Fishing for a Solution?

One of FixYa’s tenured Experts with 3589 solutions to his credit, Benimur is highly respected among users and staff, as well as his fellow Experts. A candidate for FixYa sainthood, Benimur has been known for his unselfish acts, such as once requesting that a FixYa he received on a solution be revoked so that the customer would be able to view other Expert’s ideas. Perhaps his mild manner can be credited to his love of the sea and its beauty, as seen in the above picture from Nasugbu, in the Philippines.

Q: Tell us about yourself:
A: Basically, my main field is electronics, though I started as a technical instructor. I have had my share of repair shops and currently operate a computer rental, a computer repair, an electronics shop and a motorcycle/small engine shop. I no longer teach but still do thesis editing. Yes, a tech can likewise wear many hats.

Q: What are your areas of expertise and how did you come to be involved with them?
A: I have experience in pretty much anything as long as electricity is involved- brown and white lines, communication equipment, electronic devices, computers and anything with an engine. Because of economic necessity when I was studying, I had to additionally learn and then apply residential house wiring, home appliances repair, radio/tv repair, automotive mechanics and refrigerator/air conditioner repair to afford to continue my tertiary education.

Q: What are your hobbies?
A: Fishing, preferably rod & reel with the occasional handline. And of course motorcycle riding. There is something “elemental” when on a bike rather than in a car.

Q: What first brought you to FixYa? When?
A: I was doing a Google of something and click on FixYa. What attracted me was “Share your expertise, help others” and I got hooked. This was in February of 2007. By April, FixYa was a regular part of my daily online activities.

Q: What is the FixYa answer you are most proud of?
A: This problem. The user wrote a very nice email to the then Community Manager Noa, who was kind enough to forward it to me.

Q: What advice do you have for those asking questions?
A: Each and every problem is unique even on the same brand/model. Though there are instances of known and common issues, often a problem has its own symptoms and therefore would require its own diagnostic procedure and method of repair. The more information they can give, the better.

Q: What advice do you have for experts?
A: Ideally, expertise would equate to familiarity, familiarity with time spent, time spent would be experience. An expert is only as good as his experience(s) has taught him. The true measure then of an expert is the quality of assistance provided to address the user’s concern based on the expert’s experience, nothing else; everything else is incidental.

Q: What new features would you like to see FixYa roll out?
A: I would like there to be a searchable “Expert’s Database” where an expert can do a fast search of his own responses to previously posted solutions. This ability to search within the site is an existing Google feature on some websites. I would also like an itemized “My Earnings” simply explained, something like the PayPal’s “My Account” wherein the transactions are listed complete with description, day/date/time, amount, from where (credit), to where (debit), a running balance to date, amount paid out to expert and other information.