IT Helpdesk for the Family

Do you serve the function of an IT helpdesk for your family and friends? For some of us in technology careers it gets tiring to have everyone treat you like their personal service technician. How do you deal with apropos tech help requests? I have a few friends who quote their hourly rate, or an inflated version, in response to computer questions. There’s even a friend of mine who refuses to have any computers at home, just a game console. I take a softer touch with tech requests, and it’s a good thing, too.

This week my parents hosted out of town relatives and casually mentioned I worked with computers. Now I’m helping a startup with their website to increase traffic and functionality. This is definitely not the kind of help I’m used to providing. It’s nice, though, to have skills that benefit others. It certainly makes for interesting family reunions.