One of the bad things that the computer has done for our society is that it has made us impatient.  We expect everything to work right away.  What is worse, we expect things to work "right" without even giving any thought to what we are doing.

A great example of this is installing software.  ANY software.  Now, the folks you bought it from are not stupid - they know that words like "custom" or "advanced" are going to scare away the majority of users.  This way, you can install using the "common" settings of a software package, which many times will include things like virus programs, new search settings for your browser, and a bunch of other crap you didn't want.  Sometimes they will "ask" you if you want it, by which I mean it is already checked as the default and they just expect you to hit "continue" without really reading the little screen.

READ EVERYTHING - even if you don't understand it.  This way, when weird stuff happens, you have some idea of how it might have started and which program is to blame.  Many times, you can just uninstall the offending bloat-ware.  Sometimes, however, you need to jump into the bowels of the computer to change some basic settings.

This is where your "IT Guy" can help.  Or, if you don't have an "IT Guy", you can contact us.  Either way, most of these fixes can be done remotely over the Internet and it shouldn't take more than 30 minutes to an hour.  Unless, of course, you have download some nasty stuff - then it could take a bit longer.

DO NOT BE AFRAID OF YOUR COMPUTER - that is what "they" want.  Read everything.  Experiment.  The likelihood of you doing something really terrible is small.  If you are concerned, have your "IT Guy" set up a backup system for your computer so that even if you delete you autobiography, you can can restore it with little to no effort.

As business, marketing, and technology professional, I have been quite prolific on and off the Internet for over 20 years.  Unfortunately, the majority of what I have shared has been scattered through countless sites, messages, emails, and articles.

I am now about to start taking my own advice - if it is mine, I should own it.  That means it should be on my own site.  I can link to my own content from anywhere, which means that no one else has the ability to remove it, modify it, or profit from it without my permission.

I have been consulting for small businesses now since 1987.  In that time, I have used many business names - Family Business Enterprises, PC Sphere, Expert Support Services, Wizards Market, TDS Technologies, FACTA Fix, Cross Country Card Systems, and most recently, Hawks Mountain Consulting.  Each business had a particular focus, either in terms of services, clients, or geography.

Hawks Mountain Consulting, however, is the "umbrella" for all of the things that I have learned and can now share with all of my clients, from marketing to business management to implementation of technology solutions.  This blog is going to be the launch point for sharing all this knowledge with the world.  Stay tuned for a LOT of posts in the near future!