Chris Pirillo » forums

What Do You Read?

Chris — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 15:05:55 +0000

What Do You Read? is a post from Chris Pirillo

Earlier today, I posted a video (and blog post) filled with tips on how to maximize your comprehension when it comes to whatever you are reading. That video made me reflect on the types of things I tend to read. I don’t often sit down with a book. When I do, though, my concentration is so absolute that I tend to tune out everything else. I let myself become absorbed by the text. This allows me to truly comprehend and digest whatever it is I’m reading.

I also spend a great deal of time reading things online. I’m constantly perusing blogs, forums, website postings, news sites – you name it, and I likely read it if it’s online. Even though it’s something I’m reading on a computer screen, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t deserve my full attention. It doesn’t mean that it isn’t just as important as a book I can hold in my hands.

What do you read the most? Do you spend time curled up with a book, or are you like me… preferring to read what people in the world are up to, thinking, feeling and writing about? If you haven’t been keeping up with what people are doing on Lockergnome and Geeks, now is as good a time as any.

Be sure, as always, to keep your eyes on our downloads pages. We’re constantly updating it to bring you the very best and hottest software and apps at the lowest prices we can get for you!

Stretch Yourself

Chris — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 13:16:01 +0000

Stretch Yourself is a post from Chris Pirillo

It’s time to stand up and stretch. Get out of those chairs. Come on – you can do it. Stand up, and reach your arms above your head as high as they will go. Now bend over, and attempt to touch the ground (don’t worry, I can’t quite do that, either). Hold your arms out to your sides and stretch them wide. Heck, why not even twist a little to each side, much like a tree swaying in the breeze.

You have now successfully stretched out your body… but have you stretched your mind? I just stumped some of you, didn’t I? You thought for a second “what the heck, there are no exercises for that!”.

Ah, but that is where you would be wrong, my friends. Every time you read something, you stretch your mind. Every time you think a decision through, you stretch your mind. Every time you look at something through someone else’s eyes, you stretch your mind. Every tiny spec of information you absorb… you get the picture.

Many times, we don’t even realize that we have stretched our minds. We are so rushed through our day that much of what we have seen and done hasn’t even sunk in or made an impression by the time we pass out at night. It’s often much later, when a situation arises that forces us to recall certain pieces of information, when we realize “oh. wow. I knew that/learned that/remember that”. We forget to take the time to stop and marvel at everything that is out there, waiting for us to feast our brain on.

Spread your wings, little birds. Fly beyond your own nests and find those juicy little morsels that will feed and stretch your mind and soul.

You Need a Thick Skin to Participate Online

Chris — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 08:52:21 +0000

You Need a Thick Skin to Participate Online is a post from Chris Pirillo

Earlier, I read a thread on Geeks about Trent Reznor, the Nine Inch Nails frontman, deleting his Twitter account. Trent embraced Twitter quite awhile ago after discovering what an amazing outlet it can be. He quickly recognized the excellent means of communication Twitter provides. He helped raise over a million dollars via Twitter for a fan of his needing a heart transplant. He talked about the band’s upcoming tours and album, and reached out to fans. Trent loved the fact that fans got to know the “real” side of him, and that they learned there is more to him than just being “the NIN singer”.

Trent told the truth as he saw it on Twitter. He wasn’t afraid to say what he thinks about anything or anyone – positive or negative. However, this created some “hate tweets” from users. Reznor wasn’t happy when people lashed out at him for something he thought or said. He withdrew from Twitter for awhile at one point, and posted about his hatred of the site on his own blog. He returned recently for a short while, but it didn’t last. The account is now completely gone. He has stated that “idiots rule” on social networks.

My advice to Mr. Reznor is to grow a thicker skin. When you are in any type of spotlight, you are going to have critics and haters. Heck, I’m not even famous, and I have my share of people who leave idiotic, hateful or rude comments on each and every social networking site I’m on. You just let those roll off your back. If someone gives constructive criticism – learn from it. If they are simply a troll, ignore them and move on with your life. There are thousands upon thousands of GOOD people on social networking sites, ones who support you. They are the ones who buy tickets to your concerts. They are the ones who purchase your CDs. They are the ones whose opinions you should care about.

There are always going to be trolls, idiots and haters. Why let people like that rule your life, how you conduct yourself, or how you perceive yourself? Why would you judge all people on social networks based on the idiocy of a few? Isn’t that a bit much?

This wasn’t the only good story that caught my eye in our community today, but it is the one that spoke to me the most! All of you have been posting some excellent things on both Lockergnome and Geeks. I hope you take the time to check out what others are doing, as well.

This One Time, at Band Camp

Chris — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 15:07:37 +0000

This One Time, at Band Camp is a post from Chris Pirillo

This phrase is used all over the world, I think, and can have many different meanings. However, in the case of a thread on Geeks today, it means exactly what it says! The poster is asking who else was (or is) involved in band during high school. I was never in band, but my assistant Kat was. Not only that – she was also the marching band Drum Major for two years!

It’s been said that what happens at band camp stays at band camp. However, I’m curious. Do you have any stories you’re willing to share? Was it as awesome of an experience as people have claimed? Keep your comments/stories family friendly and clean, please! Remember our younger audience!

While you’re thinking up your story, or reliving your memories, make sure to check out what else our community has in store for you today.

Summer is Half Over Already?!

Chris — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 09:42:41 +0000

Summer is Half Over Already?! is a post from Chris Pirillo

I can’t believe we’re already into July. Where the heck did June go? How did I miss it? I haven’t gone out to tan yet, nor have I played any beach volleyball. Wait a minute… I must have had some odd out-of-body experience for a moment there. Let’s call it a momentary lapse of sanity, ok? I don’t tan. I’m as ghost-white as it gets. The only “sun” I get are the rays that come from my monitors. We all know I’m not one to play sports, either. I’m not sure who took over my keyboard and wrote that garbage!

In any case, summer is half over I suppose. Time flies when you’re too busy to stop to breathe. Gnomedex is only six weeks away, and the team is working hard to get everything ready. I want to thank all of you who have offered your help and services to help make this year rock more than ever before!

Never fear, young grasshoppers. Even though I’m busy, I still make the time to see what you have to say! Your community contributions are the backbone that makes everything I do so much fun.

Is it Even Summer Yet?

Chris — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 10:07:00 +0000

Is it Even Summer Yet? is a post from Chris Pirillo

The days are going by so fast that I think I lost track somewhere. Here I thought it was already officially Summer – only to realize that it doesn’t actually begin until Sunday! It’s hot out. The sun is shining. Schools are out. People are going to the beach. How is it not summer?

I guess I’ve been so busy lately, what with Gnomedex coming up and all! Things are coming along nicely for the conference, and we’re going to have an amazing time. If you haven’t purchased your ticket yet – what are you waiting for? Don’t be the one sitting at home watching us on the live stream and kicking yourself for not showing up.

Even though I’m crazy busy these days, I still make time to check out what everyone is up to. It’s one of the most important parts of my day – and I hope it’s an important part of yours.

One Small Act of Kindness…

Chris — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 09:32:36 +0000

One Small Act of Kindness… is a post from Chris Pirillo

Reading through things today in our community, I came across yet another post that gave me pause for thought. That seems to happen daily, doesn’t it? It’s so great to have all of you posting things that makes us all stop and think about life… often in a different way than we might otherwise have.

With the economy so tough and so many thousands of people out of work, it’s easy to lose hope. The house is getting foreclosed. The bills are stacking up. Luxuries are a thing of the past, as are dinners out – even at McDonald’s. It’s hard to see your way clear to remembering that there is always light at the end of the tunnel. It’s nearly impossible at times like this to keep your hope alive, until one small, random act of kindness restores your faith.

Even though the post I mentioned above talks about a company who reached out to unemployed people, there are things all of us can do in order to help bolster the spirits of those we know and love who are having a rough time. I encourage YOU to reach out. You can do something simple, like taking a home-cooked meal to a family you know is having a hard time making ends meet. You could offer the use of your car to someone whose may have been repossessed due to job loss… they need wheels to go out and put in applications! Why not offer free babysitting time to that neighbor who is stressed out? Take her kids to your house for a few hours, and encourage her to relax and recharge herself.

All it takes is one simple little gesture to remind us that life is so much better than it may appear. Even during our worst times, there’s still hope.

Thank you to all of you who touch MY life each and every day just by being a part of this community. Even on the days when I struggle to do the things I need to do, I simply restore my own hope by reading what all of you contribute. I am so blessed to do something that I love so much – and it’s thanks to all of you.

What the World Needs Now…

Chris — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 05:08:56 +0000

What the World Needs Now… is a post from Chris Pirillo

What does the World need now? I’m talking tangible objects here. What more can we possibly need? This question came up recently in a discussion on Geeks, and I found it to be quite thought-provoking. If you were able to choose the next big invention, what would it be? Would it be something in the technology field? What about something that could save lives? Think carefully, and then reply to this post and let me know what you think the world needs!

While you’re thinking… be sure to see what else is being talked about in our community today!

Geek Eye for the Sloppy Guy – a Beginning

Chris — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 11:35:49 +0000

Geek Eye for the Sloppy Guy – a Beginning is a post from Chris Pirillo

I think my new idea is catching on rather well. “Geek Eye for the Sloppy Guy”. I can’t help but love that title for the series I’m doing – beauty tips for guys! Who knows – maybe it will turn into a television show someday! Ok, ok – maybe not. But hey… anything can happen! Have you seen the latest additions to the series?

I’ve been busy doing other things, as well. Don’t worry – I’m still a techie at heart! Just because I tend to take pride in how well-groomed I am doesn’t mean I’m not still a complete Geek! I love to read about anything and everything, especially things that all of you from the community put out there. I spend hours a day just checking out what’s what, who’s where, and why wonders never cease! Are you reading what your peers are doing?

Walking in a Winter Wonderland of Writing

Chris — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 09:31:48 +0000

Walking in a Winter Wonderland of Writing is a post from Chris Pirillo

Brrrr it’s freezing here in Seattle right now! I know that winter has hit everywhere by now, and is much worse in some places. For instance, in Maine the other day, there was a massive blizzard. Kat is headed there for two weeks. Lets hope she doesn’t get snowed in until Spring! With all of the snow and icy temperatures, it’s a great time for me to stay cozy in my office, and check out everything going on around my world.

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How Are You Helping the Software Community?

Chris — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 01:34:42 +0000

How Are You Helping the Software Community? is a post from Chris Pirillo

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Even before the World Wide Web, I downloaded everything I could find to run on my computer. I was a software Geek from day one. Hardware is expensive, so I never got into it nearly as much.

I got an email here from Josh, and he writes: “I’ve been a subscriber to your YouTube channel for awhile, and I thought I would put together a top 10 list for you about easy ways people can contribute to the software community”. So without further ado, let’s take a look at his tips.

Join an idea submission site to share the ideas on how to make a product better with the community, as well as the company sponsoring the site. Examples of this include Dell’s Ideastorm Ubuntu Linux’s Brainstorm site.
Download and test Alpha and Beta software. Companies that release this kind of software to the public almost always provide a way to report bugs as well as provide feedback. One easy and highly useful piece of software to test is a Web browser. Firefox and Chrome are two examples that offer easy to obtain public betas.
Join a public bug tracker for a piece of software you use. This way, you can report bugs you find, as well as help identify valid and invalid already existing bugs by voting. You can also confirm bugs that have already been reported in the bug tracker.
If you use OpenDNS, they have a community where you can submit domains for review, and vote on whether a domain is categorized correctly to help improve their content filtering. There are also a few places to report phishing scams, such as Phishtank.
Contribute support in forums and help sites. If you know the answer to a question someone is asking at one of these sites, you can post an answer. An example of such a forum is Lockergnome Help forums, Apple Discussions and even Microsoft Newsgroups.
Open Source projects often accept help writing documentation, or translating their documentation into a different language. Open Source projects also often accept donations. These donations can often be counted when you are doing your taxes. Some Open Source projects accept artwork, too.
Try to contribute what you are good at. Software companies need a lot of different skills, such as artwork, legal advising, financial management, translations, user interface testing, etc… There is a place where anyone can contribute.
Publicize software you use or like in your blog, Twitter, or even on YouTube.
Join a user group for a piece of software you use. I’ve never been in one, however I know a few people in these type of groups, including one person who is in a VMware user group. He is able to get large discounts on VMware’s product,s as well as give direct feedback to VMware engineers.
Use a lot of different software on multiple OS’s if possible.

So you see, there are many ways you can get your foot into the door where software is concerned, and make your voice heard. By helping out in any or all of these words will not only help you, but could help countless other people as well.

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How to Get Along in an Online Forum

Chris — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 22:41:43 +0000

How to Get Along in an Online Forum is a post from Chris Pirillo

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Do you visit online forums? Do you behave while you’re there? Do you know HOW to behave in a forum environment? Here are some tips to make your forum experience a much happier one for you… and the forum Moderation Team.

Read the rules You may have been on other forums and gotten around there smoothly but if you are joining a new community you have to read the rules. You may be doing something that every new member (who didn’t read the rules) does and in worst cases get banned. Read the rules and follow them.
No 1337-speak Posts that contains 1337-speak is not always easy to understand. 1337-speak is a very geekish way of writing. You try to replace every letter with numbers and symbols. For example, 1337 means leet, short for eleet -> elite. 1337-speak is even disallowed on some sites. Use proper English and spell check your typing. Do everything to look as engaged as possible. Do not ever use caps-lock for your messages. It makes you look dumb and you for sure will not receive valuable response.
Have manners The worst thing is people who join a site and request people to do everything for them. If the site has an introduction forum, introduce yourself to the community. If you have a problem, don’t ask people to do things for you, do what you can to figure out how to do it and in worst case, ask how to do what you want.
Try to help others When you have been in the community for a while, you might know more than the average user. Use your intelligence to help people. Tell them what they did wrong and tell them how to do what they want. Moderators can not help all users. Users are there to help and get help.
Search before posting Always search before posting about a matter. Every common forum system has a search system that allows you to search through every single post on the forum. Many things get answered several times because some users don’t search before they make their request. This will help the moderators so they can focus on other things, the site itself, so it doesn’t get filled with loads of the same stuff.

Our live community leader Kat also is an Administrator at a huge forums site. GeeksToGo is a free computer-help site, with over a million posts, and more than 200,000 members. She has more than four years’ worth of experience in being an Administrator at these types of forums, and wanted to add the following tips.

When posting for help on a computer help forum such as GeeksToGo, be specific. The Staff will have a much easier time helping you if they know off the bat what the problem is. If you don’t know what the exact problem is, give as many details as possible.
When you join any type of forums, ALWAYS actually take time to read the Terms of Use (Terms of Service). Every site is different, and some allow things that others don’t. By taking the time to read these prior to signing up, you’ll know exactly what the rules of that particular forum are. This can save you trouble in the future.
Don’t spam the forum with a hundred posts in your first day, just to make yourself “known”. You’ll be “known” all right… as a spammer, a pest, and someone to “keep an eye on”. Take time to look around the forums, and see how other people talk to each other. Watch posting style of long-time members and Staff/Mods. This way, you’ll be able to fit in much easier when you do begin posting!
All in all, being a member of an online forum of any kind can be fun, informational and addictive! Don’t burn yourself out by trying to do too much at once. Have fun, be yourself… and you’ll do just fine!

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Vista Forums

Chris — Fri, 02 Jun 2006 21:38:13 +0000

Vista Forums is a post from Chris Pirillo

Hey, we’ve got Vista Forums online – including categories for Multimedia, Networking & Sharing, Performance Management, Scan, Security, General Discussions, Hardware Devices, Games, File Management, Account Administration, Mail, and Setup & Installation. Each one of these Vista forums has a separate RSS feed, too – so if you want to track what’s happening in the world of Vista support, you can do it with ease. The forum servers are much happier now, and we’re only going to add more categories over time. Vista Help, ho!

How to Handle Remote Tech Support

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 06:30:00 GMT

Using GoToAssist is the easiest way to view and control another person's computer online. Use it to provide instant technical support to family, friends and customers. Start a session with just one click, and instantly connect with the other party.

Network Tools for Windows

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMT

You need these network tools, no matter which operating systems and networks you have to support. SolarWinds ipMonitor: Affordable Network Monitoring for SMBs. Get turnkey network, server and application availability monitoring with SolarWinds ipMonitor v9.0. This easy-to-use, reliable solution for SMBs delivers out-of-the-box availability monitoring so you always know exactly what's up with Active Directory, DNS, Exchange, FTP, Web, IMAP, MS SQL Server, and SMTP. Download your free trial today. Or, try their totally free tools! And, through 2/29, save 20% when you purchase ipMonitor 9.0.

Get Your Own Web Site

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMT

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VMware and Parallels for Virtual Machines

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMT

It doesn't matter if you're running on Windows or Mac OS X - every power user needs either Parallels or VMware (or both). There's never been an easier way to test software without destroying your primary operating system's stability. Think of how many times you wish you could press a 'reverse' button on your computer. Plus, there's no easier way to try new Linux distributions - see what all the fuss is about. Run Windows in OS X, run Linux in Windows, but the best way to do either is with VMware and/or Parallels.

Coupons for Online Shopping

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 07:56:13 GMT

This feed is fueled by Lockergnome Online Shopping and Coupon Codes

Before you shop next time, see if we have a coupon first.