I first posted about this on my forum, since that's where the trouble started, but decided to repost it here as well since it's worth repeating...Well, to me anyways.
Ya know, I can never say enough good things about my web host www.Modevia.com, and the two guys who run it, Aaron and Michael.
First, I asked if I could hire them to install this forum for me so I wouldn't screw up their server. They did, and now they won't send me an invoice for the work they performed. I've even asked them to several times.
Second, I screwed up the forum anyway and they had to diagnose the issue and fix it and again, they will not send me an invoice for their time.
I followed Michael when he left ThinkHost and started his own web hosting business with Modevia. It was onnna the best moves I ever made.
And, This isn't the first time they've done something like this for me. I have asked for advice in the past on how to do "something" and the next thing I know, they've already set it up for me and then won't charge me for their time. I love freebies just as much as the next person, but these guys go "Above & Beyond" all of the time!!
If any of y'all ever setup your own web site and need The Best in the Web Hosting Business, look no further than www.Modevia.com.
Bill
*With the kind of service I get from Modevia. I have no problem helping them "find" new customers by "selling" their services for them. And no, I do not get an affiliate fee from them for referrals.
So, I'm reading the Dialogue Box column in the April 2008 issue of CPU Mag. It is titled, "I, Geek" and I'm thinking, "Yes, I know you are. You're my all-time favorite Geek."
I've been reading Chris Pirillo since it was just Chris. As I started reading this article, I realized he was talking about me, the Geek. Not him the Geek, me the Geek.
He was on a forced-vacation cruise when he took a whale-watching excursion and chatted with the "enthusiast" tour guide. The tour guide needed information and Chris happily shared the knowledge he had.
Then he was approached by an ederly woman who overheard the previous conversation and asked for Chris' assistance with blog information. Once again he happily obliged and shared with her knowledge he had on blogs.
Chris makes a powerful statement that speaks to me, "Maybe my seemingly simple suggestions may give my new whale and real estate buddies the ability to do something they never thought they'd be able to do. They were just waiting for someone to give them the tech answers that had long aluded them so that they might harness the power of the Internet much like power users do every day (and far too often take for granted)."*
Why? Because I really enjoy helping people learn something new. I get excited when I can teach someone something I learned. I'm simple.
Chris goes on to state, "I guess it's more than naïve of me to believe that people might share their knowledge openly. But what did it hurt me to explain to someone how to use a tool? And what good could that explanation do to the world, potentially?"*
I read that first part and knew immediately that I had to write Chris and let him know I did not believe he was, or is, naïve in believing others don't share information with people all the time. We are out here Chris. :-)
Then he asks, "So I ask: What are you, as a computer power user, doing to help other people understand more about computers and technology? There's only one way for you to answer that question, in my opinion. How many educational opportunities have you passed up, inadvertently or overtly? How many kinds of non-computer power users do you know?"*
I feel proud that I believe I can answer those questions positively.
1) I share knowledge all of the time Chris. I share with people who ask and those who don't. My DW knows that if we're in the tech section of a store and a customer looks "lost" I'll ask if I can help them. And then I do, if I can. I also have a coupla web sites geared towards different subjects, but I offer help on all of them in as many ways as possible. And, now I'm even tinkering with a forum on one of those sites. :-)
2) I dunno. What I mean is, I haven't kept track, but I do kow that I never pass up on educational opportunities on purpose. Believe it or not, I'll feel guilty if I don't offer someone help when I could have.
3) Lots and Lots!! :-) I said I offered help in several different subjects on my web sites, so I know a lot of non-techie people. But that also means I get to share my tech knowledge with a lot of people, keeping me quite busy all'a the time...And I like it that way. :-)
Hey Chris? We're out here man! Y'all ain't the only tech-info-sharing-Geek, y'all're just onna the most famous.
As I finished reading the article, I realized that I don't get to read as much Chris Pirillo as I used to. He was a one-man show way-back-when and I read everything of his I could get my hands on. Now he's Bigger & Better-Than-Ever and I'm so danm busy all'a the time, I don't get to read "his stuff" as much any more. Luckily for me he writes for CPU Mag, and I read every article in every issue of CPU Mag...I only missed the very first issue.
Thanks for a wonderful "thinking" article Chris! Now go round up some more tech-info-sharing-Geeks and put 'em to werk! Hey, how 'bout a Million Man Tech-Info-Sharing-Geek Walk Around the World? You have the clout, you could easily organize that Chris. ;-)
Update: So, I wrote Chris an e-mail and pointed him to this entry and in two hours time he replies. Chris has always been a man of few words when replying by e-mail, I mean he gets LOTS of e-mail everyday, and, IIRC, he answers every single one of them by hand. A simple acknowledment would be good enough for me, but he replied with;
"That's a pretty good post, there... :)
C"*
Heh, he said it was pretty good. :-)
Cool Beans...I'm happy. Thanks Chris! Y'all go check out Chris' web sites: LockerGnome,
Chris.Pirillo.com, Live.Pirrilo.com, and TagJag.
with questions or comments about this web site.
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