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To: bob@TOURBUS.COM
Subject: File: "TOURBUS LOG0004C"
 
 
Date:         Wed, 19 Apr 2000 06:34:02 +0000
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Sender:       The Internet TourBus - A virtual tour of cyberspace
              
From:         Bob Rankin 
Subject:      TOURBUS - 18 Apr 2000 - Find an Expert
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             TOURBUS Volume 5, Number 84 -- 18 April 2000
----------------------------------------------------------------------
 
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                  TODAY'S TOURBUS TOPIC:  Find an Expert
 
Do you have a nagging computer problem?  If you can't get your
spreadsheet to sit up and bark, or you're baffled by some other
hardware or software question, today's TOURBUS will help you find
the answer.
 
 
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  screen, plus your narration, and present it to anyone, anywhere.
  Use TechSmith's SnagIt and Camtasia software to make effective
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Thanks to our sponsors for today - ClicksToday, Zing and TechSmith,
Tourbus is distributed for free to 80,000 readers in 130 countries.
 
 
===================================
EXPERTCITY - A PLACE TO GET ANSWERS
===================================
 
Expertcity is a unique online service for individuals and companies
who have questions or problems about their PCs.  Experts are available
to answer questions about Games, Graphics, Hardware, Internet,
Networking, Office Software, Programming and other topics.  At
Expertcity, hundreds of live experts are available 24 hours a day to
answer questions about your computer and provide immediate assistance.
 
   
   GO TO EXPERTCITY 
 
Expertcity's screen-sharing technology allows the experts to help
visitors online, in real time, as if they were sitting right next to
you.  After you download a small plugin, experts can see what's on
your screen, so you can watch while he or she helps you right on your
computer, or follow the step-by-step instructions provided by phone or
in a chat window.
 
During an online consultation session, both you and the expert can use
a whiteboard feature to draw or highlight areas on the screen.  If you
give permission, the expert can even control your mouse or keyboard to
help solve a problem.  The screen-sharing thing is really cool - you
have to see it to believe it.
 
----------------------------
 HOW DOES THE PROCESS WORK?
----------------------------
 
When visitors submit a problem or question, the experts on call are
notified, and will bid for a chance to help you.  You then select an
expert by looking at their profile, which lists their experience,
resume, previous users' ratings and their bids.
 
I asked this question: "I lost my Show Desktop icon on the Windows
Taskbar. How do I get it back?"  Three experts offered to help, and I
picked Wendy because of her 5-star rating.  Wendy helped me point and
click my way to a solution in just a few minutes.  It was nice to have
a real human helping me with a problem, as opposed to searching for a
canned answer somewhere in the dusty corners of cyberspace.
 
-------------------------
 TRY IT OUT FOR YOURSELF
-------------------------
 
Got a burning question, a nagging problem?  Visit Expertcity and get
your first answer for free.  If you want to fully understand how the
service works before asking your question, do this:
 
 - View the Animated Demo.  Watch how Albert the expert helps a member
   solve a nagging computer problem.
 
 - Take the Live Tour.  Meet a real person who will answer your
   questions about Expertcity and show you all the features and tools.
 
 - Try a Free Session.  Your first question is answered by one of the
   experts for free.
 
 NOTE: If you see a message about granting permission for a "high
 risk" operation during the plugin download process, don't worry.
 That's a standard Netscape message telling you that a new piece of
 software is about to be installed.  It's safe to press "Yes" or
 "Grant" and continue on.
 
------------------------
 A HELP DESK THAT HELPS
------------------------
 
Although it's a great service for individuals with the occasional
question, I can see how Expertcity might be a big help for
administrators or small business owners.  Companies without a large IT
staff or budget could make Expertcity's service available to their
staff to get 24-hour-a-day, 7-day-a-week technical assistance.
 
Even if your company does have a Help Desk, sometimes they're not much
help.  I always chuckle when I think about the Fish Lady, who answered
the Help Desk calls years ago in our graphics lab at IBM.  We called
her the Fish Lady because she would cook left-over fish in the
microwave and stink up the whole building.  Anyway, she didn't know
ANYTHING about ANYTHING, and she wouldn't even talk to you unless you
told her your "G Number".  My terminal didn't have a G Number, so I
always made one up.  :-)
 
If your company's Help Desk is anything like that, you might want to
give the folks at Expertcity a chance to help.  They guarantee
satisfaction so you pay only if the expert solves the problem and
you're happy with the results of the session.  It's nice to know there
are real humans out there in what sometimes seems like an impersonal
void.  Now that I know about Expertcity, I'm sure it will come in
handy quite often.
 
   
   GO TO EXPERTCITY 
 
That's all for now, see you next time!  --Bob Rankin
 
 




The Internet Tourbus - U.S. Library of Congress ISSN #1094-2239

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 Bob Rankin and Patrick Crispen - All rights reserved












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