Lo-Tech in a Hi-Tech World

User Error?

Posted by Mark A. LeBlanc on Aug 19, 2009

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I just spent an hour and a half on a webinar teaching one how to make a business page on Facebook. The company offered instruction that was really pretty clear as far as audio but the presenter left the opening screen up for the first 40 minutes while referring to screens and individual icons that were hidden as I followed along. My question is: should I listen to technical advice from someone who would make such a glaring mistake or should I worry about my own aptitude since it took me 40 minutes to figure it out? In my defense, I was finishing up a crossword puzzle for the first 20 of those minutes as I listened while glancing occasionally at the computer screen.

Actually, I am losing my fear of the computer. I resisted using one at all until I entered the field of real estate and I had no choice. When my two boys were younger [they are 20 and 18 now], I warned them that the computer thing was a passing fad and that Macs and PCs would be laying on curbsides next to 8track tape players and ThighMasters. They proceeded to ignore me and now use their laptops with all the ease of operating a toaster. It is just another household appliance created to make life easier and capable of driving baby boomers like me stark, staring, raving mad and creating the current exploding market for the Xanax people.

I started that last paragraph saying I was losing my fear of the computer and that’s true, really. My new creed is never get mad at someone else unless they are committing some sin that you’ve never committed [that's a short list for me] and never fear anything that can’t ultimately cut you up and eat you. That’s working out for me, try it if you agree.