On opportunity and selflessness

Some things never cease to amaze me. One of them is even if all the bad things in this world tend to monopolize the news, there is still plenty of good to be found. One of these things is the willingness of some people to help others. Whether in all types of volunteer organizations, community projects, etc...

The Web has also enabled this to happen in more subtle and somewhat anonymous ways. As our lives get busier and the devices we use get more complex, the level of service provided by resellers and manufacturers continue to deteriorate. Tech support and customer service phone numbers are typically worthless at getting any real problems solved. And out of this 'opportunity', the online community steps in. There are countless individuals, experts in their own right, who are out there, posting answers in online forums, investing their own time in the service of others, with really nothing to gain in return. In my experience these are always the best sources for accurate and detailed information on how to solve a problem or answer a question. When I upgraded from XP to Vista and ran into some snags, all my answers came from users out there sharing their experience. When the MacBook Air was released by Apple and it came to light that - like the iPod - the battery was not replaceable, many people found that to be a big turnoff (rightfully so). Within days, online community members were providing step by step instructions on how you could in fact replace it if needed. The eBay seller community is also known to be very helpful in this way, with more experienced members helping newer ones. Actually this was a key to success in the early years because they were growing so fast there was no way eBay could actually hire fast enough to support their own members.

Technical problems? Automotive questions, want to know how not to mess up a recipe, or pretty much anything else? If you have a problem to solve, type it in your search engine and you're bound to find someone who has contributed some valuable insight to helping you address it. To all these anonymous helpers, thank you!