How do we get people to find ExTS

[Rich-M]

Interestingly the only one of those forums that makes any sense is the smallest as simply bringing in people to sign up means little, it is bringing in like minded users that we seek and the rest of those forums wouldn't give us those!

As a manager I would get in worse trouble pming people to here because as a manager, it could be viewed as intimidation Gary. If I were simply a user as I was elsewhere it would be easy. Even trying to help a user by PM or worse yet offerring to help pric=vately is grounds for immediate dismissal in management.

 

[DSTM]

Interestingly the only one of those forums that makes any sense is the smallest as simply bringing in people to sign up means little, it is bringing in like minded users that we seek and the rest of those forums wouldn't give us those!

As a manager I would get in worse trouble pming people to here because as a manager, it could be viewed as intimidation Gary. If I were simply a user as I was elsewhere it would be easy. Even trying to help a user by PM or worse yet offerring to help pric=vately is grounds for immediate dismissal in management.

There is a code of ethics on any website,Rich. If you bend the rules then you are in deep S***.

 

[donetao]

Where are the thousands that you brought here before?? @Rich-M Bring them back!

 

[Rich-M]

Friends will follow you but people you help mean more. And I am not sure you understand so let me say it another way. Being a manager on a major forum makes an individual somewhat valuable while there, but pming someone even with a suggestion of another place to find tech information could mean the end of that management position and is clearly not worth the risk long run.

The Linkedin Biz Owners Forum is a different situation and there since nothing is considered spamming and I have no ranking any more, I have begun to attempt to pull over members....the problem is they are techs and generally what we found in trying to populate other forums it is more users with problems that we need, not really techs and they are the toughest ones to pull in. I wish I could explain that. I have over 400 clients and every invoice I give to a client has a message suggesting "24 hour free tech support" and possibly 10 have seen it. When I point it out to them they go "that is great, but never sign up". In the 13 years of my business I have one who lurks on my forums but won't sign up so contributes nothing and 3 users who have signed up but none have ever posted. I wish I had the answer but I don't. The only thing I have ever seen bring people in in over 15 years of doing this is helping someone with an issue and then suggesting it to them while the iron is hot, or dragging them in from Paltalk.

If you watch TonyD on the other forum we are all on he will often post a problem for one of his clients. But nothing he has ever suggested and I have the same experience will make them post it themselves, even though they have the problem and it seems to me would want an answer they still won't post. It makes me wonder if they really want to solve the problem or would prefer just to complain about the issue. If I saw 24 hour free tech support on an invoice with an address, I would at least go there and see what it meant so I am not a good one to judge why others don't.

 

[Rich-M]

Where are the thousands that you brought here before?? @Rich-M Bring them back!

They are stuck in the last place and they were not thousands they were 117 so let's be accurate. Dougie already told you he is finding the same thing where it was so easy before, now its not. Look at yourself and Paltalk. How many weeks have we advertised emailed then personally asked you and James yet neither of you showed up after promising to be there. That is the same thing friend so don't try to pass the ball to me quite yet!
What you are doing in bringing in users is great but it is way more difficult for us especially if in management positions, and especially since I got them to follow me before. People are reluctant to change when what they are doing seems to work for them. Where those 117 people are is still there and the people were approached many times. Many of them are on the weekly email already and have been from day 1 yet like you do not show up for Paltalk, even though they came from there originally.

 

[donetao]

Hi @Rich-M I have missed one Paltalk sense your invitation. As @AWS has said "Things come up in our lives"! I think James also explained why he missed. I will report directly to you next time why I didn't show up on Paltalk. How many were there Wednesday??

 

[allheart55 (Cindy E)]

Things do come up. Crap happens. I kind of missed paltalk too. I was there for a little while twice, using paltalk express but I couldn't hear anyone and no one could hear me. I'm having a problem with the paltalk software that I need to get straightened out this weekend.

In any case, we appreciate any and all people that show up for paltalk. We are certainly not trying to shove it down anyone's throat. Are we Rich? If you can't make it, then you can't make it. No harm, no foul.

 

[donetao]

Hi! IMHO You need to be very careful down loading Paltalk. It comes bundled with programs that you may not want. I have friends joining me here, but I won't invite them to Paltalk until I'm sure they know how to avoid these . I think you all remember the trouble and doubts that I had before I got it down loaded.
James has had bad experiences with these programs in the past; as he stated in his doubts about joining this kind of program.
I have been around the block a couple of times myself and I'm not accusing anyone of trying to shove Paltalk down anyone's throat.
You need to be very careful down loading Paltalk and make sure you do the advanced install. I try very hard not recommend programs that come with bundled software that you may not want. I call them PUP's. This reply may get me in trouble, but these are my thoughts. Not everyone knows about advanced downloads and how to avoid these PUP's. I'm done ranting now.

 

[AWS]

Hi! IMHO You need to be very careful down loading Paltalk. It comes bundled with programs that you may not want. I have friends joining me here, but I won't invite them to Paltalk until I'm sure they know how to avoid these . I think you all remember the trouble and doubts that I had before I got it down loaded.
James has had bad experiences with these programs in the past; as he stated in his doubts about joining this kind of program.
I have been around the block a couple of times myself and I'm not accusing anyone of trying to shove Paltalk down anyone's throat.
You need to be very careful down loading Paltalk and make sure you do the advanced install. I try very hard not recommend programs that come with bundled software that you may not want. I call them PUP's. This reply may get me in trouble, but these are my thoughts. Not everyone knows about advanced downloads and how to avoid these PUP's. I'm done ranting now.

It's the same with just about every software you download now. You have to do a custom install on everything. If the software doesn't have that option then I avoid it.

 

[Rich-M]

Hi @Rich-M I have missed one Paltalk sense your invitation. As @AWS has said "Things come up in our lives"! I think James also explained why he missed. I will report directly to you next time why I didn't show up on Paltalk. How many were there Wednesday??

My first invitation to you to attend Paltalk was a bulk email sent a month ago.Since then I have sent almost 12 email announcing the hours and the purpose of the room. I personally asked you to attend last week and you responded you would. There were 15 there at the height of the evening, none of whom were from Free PC Help Forum. Now you could say that DSTM, Gimbo, Snowgoose, N3, Cindy, Elliot and I are from Free PC Help Forum and were all there but I am counting us as Paltalkers because we have all been there for years and years. What I am talking about is new to Paltalk chatroom.

 

[Rich-M]

Hi! IMHO You need to be very careful down loading Paltalk. It comes bundled with programs that you may not want. I have friends joining me here, but I won't invite them to Paltalk until I'm sure they know how to avoid these . I think you all remember the trouble and doubts that I had before I got it down loaded.
James has had bad experiences with these programs in the past; as he stated in his doubts about joining this kind of program.
I have been around the block a couple of times myself and I'm not accusing anyone of trying to shove Paltalk down anyone's throat.
You need to be very careful down loading Paltalk and make sure you do the advanced install. I try very hard not recommend programs that come with bundled software that you may not want. I call them PUP's. This reply may get me in trouble, but these are my thoughts. Not everyone knows about advanced downloads and how to avoid these PUP's. I'm done ranting now.

Of course that is true and is suggested in the instructions but it is also true in installing anything these days. We advise folks to go to the source wherever possible when downloading IE download Adobe Flash Player from www.adobe.com not Softonic or Brothersoft because those guys make money by loading up your systems with bloatware. More and more it is true even from originators as Piriform and Auslogics have some worthwhile programs to use but also get paid for loading you with bloatware you don't need as well. It is called making a living. That is one of the reasons I take a very simplistic attitude to free software. My first thought with FREE is why would someone I don't know and am not related to give me anything of any value to me? The most obvious answer is it is equally valuable for them so now we have to look at the why!

I have been in this business too long to recommend something to anyone on a public forum that would harm their systems. I am here to protect them as my main mission from that. In almost every instance when asked I define our job as to read and reread our posts to protect the newbie and casual user from blowing away their systems with poorly worded responses that can be taken more than one way. Anyone who knows me knows I am the champion of the unsuspecting inexperienced user, they define my behavior. If the software itself were in any way harmful I also would not be using it on any of my systems either. Instructions given were to download from Paltalk, never to choose anything but "custom" or "advanced" and to take only the Paltalk software and not allow it to run in startup. I have been doing it this way for 15+ years and never lost a system yet if the user followed instructions (and actually even if they didn't).

 

[donetao]

It's the same with just about every software you download now. You have to do a custom install on everything. If the software doesn't have that option then I avoid it.

That's true @AWS I try to use the author or Major Geeks. Filehippo can be trusted also. Even with a custom install you can get PUP's.
Here's a program that will help possibly with those PUP's. Use the custom install along with this and always have a back up image of your OS on a external USB.
Have you ever felt, while installing software, that the installer tries to push additional unwanted programs at all cost? Ever missed a checkbox, and spent hours afterwards removing adware? Ever opened your browser after an installation, only to find out that you have a new homepage, a new search engine, or even a new browser?
Unchecky aims to keep potentially unwanted programs out of your computer.

http://unchecky.com/

 

[allheart55 (Cindy E)]

You've mentioned this unchecky software before, Gary.
I haven't had a chance yet to check it out.

I'm going to take a look now.

 

[donetao]

You've mentioned this unchecky software before, Gary.
I haven't had a chance yet to check it out.

I'm going to take a look now.

It's just a little help for those that haven't been PC users all their life. I wouldn't count on unchecky to keep all the PUP's off, but it might help??? Still use caution when downloading software and try to use the author if possible. PUP's are really getting bad. MBAM has started flagging them.
https://blog.malwarebytes.org/online-security/2014/10/encountering-the-wild-pup-2/

 

[allheart55 (Cindy E)]

I've actually hear that this software unchecks even the things that you don't see or for less experienced users, that might miss it.

I've downloaded it and as soon as I go to install something new or update something, I'll try it out.

 

[Rich-M]

Yes that was why I mentioned that on the last Paltalk Chatroom!