Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Up and Running.

I finally got my personal laptop back in the game.  It's running faster than ever thanks to some simple advice from the great guy at the computer fix-em-up shop.  I wish I could tell his boss t give him a raise.

After a few days of using my slow desktop, I really came to understand how irritating word verification can be when visiting blogs.  It's just one more step, but that one more step cuts into the time I've set aside to visit blogs.

On the other side of the coin, I've heard lots of chatter lately about malware and spam finding its way unto blogs and disrupting or even destroying lots of work.  I guess having the word verification can help prevent some of that.

I use Norton protection on my personal computer, but the guy at the fix-em place told me it does really slow down a computer.  He gave me some advice on what to use instead when my subscription expires.  It's amazing what talking face to face with an expert can do for understanding something that usually causes me lots of confusion.  In the world of writing, we call that networking.

I wish I had the time to network a little this fall by attending a big writers' conference.  But I have neither the money nor the time.  Face to face can really help clear the fog of confusion at times. 

At least I still have all my bloggy friends to network with online.  They've helped me so much by answering questions and providing links to even more information.  And now that I have my laptop back, I'll be cruising along at high speed to visit them more often.

What was the last memorable face to face networking opportunity you had for your writing?

10 comments:

Luanne G. Smith said...

I wish I could network with your computer guy! I know nothing about computers other than I hate it when they slow down.

There are two local conferences I attend every year. I'm a member of both groups and it really is a great way to network not only with other writers but with agents and editors as well. I haven't yet volunteered to help out, but friends do and they sometimes get to drive editors and agents to the airport, which means they're getting private "closed door" meetings with these people. I haven't heard of anyone getting a deal this way yet, but stranger things have happened. :)

Christina Lee said...

My hubz is a computer administrator by trade and thank goodness for him--phew! I got rid of my word verification a while back and Norton still catches so many things!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Glad you're back in the game!
I'll pay extra for the Norton - it's still the best. And I'm not sure the malware is coming from spam comments.

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

I'm going to investigate a little more before I switch from Norton. I understand Norton really can slow down your computer and some other kinds of security won't.

Theresa Milstein said...

i think having a Mac helps me. Many viruses aren't written for Macs. I don't use Word Verification because it seems blogspot picks up almost all the spam anyway. It's a personal thing, I guess. The thought of losing my blog content is frightening.

Maria Zannini said...

Every once in a while, you might want to go on your dashboard under Settings and export your blog and save it to your desktop.

Jamie Gibbs said...

Umm, my last face time event was the BFS meet up a few months back, it was pretty cool. There's another one a a couple of weeks so I'm hoping to make it. Glad to hear about your laptop too :D

Susan Fields said...

Face to face? Hmmm...it's been a while. Guess I need to look into some conference possibilities. We have one coming up in town next month that I'm currently debating about.

Unknown said...

I'm glad your laptop is up and running. The last time I had writer face time? Two summers ago. Sad, huh? I've never been to a conference since I live overseas. It would be so fun, though. Maybe someday when my kids are a bit older.

Elizabeth Mueller said...

Hi beautiful! I've been to a few writers conferences and I have to confess the best one is LDSTorymakers one! It is the BEST one out there because the famous authors there will sit at the same table as you and welcome you to their social circle without inhibition. I love the mixing and mingling there--I'm not afraid to get lost because everyone I run into is a great friend! ;)


♥.•*¨Elizabeth¨*•.♥

Can Alex save Winter from the darkness that hunts her?

YA Paranormal Romance, Darkspell coming fall of 2011!