprised.
2: Search engines:
The World Wide Web is a rich source of information that can help you understand technology and answer your technology questions—all for free. Many of the solutions to your technical problems are readily available on the web. Can’t find the owner’s manual to your camera? Go to the manufacturer’s website and download it. Don’t know which webhosting company you use? Type ‘webhosting’ in a search engine plus the word ‘review’ and you will find any number of sites that rate webhosting companies. These hosting company that a majority of the review sites rate high is usually a good bet. Once you start seeking out technical information, you will find that people love to share knowledge. Technical forums are one place these do-gooders can be found. Don’t forget to bookmark the sites that you like best.
3: Your online social network:
Real estate has eagerly embraced social networking—Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, etc. These communication tools can also serve as a resource for technical help. Just as social networking has changed how many people communicate with their business associates, friends, and family, it has also changed the ease with which you can ask people for information. Instead of waiting for the opportunity to ask your techie friends for their advice and assistance, just throw your question up on your social network page and watch them compete to provide the best answer.
Since its invention, the Web has been used by techies and researchers to exchange information. And they’re still using it for this purpose. It’s free to tap into this resource so go ahead and try it. The more you know about a subject in general, the easier it is to add to your knowledge. Build your knowledge base bit by bit and before you know it, you’ll be correcting those know-it-all tech geeks!
Ian Smith
ismith@realtor.org
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