I’ve long been looking for a list like this, and leave it to the New York Times to publish it on Christmas Eve: There’s Lots of Tech Help, Yes, on the Internet. To get online solutions to your PC or Mac problems — often through the generosity of users sharing their wisdom through forums — head to these sites:
For help with PC problems
FixYa.com: Search for solutions by keyword, rate users on their helpfulness, and post new problems for the community to tackle.
TechIMO.com: a large number of active users. The site’s tech general discussion board is geared toward the tech-savvy.
PC World has a few thousand discussion threads covering PCs, Macs and Linux.
CNet offers a Computer Help Forum.
For help with Mac problems
Given that I went to an all-Mac home office in 2008, I’ll be making use of these sites:
Apple’s own support site has effective forums.
CNet’s MacFixIt.com often provides the answers to problems raised in Apple forum. MacFixIt also offers useful tutorials with easy-to-understand explanations on everything from sleep problems to reinstalling your system.
Everymac.com’s Q&A section is broken down by model, so if you have a problem with your MacBook Pro (which I’m writing on right now), you can go to that section.
For help with smartphones
Crackberry.com’s forums cover not just current BlackBerrys and older BlackBerrys as well as Apple’s iPhone 3G.
The iPhone Blog helps iPhone users with photo and video tutorials.
CNet’s video tutorials are well organized and cover a wide range of smartphones.
For general help
Answerbag.com has more than 750,000 members, many of whom are eager to pitch in and help.
Experts Exchange is one of a number of fee-based help sites.
I would also add a couple of other sites the Times left out:
And if you want to speak to a human being, go to gethuman.com for the most direct number to use to reach a living, breathing technician on the line.
JD Lasica, founder of Inside Social Media, is also a fiction author and the co-founder of the cruise discovery engine Cruiseable. See his About page, contact JD or follow him on Twitter.
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