FixYa has some pretty outstanding experts. One such expert, Ekse, is a 20-year-old information technology student with 3692 FixYa solutions logged in his name. We were lucky enough to get an interview:

Q: Tell us about yourself:
A: I live in Finland, Turku. It’s a beautiful city. (see above picture) I have a background in computer repair and resale. I have had an interest in electronics and computers for a long time now. My father works in cars and back when I was very young I was “helping” my father in fixing his cars, I learned many lessons back then. So my strong interest in electronics and computers started and I have been taking things apart and putting them back together ever since. Right now I make my living from computers and customer service, while continuing my studies.

Q. What are your hobbies?
A. Running. I try to get out and run a few miles every day, it gives me a great feeling. Meditation, reading, computers, gaming and FixYa are also some of my hobbies to name a few.

Q. What first brought you to FixYa? When?
A. A friend happened to mention the website and it seemed like a good idea. I signed up as a expert in Feb. 2008 started very slowly, answering problems whenever there was a silent or boring moment in the computer shop I was working in at the time. I never expected to earn much from FixYa or even get this involved with the community. Eventually, I earned the rank of a wiz and started answering premium problems and chats.

Q. What is the FixYa answer you are most proud of?
A. I’d have to say I’m most proud of a session I had. It was an Acer laptop with E lock management and the customer had forgotten the password to the program. The floppy, cd - dvd and usb devices were all locked and unusable. We managed to work around the issue within an hour. The workaround solution is very simple and if I now get another session with the same problem, I will know exactly how to solve it in only a few minutes. The official Acer fix to this issue is to send the laptop to them for few weeks and pay $100 USD for the service. There have been quite a few good sessions and a few great ones, but the review I got from this one stands out from the rest.

Q. What advice do you have for those asking questions?
A. Try to provide as much detail as possible on the product you have (Brand, model, etc.) Also provide as much detail of the problem as possible. Simply saying, “I can’t send email” is very vague - if you get an error message, include it and everything else that you think may be relevant. It will save us time as we don’t have to ask for more details - it will make it easier to solve the problem.

Q. What advice do you have for experts?
A. Stick to your expertise, do your best and the rewards will follow. Take your time, get familiar with all the functions of the website. To maximize your earnings, answer chats and premiums.

Q. What new features would you like to see FixYa roll out?
A. A search tool for unsolved problems

If you’d like to learn more about Ekse, check out his page. If you or someone you know would like to be featured as an Expert, email dana[at]fixya.com with “Expert of the Week” in the subject line.

My dad would think it was hilarious if someone told him he was living a green lifestyle. He’s the guy who’d come to the dinner table in a mechanic smock covered in grease and steer the conversation towards sports and muscle cars. Still, he’s been rebuilding motorcycles, rewiring the kitchen, dredging yards, and slapping up drywall for over 45 years. While I’d never tell him, I know my dad is an accidental environmentalist because, just like our community of folks who fix, repair and mod their belongings, he’s keeping broken products out of landfills.

Think about it, in the late eighties we were asked to “reduce, reuse and recycle.” FixYans are doing all three. Here are some ways we’re doing our part for the environment:

• Reducing paper consumption and saving trees by using our online warranty manager to access receipts, user manuals and renew warranties.
• Adding memory and accessories to old computers instead of purchasing new ones.
• Testing speakers thoroughly before buying peripheral products or add-ons.

To help strengthen our community and empower more people to repair their old products, become a FixYa expert, or if you’re already an expert and you’d like to be featured in our blog, contact dana[at]fixya.com for details.

As a kid I remember passing my father wrenches and soldering tools as he lay in coveralls beneath his fixer-upper car of the month. He’d rebuilt an old Mustang convertible, a Thunderbird, and a black 1959 El Camino. The year I turned 16-years-old, he had enough foresight to find me the slowest 1986 Chevette hatchback to ever grace the road – it was like driving a gigantic hamster-powered potato.

That being said, the great thing about having a hideous car is that you are not afraid to attempt to resuscitate it. There’s the old saying, “Give a man a fish; you’ve fed him for a day. Teach a man to fish; and you’ve fed him for a lifetime.”

While I didn’t know it at the time, as I stood soaked by the side of the rainy highway with the hood up, my father was teaching me a valuable lesson – I was learning to fish, or rather, check my own oil and snap the fan belt back on.

FixYa members are teaching each other great life lessons every day. Whether we’re debating the merits of ethanol blends, solving the mystery of the bunk odometer, or simply gaining enough knowledge to speak to a mechanic, the FixYa car community is a great resource. If you think you’ve got what it takes to be a car expert, start helping your fellow motorists here.

Photo courtesy of Maciej Lewandowski.

It comes as no surprise to see Apple’s iPhone App store garner an amazing amount of attention. Media outlets have been broadcasting footage from 3G iPhone lines across the nation. Nevertheless, it seems nobody expected the online store to earn as much revenue as it has in the first month. According to the Washington Post, the online App Store is collecting an average of $1 million dollars per day, despite the fact that the majority of the third party applications are available for free download. More than 60 million applications have been downloaded in a period of 30 days and FixYa is buzzing with solutions to your most difficult iPhone issues.

From providing basic store sign-in support, to touch screen tips, to solving reception issues - our experts have worked tirelessly in improving our iPhone App-titude.

Rumor has it that getting a refund from the App store is extremely difficult, so if you’ve just purchased a phone and are looking for info about the App Store or phone, consider asking your fellow FixYans first.

If you’ve bought an iPhone 3G and would like to store your warranty online, you can register here.

PROMOTE YOUR EXPERTISE
So you’re an iPhone expert. If you’re really that great, why not meta-hype yourself? Consider adding a link to your answers in your social network status for your Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, Linkedin, Gmail or blog account. You can also add the same link to your email signature. If you’ve got questions on how to do this, email me at dana@fixya.com and don’t forget to check back for updates. The FixYa developers will be rolling out some promotional tools in the near future. Thanks for reading!

Dana Oshiro is FixYa’s newest marketing team member. Born in British Columbia, Canada, Oshiro comes from a long line of tinkerers, classic car aficionados and opinionated hobbyists. She’s really happy aboot her new position.

FixYa is introducing FixYa SMB solution, a unique opportunity for retailers to instantly create their own tech- support community for free and best of all – without any integration on their end.

FixYa SMB solution allows our huge knowledge base to increase retailers’ user satisfaction and dramatically decrease the cost of post-sale support. FixYa SMB solution also reveals underutilized revenue opportunities from increased page views to up-selling premium support.

To get your Branded Tech-Support Community please visit us at http://www.fixya.com/partners or to get more info on FixYa SMB solution, please feel to contact me at mansha@fixya.com.

Thanks!

Mansha