During the course of the few posts that I have written for this blog I have wanted to reference this new acronym that I made up to describe the technically inclined guy or gal in your local area that you call upon for computer advice. As much as I would like to be able to solve every problem instantly with this blog you are likely still going to need the help of someone local. If you live in the Northern Virginia area then you can actually call me through my PC repair business: GoKolansky LLC. However, there is a good chance you are not in the Northern Virginia area and so you are going to need a computer guy or gal that is local to you. I will refer to this person as the LCG (Local Computer Guy) from now on.

I would like to give you a short guide for how to find a good LCG that will be of the most help to you. There are a lot of people out there who are good with computers and technology. There are far fewer people who are good with technology and who will not intimidate someone (like you) who isn’t computer savvy.

Characteristics of Your LCG (Local Computer Guy)

In order to find a qualified LCG you need to be able to identify some characteristics they hold.

• Your LCG needs to understand that you are not that good with computers yet. He or she needs to understand that and be ok with that fact.
• Your LCG needs to be able to fix Microsoft Windows without just reinstalling it. Sometimes it is easier to reinstall windows when it gets really messed up but this is rare. As a generality, unless you get hit by a virus, windows can be repaired without reformatting your hard drive (erasing everything and starting over).
• Your LCG needs to be able to explain, in English, what they did. Cut some slack on this one, it is very VERY hard for a technical person to break down a technical activity in a non-technical way. But if they are at least willing to make the effort to show you then listen to what they tell you and be patient with them. Try to find more information on this site to help with developing a mindset that can help you to decipher what they just told you.
• Your LCG should almost never tell you that they can’t fix the problem. (This doesn’t mean that when they say that your computer needs to be replaced they cannot fix the problem. It just means that the problem is your computer.) They should be able to at the very least diagnose the difference between a hardware problem and a software problem and find some sort of remedy to correcting that problem.
• Your LCG should speak your language …. fluently. Accents are ok, but I’m relatively sick of not being able to understand my LCG. This means that they can’t speak to you in binary either !! ;)
• Your LCG should have the basic understanding of most computer acronyms and he/she should be able to communicate them to you. (For instance: lol == Laughing Out Loud, XML == Extended Markup Language, etc.) Take note of this one because you should take the time to learn what some of these are. They will greatly aid your communication with your LCG.
• Your LCG cannot be a company that sends out a different guy to work on your machine every time. That is tech support, and they are going to be painful to deal with. A good LCG needs to be someone that you enjoy being with, even if your relationship with them is only deep enough to cover the electronics they are helping you with.
• Your LCG can be paid or unpaid. If they offer to do the work for free, then please offer a donation. LCGs are often too modest to realize that they have a valuable skill. Show it to them by offering them compensation for their work. If they refuse then that is their choice and you got free service! ;)

Where You’ll Find A LCG

• Internet Cafe’s (Panera Bread, Daily Grind, Starbucks, anyplace offering Wi-Fi)
• Many of today’s teenagers
• Running his own PC repair business.
• College Campuses (NOT the IT Department — Students, specifically IT and Computer Science majors.)
• If you don’t have any of the above options available to you (or you do and they aren’t good) then often you’ll find they come out of the woodwork at the most unexpected times. Technical people are everywhere so keep your eyes peeled for one that will match the above characteristics.

What to Entrust to Your LCG

I have had people entrust me with all of their passwords and everything. One thing I always refuse to take is a password that would lead me to their money. If you want someone else to work on your machine I recommend that you use a password on it that you do not mind surrendering to your LCG. ALWAYS keep a different and secret password on any sensitive data or your financial data. Even if you trust your LCG completely, you can help them to remain above reproach in case they get into a situation where they could be framed with theft. It is as much your responsibility as it is theirs to keep your sensitive data safe and sound. Help them out and trust them to protect your computer. Just don’t trust them with any of your financial information (such as online bank passwords, etc)

To Conclude

While there may be more to discuss on this issue, I’m going to wrap it up here. Use this information to help interact with Your LCG. If they don’t live up to the characteristics above you may choose to have grace on them or you may want to think about finding a new LCG.

God Bless,
-Daniel Kolansky