------- Clearing Up the Confusion E-Zine ------- Vol 2, Issue 19 The evening air has had a hint of chill lately. When Kaylie and I go out for our walks, the trees are starting to get that blush of color and the first few leaves are crunching underfoot. Yes, Autumn is officially here. I love this time of year. The holidays are just around the corner. The frenzied vacations of Summer are now pleasant memories. Soon it will be time to relax with friends and family in front of a roaring fire or around the dinner table. Having people in your life makes the season a whole lot more fun. Of course, if you happen to be the techie in the family, a lot of times these same folks will call you in despair because their computer isn't working the way it's supposed to. Unfortunately, the resulting call can be a source of frustration for both people. I just recently started using a piece of software called CrossLoop which can make those frustrations a thing of the past. Whether you are the caller or the callee, you might just want to check this out. ---------------------------------------------------------------- In This Issue... ---------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Article: See What I See 2. Shameless Self-Promotion 3. The Fine Print ---------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Article: See What I See ---------------------------------------------------------------- Imagine that this phone call has been going on for a while: "OK, Aunt Sally, I want you to select the 'Options...' item under the 'Tools' menu." "Where's that?" "Look at the top of the screen. Tell me what you see." "Just a second... I see a picture of a computer. Under it it says 'My Computer'." "Sorry. What I meant was to look at the top of the *window*." "Which window?" "The one that says 'My Poorly Designed User Interface' at the top." "I don't see that." "What do you mean you don't see it? We just started it up. It should be right in front of you!" "Oh, that! I clicked on the little 'X' so I could see the top of the screen." "(Whimper). OK, let's start over from the beginning..." If you've been on either end of this conversation, you know how difficult it is to accurately describe either a problem or a solution using only the spoken word. In this case, a picture is probably worth more than just a thousand words. It might be the difference between making a relationship stronger and being cut out of the will and any future family gatherings. If only you could see the other person's computer screen through the phone! I've got a recommendation for you. It's called CrossLoop. CrossLoop is an example of remote access software. It allows the expert on one end of the conversation to actually take control of the other person's computer. I've used it a couple of times now and it makes helping other people a heck of a lot easier to do. Setting up the software is pretty straightforward. Just download the package from the CrossLoop site (http://crossloop.com/). Save it to your computer and double-click. The package will install and take you through the steps to get everything set up properly. If you need help from someone, you just start up the CrossLoop program and click on the "Share" tab. The window will show a twelve-digit number that you give to the person from whom you want help. After they enter it, CrossLoop will ask you if you want to grant them access. Assuming you grant it, your savior will now be able to control your computer, including moving the mouse around the screen. Trust me. This makes everything easier for all involved. Of course, no piece of software is perfect. This one does pretty well though. I think my only warnings would be that you do have to have broadband Internet access (you can't use your phone to dial up for your connection) and the software only runs on Windows. If you have a Mac or something else then you'll have to find your own solution. Oh, and when you are connected, the two of you should have some sort of agreement as to who is currently in control of the mouse. We don't want to remove one source of friction only to add another. In addition to the software itself, CrossLoop also provides an online location where you can seek people who can meet your immediate technical needs. This is a little bit of a mixed bag for me. After all you *are* giving someone complete access to your electronic life. I'm sure 99.99% of the people on CrossLoop are friendly, helpful folks. It's that one bad apple who could really ruin your day. Of course, if you are one of the techie set, you can make yourself available through CrossLoop to help other people. There was also some mention of being paid for your services, but I didn't delve into that too far. Ignoring all of that, though, at its simplest, CrossLoop just makes it easy for people to give and receive technical support. If you are the techie in the family (or if you are always calling that person) I highly recommend you get the CrossLoop application. After all, we don't want any uncomfortable silences around the Thanksgiving table this year, do we? Copyright 2008, Greg Peters ---------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Shameless Self-Promotion ---------------------------------------------------------------- The "Clearing Up the Confusion" E-Zine is a production of Greg Peters, owner, chief cook, and bottlewasher of Cyber Data Solutions. CDS has been helping website designers develop better web presence for their clients for more than a decade. Visit us on the Web at www.cyberdatasolns.com to see how we can help your webmaster. ---------------------------------------------------------------- 3. 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