Announcing the IMC Computer Help Desk

Hooray for the Help Desk!

While Geek Squad is a big corporate "squeeze the last dollar out of you" the other locale services charge what would be considered buisness rates and the prices are probably held over from when computers were less reliable and techs that could fix them were scarce.  Dont worry though.  Computer technitions are being devalued across the workforce.  No more free coffee, lower pay, no benefits, and we are being relegated to the same position as building maintinence and plumbers.

Just because these things are easy for you dosnt meen you shouldnt charge professional prices for your services.  It took you years to aquire this skill set.

Computer activists and big buisness working together to relgate computer technitions to be classified as "unskilled labor"

-Anonymous Coward

Just because these things are easy for you dosnt meen you shouldnt charge professional prices for your services.  It took you years to aquire this skill set.

Computer activists and big buisness working together to relgate computer technitions to be classified as "unskilled labor"

Seriously? That's about like saying you shouldn't teach people the basics of cooking because it will hurt the restaurant business.

Or perhaps in your case, to get all medieval, they shouldn't teach people to read and write, because it will put the scribes out of business?

Seriously? That's about like saying you shouldn't teach people the basics of cooking because it will hurt the restaurant business.

Or perhaps in your case, to get all medieval, they shouldn't teach people to read and write, because it will put the scribes out of business?

Interesting interpretation of what I wrote but not quite what I was going for.  For starters I am not being sarcastic when I say "Hooray for the Help Desk!"  but I can understand why you think that since I followed up by pointing out some downsides of free support.

I felt I was merely pointing out something that was happening.  Not advocating for the closure of the help desk.  For example.  If farmer A sells widgets for 10 dollars and farmer B sells widgets for 5 dollars the end result is the devaluation of farmer A's apples. I know you know this.  Just trying to put perspective on the situation.

And while being able to fix your own computer is not a survival skill like "the basics of cooking"  it is increasingly moving towards being classified as something that is basic for survival.  Hence my comment about it being computer technicians being thought of more like plumbers and electricians rather then something that needs a degree.

Simply stated I dont know if free tech support is a good idea.  Cheap tech support with a focus on education for sure.  And free for those that need it(a guy looking for a job, the underprivileged, children, elders, etc..).  But maybe not free for all.   It would be nice if education was a bigger aspect of computer repair services but I dont think there is a market for it.  I bet YOU would love to spend all day learning about computers(and so would I and do) but most people?  Not so much.  How do I know this?  Years of computer tech support.

Ok....hows that for getting medieval?  Please respond.  This is fun :)

-Anonymous Coward

So it seems the IMC has become an existential threat to yet another part of the power structure? I just never thought of computer techs as part of the power structure for some reason.

Having participated over the years in a variety of self-help and DIY-oriented projects -- outside and inside the IMC -- that seek to put knowledge in the hands of users and consumers, I don't see why anybody is concerned about "the devaluation of farmer A's apples." The revolution looks like it's a long way down the road. There is still a long line of marks, easy targets, and others who can be separated from their cash easily enough in the all-too-persistent scheme of market relations.

It's not the IMCs of the world that the Computer Tech Guild needs to worry about. It's the Best Buys. I actually do most of my own troubling shooting and my wife has an MS in ECE, but she's a Mac/UNIX person. So when my PC did the bluescreen overnight for no obvious reason, I took it to -- drumroll -- the Geek Squad.

While I have to agree with bcd's overall estimate of their business model, I've found that locally they tend to not sell you more than what you really need -- or maybe I act just smart enough they realize that I'm not worth doing the hard sell on. A quick once over determined that half my PC's memory had bit the dust and simply pitching it restored me to full functionality. Except when I called up Photoshop this week, things are slow, so maybe I will need that spare memory once in awhile that we decided at the time I probably didn't need after all.

Cost? Free.

So I'm happy enough with the Geeks when I needed them. But I'm also a big supporter of the IMC reaching out and helping those people who are motivated enough to learn as much as they are comfortable with doing. I frequently point people in the direction of self-help resources for things as diverse as vehicles to health to government. And I like being around a supportive atmosphere created by people who share the same ethos.

In fact, I sort of generalized that computer people were supportive of that sort of camraderie. I guess the Royal Computer Tech Guild still retains more influence than I ever imagined.

So it seems the IMC has become an existential threat to yet another part of the power structure? 

Probably not so existential or a threat.  Rather it is a part of a growing trend to value IT support more like general maintenance along the lines of a plumber or electrician.  Geeksquad is a perfect example of this.

I just never thought of computer techs as part of the power structure for some reason.

Unwittingly yes.  Computers play a major roll in many businesses as well as peoples personal lives. Not just at times of crisis but in everyday operation of large computer networks.  How about the IT's that were involved in either the hiding or loosing of the millions of bush era emails?  But then again a plumber was also placed into a position of power(anyone remember Joe?)

Having participated over the years in a variety of self-help and DIY-oriented projects -- outside and inside the IMC -- that seek to put knowledge in the hands of users and consumers,

Please know that I dont mean any disrespect towards you the IMC or what it has accomplished.

I don't see why anybody is concerned about "the devaluation of farmer A's apples."

Maybe you have seen other people concerned but you think they are wrong?  It also seems against my understanding of the consensus based organization that I understand the IMC to be.

The revolution looks like it's a long way down the road.

The revolution is probably an ongoing thing

There is still a long line of marks, easy targets, and others who can be separated from their cash easily enough in the all-too-persistent scheme of market relations.

Ya, shits fucked up.  We can do better.

It's not the IMCs of the world that the Computer Tech Guild needs to worry about. It's the Best Buys.

No doubt.  The IMCs of the world offer a greater value to the labor despite the lower/no pay.

I actually do most of my own troubling shooting and my wife has an MS in ECE, but she's a Mac/UNIX person. So when my PC did the bluescreen overnight for no obvious reason, I took it to -- drumroll -- the Geek Squad.

The IMC Computer Help Desk holds open hours every Thursday from 7:00pm
to 9:00pm at the Urbana-Champaign Independent Media Center. Call us at
(217) 689-1462. Email us at imchelpdesk@gmail.com.

I'm sure someone there will be happy to help you next time!

While I have to agree with bcd's overall estimate of their business model, I've found that locally they tend to not sell you more than what you really need -- or maybe I act just smart enough they realize that I'm not worth doing the hard sell on. A quick once over determined that half my PC's memory had bit the dust and simply pitching it restored me to full functionality. Except when I called up Photoshop this week, things are slow, so maybe I will need that spare memory once in awhile that we decided at the time I probably didn't need after all.

Take it to the help desk!  I'll probably be there!

So I'm happy enough with the Geeks when I needed them. But I'm also a big supporter of the IMC reaching out and helping those people who are motivated enough to learn as much as they are comfortable with doing. I frequently point people in the direction of self-help resources for things as diverse as vehicles to health to government. And I like being around a supportive atmosphere created by people who share the same ethos

No argument here.

In fact, I sort of generalized that computer people were supportive of that sort of camraderie. I guess the Royal Computer Tech Guild still retains more influence than I ever imagined.

Takes all kinds I suppose.

-AC

sorry, for the bad formatting

So what's so lowly about being a plumber? Personally, I'd rather swap out a hard drive than fix a busted drainpipe any day. Plumbing takes skill and experience if you want to do it right. In fact, where's the IMC home repairs helpdesk? That's what I really need!

I am a computer system administrator. I have built PC's for many years now. I could help people with their computer problems, and I am considering donating my time to the IMC helpdesk. I would do this because I honestly do not know if my skills are good enough to sell. Unlike the Geek Squad, I have actual standards that I hold myself to. If I were unable to help a person, I would tell them so; I would not make up B.S. and take their money.

However, if I were staffing the IMC help desk, and I noticed that I was being "Taken Advantage Of", then I would probably quit. What is "Taken Advantage Of"? Yes; if a person of little income or knowledge approaches the IMC, and asks for help, I would not feel taken advantage of- even though technically and literally that person is "Taking Advantage" of the IMC. But that's what it's there for! If some person were dropping off 5 pc's per day, saying, "Fix These!" and then turning around and charging other people money, then that would be the other end of the spectrum; the extreme example of the BAD kind of "Taken advantage of".

And in all honesty, if I realized that I could be making a substantial income doing help-desk stuff from home, and rather for the IMC, you'd have a hard time convincing me that I should do otherwise. I don't consider that evil. I consider it resourceful.

Not-So-Anonymous Coward