5 Ways to Give Back to Your Community Using Your Technological Talents
Technology is all around us today. Many who read this blog stay connected using a smart phone and most of you stay in contact with friends and family using one (or more) of the many social media platforms that exist today. Many non-profit organizations don’t have the time, money or skills to fully utilize technology to help them advance their mission. You can help!
Website developers could offer their services to an organization that either needs a new website or needs regular website updates. You could also sign up to participate in the annual Overnight Website Challenge sponsored by The Nerdery.
Many organizations could use assistance with their social media platforms. You could offer to setup a Facebook page, Twitter account or blog and teach their volunteers how to keep them updated. You could also bring them information about other social media platforms that may benefit their staff or volunteers.
Some organizations have older technology that helps them run their offices. You could offer to update or maintain their software such as databases, spreadsheets, presentations, or templates. They may also need training or assistance with virus protection, data backup, or computer maintenance for their staff.
Organizations are frequently in need of other professional services such as accounting, marketing, photography, writing, graphic design, and more. You can reach out to your favorite non-profit to see if they need help. In addition, websites such as Catchafire.org and Sparked.com help individuals connect with a non-profit that is looking for your specific skills.
You could also volunteer your time to get away from technology. Find an organization that matches your interests and search their websites for volunteer opportunities. Opportunities exist for anything from gardening for Open Arms Minnesota, mentoring a child through the Art Buddies program, or making sandwiches for 363 Days, just to name a few.
I hope this post has inspired you to give back. No matter what your talent or passion is, you can find some organization that could put it to good use. Please stop by The Blogunteer blog to start your search for an organization to help!
Stacy Pearson is the blogger behind The Blogunteer – a blog about volunteerism, giving, and kindness. She is also a mom, wife, volunteer, and project manager.
How to troubleshoot your internet connection before calling CenturyLink or Comcast
Is it not the most painful thing in the world to call CenturyLink or Comcast/Charter to troubleshoot your modem? I hate it and always say “agent” right away…but that doesn’t matter because you have to continue to go through all the prompts from the fake lady on the other end. What I hate about that fake lady the most is the phony tone they give her, with inflections of emotion? Like she’s real LOL. My favorite, “umm, I’m not sure I heard you right, did you mean you wanted to continue with our telephone button troubleshooting or did you want an agent?”
Me: Agent
Fake lady: “aah, I’m not sure I heard you right the first time, are you really sure that you want an agent or should we continue to try to troubleshoot the long and tedious way.”
Me: (yells) AGENT!!!!
Fake Lady: “OK, it sounds like you want an agent, but before I transfer you over, have you reset your modem? Let’s get started with some simple tips….”
Me: UGH.
So before you call in a trouble ticket, here is what we tell our clients at Call That Girl to do when we get the exact same call. And we do this for free, no waiting in a queue, no yelling at computers.
1.) Start with unplugging your modem power cord for one full minute. After one minute, plug back in and let the modem reset itself and see if all the blinking lights come back on. If you see any that are orange or amber and not green and blinking, you may have a modem issue. The internet company will need to “reset your modem” at this point. But let’s say everything is blinking ok, we will move on to the next step.
2.) After the modem is back to blinking lights, then go to your router power cord and unplug it for 10 seconds. After 10 seconds, plug back in and look for blinking lights. You should see the internet or Ethernet blinking for sure. If that’s good to go…we move on. If those lights are not blinking, then your router may need repairing or replacing. At that point, you can call us to help.
3.) Now you have reset your modem and router the right way, all lights are blinking ok…it’s time to restart your computer. Be sure to do a full restart/reboot so the computer gets a fresh connection to the internet. If you didn’t change anything with the computer settings, the internet should come back for you.
If not, then it may be a good time to call us at 952-681-7969.
