• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

BoomerTECH Adventures

Develop Your Digital Expertise

  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Marketplace — Video Courses & Ebooks
  • Resources
  • BTA Club

HELP! I’m Stuck with a Perplexing Tech Question

By Ed Brazee on May 31, 2017

HELP! I’m Stuck with a Perplexing Tech Question

Are you upside down_(1)You think you know what you’re doing and then…you’re at a standstill!

√ You can’t figure out how to delete an app.

√ You want to ensure that your Facebook privacy settings are up-to-date, but don’t remember how to check. Or where.

√ You don’t remember how to organize your photos.

Now, what do you do?

A critical part of using technology, whether your tablet, laptop, or smartphone is to know what to do when things don’t work out as you expect them to.

You are working on a project and your tech slows you down. What do you do?

Here are five ways to solve your tech question or issue.

1. Do a simple search. Google your question…or use your favorite search engine. Ask a question that is short and includes the specific name of the device you are working on. Something like, “MY IPHONE 6S BATTERY DRAINS TOO FAST” or “HOW DO I DIM MY ANDROID TABLET SCREEN?” At the end of your question (or statement), write SOLVED to find instances where this very problem has been solved. Your search will give you thousands of replies, but remember that the best ones will be on the first page or two of responses. So, focus your attention on those, weeding out any ads at the top. Look at the websites and the description to find the best and most reputable response to your question.

Screen Shot 2017-05-30 at 11.36.19 AM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Sometimes you need to SEE, not just read about it. Instead of reading about adjusting the settings on your smartphone or how to edit a video, go to YouTube to see videos of these skills in action. You’ll have to do a search just as you did for written articles above and then choose wisely from the videos that are presented for you. You may have to try out one or two or three to see if they demonstrate what you want to learn and in a way that you find easy to follow.Screen Shot 2017-05-30 at 11.43.43 AM

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. What do others say about this same issue or problem? A specific kind of response included in your simple search above are FORUMS—discussions with multiple responses about the topic you are interested in. Forums can be helpful but tread cautiously because they can also be a huge waste of time. Forums often contain lots of off-topic comments that won’t help answer your question. Remember to include the word “SOLVED” at the end of your search (see tip #1 above). Forums can be useful but you may have to wade through more text that is extraneous to your question.

 Screen Shot 2017-05-30 at 11.56.51 AM

 

CNET forum on iPhones, iPods, and iPads.

 

 

 

4. Don’t overlook the HELP section of the software or app you are using. Often this can be the best source of information for solving your issue. The HELP section has taken the place of the manual that used to be bundled with software and hardware. As you can see in the example below, this HELP section offers several types of assistance—video tutorials, a user’s guide, and more.

Screen Shot 2017-05-30 at 12.00.04 PM

 

An example from the toolbar HELP menu on the Pages app.

 

 

 

 

5. A similar source of assistance for apps or software is TECH SUPPORT. See the HELP section at the top of your toolbar or SUPPORT in an app. Often you will have different opportunities to communicate by email, phone, or chat. Helplines where you talk directly to a real person are rare, but chats take place in real time and emails allow you to think about your problem and describe it exactly.  Screen Shot 2017-05-30 at 12.06.47 PM

 

Camtasia, a screen capture app, offers real-time chat for tech questions.

 

 

 

6. Occasionally, you need a REAL person. Do you have someone you know and trust on tech matters that you can call or chat with? You don’t want to overstay your welcome with numerous requests everyday, but sometimes you need a personal contact to cut through all the haze and point you in the right direction.

 

7. Don’t forget—you can always contact us…BoomerTECH Adventures. Go to our BTA Facebook page and ask us your question. We’ll be glad to help!

 

We have even more help for you in the form of a FREE iPhone Critical Tips Guide.


Use these tips that just might change the way you use your iPhone…forever.

 

 

 

 

More from Our Blog

Vision Issues? Check Out iPhone & iPad Vision Accessibility Features

Here are some age-related statistics related to our vision: 1 in 10 people over 50 have an early form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). 3 in 10 folks over 80  have an early form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Glaucoma affects over 3,000,000 Americans. By 2030, it is estimated over 4,000,000 American will suffer from […]

Find My…A Must Have App!

There I was…on a bus, halfway to Boston’s Logan Airport when I discovered I didn’t have my phone. Panic! I was going to be gone for two weeks and needed to communicate with people. Fortunately, Concord Trailways busses have Wifi and I had my iPad. I opened the the app Find My and immediately located […]

Primary Sidebar

Our Most Recent Posts

  • Vision Issues? Check Out iPhone & iPad Vision Accessibility Features
  • Find My…A Must Have App!
  • What’s Happening With BoomerTECH Adventures & How it Can Help You
  • My Photo Stream Is Going Away. Do I Need to Worry?
  • My Experience with COVID

Top rated products

  • Digital Tools for the Beginning Memoir Writer $30.00
  • Maximizing Your iPad's Potential $30.00
  • Taking Awesome Pictures With Your iPhone/iPad Camera $30.00
  • MORE Hidden Gems in Your iPhone/iPad $30.00
  • Fantastic Photo Finishes—Organize & Edit Images With Your iPhone/iPad Photos App $30.00
  • Blog
  • Privacy
  • Terms of Service
  • Marketplace — Video Courses & Ebooks
Copyright © 2023 BoomerTECH Adventures.

Welcome!

Looking for something?

Start A Conversation

Click here to chat with me!

Search our website now

Latest Posts

Vision Issues? Check Out iPhone & iPad Vision Accessibility Features

September 20, 2023

Here are some age-related statistics related to our vision: 1 in 10 people over 50 have an early form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). 3 in 10 folks over 80  have an early form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Glaucoma affects over 3,000,000 Americans. By 2030, it is estimated over 4,000,000 American will suffer from […]

Find My…A Must Have App!

September 5, 2023

There I was…on a bus, halfway to Boston’s Logan Airport when I discovered I didn’t have my phone. Panic! I was going to be gone for two weeks and needed to communicate with people. Fortunately, Concord Trailways busses have Wifi and I had my iPad. I opened the the app Find My and immediately located […]

What’s Happening With BoomerTECH Adventures & How it Can Help You

July 16, 2023

Yesterday at breakfast in a small cafe in Eastport, ME (the easternmost city in the continental U.S.) a gentleman at an adjacent table was fidgeting with his new smartphone while his tablemates were giving him all sorts of suggestions on how to make it work. Not wanting to intrude on their conversation but wanting to […]

    X
    Welcome to
    How may I help you?
    ×