Dan's site is one of those websites you just keep coming back to, not only because of the information that he provides, but also because of the feel. Feel? He's got posts not only about computers, but he also shares his personal views on some things.
His voice and opinion show well in his work and make it real, he comes alive as you read about his choices and views. A great site if you like to keep up on technology and like to read over a cup of coffee, the Computer Repair Blog.
This interview was one I won't forget, when I approached Dan over email, he quickly returned the email with a question checking to see if it was spam. A true PC user here, still makes me laugh.
Q: Do you remember what your inspiration was that got
you to create Computer Medics?
A: Having retired from the Marine Corps we moved to Virginia
and I took on a contracting job. Then I heard some people talking about
having their computer worked on and how expensive it was. I talked to
the wife and we always wanted to do our own business but while in the
military it was not an option with moving every couple years so now was
our chance. About 6 months later we started the business.
Q: I couldn’t find any article on your site that explains
whether you like prebuilt computers, or you like to build your
own. I firmly believe a custom built computer is way better,
not only because it’s customized, but because of reliability.
What is your opinion and why?
A: I have prebuilt and custom built for my own use. Typically for most
customers I will not do prebuilt due to the prices of parts. Unless
they want a high end pc or a server then I typically will get them a
great price on prebuilt system that I know to be reliable with a
warranty.
Q: When it comes to computer backups, most people don’t think
a hardware failure will ever happen to them, even though people like
you and me run into them all the time. What would be the best
advice you can give someone about backups. Don’t hesitate to
quote a forensic disk recovery price since I don’t have one available
myself to get people to backup their data. For the record, I
only know of 1 person who dropped the money to make it happen, since
the data on the drive was actually worth it, they didn’t tell me what
it cost them by the way.
A: Typically most customers I always ask if they backup their
data. Then if they say no I ask them “What would happen if tomorrow
they woke up and their data was gone”? Usually they don’t have an
answer. Then I tell them about how people have lost documents and
pictures that have meant a lot to them, and how typically you can
recreate most documents but pictures you can never get back. I have had
customers spend over 1k to do data recovery due to not backing up their
data. Fortunately we have very good software to do data recovery
ourselves and I have another company that is inexpensive compared to
most of the big companies and we can recover anything. But, there is a
price to it and a lot of times it is not a matter of having the money,
it’s a matter of “having” to get their data back. We recently did a
data recovery for someone that had pictures that they had to recover
due to they were of a parent that had passed away. These pictures were
a few years old and no backups were ever done. We ended up recovering
about 90% of them but to me that 10% is devastating to not have them
back. I felt terrible telling the customer that was all we could get
and even though they were extremely grateful we still felt bad.
Q: Where do the ideas come from for the articles on your
site? Generally, I find they’re all related to computers and
internet, but then I stumble across one like burning bridges and wonder
where they come from.
A: Usually the articles about “burning bridges” and the other
“make you think” post come from myself just from everyday life. But,
the real meat articles come typically from Derek Ianneli-Smith from
Progressive Integrations, Inc. who is not only a very very talented
computer/networking/marketing genius but also a very good friend.
Q: What are your thoughts about Windows 7 as an operating
system?
A: Still to early to put a vote out on that one. I was never a
big advocate of Vista but I do run Vista and typically have no
problems. Now I have been running Windows 7 and it seems so far to be a
very stable operating system. I think with Vista and Windows 7 the main
thing to remember is to “max out” the memory and that is what I tell
everyone.
Q: You mention the difference between a website and a web
presence. What would you say is the best way to achieve web
presence?
A: Optimization of your website. Anyone can throw a site
together and put it on the internet but if nobody can find it then it
really serves no purpose. Our sites bring us business, they are
optimized, they are marketed to search engines, blogs, social sites,
etc. It’s a never ending process that you can’t forgot to do otherwise
you will not reap the benefits.
Q: If someone requires computer
repairs, what would you say is the best way for them to find a tech
that “knows their stuff”?
A: Ask questions. Call around to a few different places and
ask them whatever you want. To me price is not a determining factor
when I need something such as a plumber, mechanic, etc. I want to know
whoever I hire to do the work I feel comfortable with and that is what
people looking for computer repair should do also. Just because someone
offers the lowest price does not mean you are getting the best deal. By
the same token just because someone charges the most does not mean you
will get any better. Typically people know who they feel comfortable
with after a few minutes of a conversation.
Thanks for the answers, gotta say, you're all kinds of right when you say it never feels good to tell anyone how much data they lost. Although they're always happy to know they got some back. Keep up the coffee reading posts, it's what set your site apart for me Dan.