Are You a Geek?

You are a Geek if you love figuring out all of the technical ends of the Internet, computers and all the latest gadgets. Well, that is certainly not me! Although I most certainly appreciate what they do.

Finding a Computer Geek became a top priority, when my sister, Kathy had run into problems with her webmaster. Now, this couldn’t be your ordinary run-of-the-mill Geek. They had to meet certain criteria: be a WordPress Geek, live in Utah (for hands-on tutorials), willing to clearly answer in a language we could understand, and do the job!

So the search was on…. we looked at the local Universities, we looked at the Mac store, and we asked other bloggers. Then I got the bright idea, look on the Internet. Duh!! I searched out “WordPress Webmasters Utah.” Bingo! We have the Automattic Bug Exorcist, Joseph Scott living right here in the neighborhood. So I followed up on Joseph and found that he belonged to what I affectionately call The Salt Lake Geek Club. Double Bingo!

We suited up and joined in. Now that was taking a giant leap since there is nothing geeky about the two of us. Just the opposite. Kathy has an art degree and has been a designer in the craft industry for the past 20 years. At least she has had a lot of experience designing on a computer. I have designed my own craft line and did show for 10 years. I hardly even knew how to google something. No Geeks here!

It has been a leap in the right direction. We have found the perfect WordPress Geek, Jake Spurlock. He has done as well.

The Salt Lake Geek club meets once a month, to share ideas and network. I’d say that it is a mastermind group…if I understood what heck they are talking about! Not all of it goes over my head, even though I can almost see all the genius thoughts flying around the room. The more I attend, and the more I learn on my own, the more I have gotten from our meetings. I learn lots every time.

The club got it’s 15 minutes of fame this week. Club member, Thom Allen was interview by the local news.

Now, what does this have to do with you as Newbie? You get the benefit of what I have learned from this experience which was pretty big.

What I learned.

1. FIND A PARTNER. Being partners with my sister has been a gift that keeps on giving. I can call her anytime and get help. We critique each other’s blogs. We bounce ideas off of each other. Most importantly, when it gets tough, there is always someone there to pull me through.

2. GET HELP! You can not expect to know everything. I chose to get technical help up front and learn those areas along the way. I am becoming more and abler. But when I bump up against something I can not figure out I do not waste any time in getting help.

3. GET OUT THERE AND LEARN. We all learn on a gradient scale. I pick one subject and learn it well. The Internet is a fabulous tool for learning. Jump in learn something new, and put it into action!

4. DO IT! Put what you know into action. This is the one place that I see people have the most trouble. The Internet is a pretty safe place to get out there and put what you know into action. There is no bad blogging jail. You can start by making valid, valuable comments on other blogs. Or by setting up a simple blog about something you know or enjoy and start blogging. Start!

“Contemplation often makes life miserable. We should act more, think less, and stop watching ourselves live.” – Chamfort, French playwright-

5. PUSH THROUGH. Your success is measured by your ability to resolve problems. Push until you find and resolve the problem. Having #1 helps.

No, I am not a Geek, but I can appreciate what they do…I own a Mac which is one of the most fabulous publishing tools on the planet. I’d much rather learn how to use it then learn the Geek stuff.

To your success!

P.S. Oh my gosh! Does loving my Mac and a deep desire for an iPhone qualify me as a Geek? I have Geek think? Hmmm.