Author: Kim Komando
Media: CD
Publisher: WestStar Merchandising, Inc.
Copyright: 2003
Cost: US$19.95
Preface for readers who don't know who Kim Komando is:
Kim Komando is an intelligent woman who knows a lot about PCs and Windows. She has taken this knowledge and turned it into a very successful radio program, and she has a very nice voice for it as well. According to the material, her show gets more than 50,000 attempted calls per hour that her show runs. Unfortunately, we do not get her show here in Sierra Vista. (Hint hint - KTAN 1420AM, you reading this?) I have been entertained by her show on KNST 790AM while driving back from Tucson Saturday afternoons (when her show isn't rudely pre-empted by sports.) While I'm sure she has help, I've only heard her confounded a few times by the questions callers asks. Most of the time, she right comes back with a solution or an answer to the caller's problem, giving clear, honest, accurate, and sound advice. Unlike other radio talk shows, she doesn't try to hornswoggle the listener into anything, though for some reason, Ms. Komando really likes Windows XP. Still, she frequently gives good generic advice that anyone can use: Mac user, Un*x operator, or Windows customer. I recommend going to her Web site, http://www.komando.com, and see what she has to offer you. If Kim Komando has any problems, she looks like she was a cheerleader in High School - the kind who looked down upon those lesser mortals who knew about technology, and she still looks good. Unfortunately, she is married and has a boy child. <sigh> But she knows her stuff.
On to the book:
A few days ago, a representative from Ms. Komando's show e-mailed and asked if I would like to read Kim Komado's book, The 50 Biggest Computer Mistakes (and how YOU can avoid them!), and do a review of it. Of course, I said I would be pleased to do so. Well, last night I got a package in the mail, and when I opened it, lo and behold, there wasn't a book in sight. There was, however, a CD. And on that CD was Kim Komando's book - just not in traditional form.
After reading the promo material that came with the CD, I popped it into my Mac, booted up Virtual PC so I was running Windows 98, and started reading the book. Actually, there was a bit of installation work to be done before I could get to Kim Komando's pearls of wisdom. I hadn't installed Adobe Acrobat Reader - whoops - it is included on the disk and installed itself almost automatically. Once done, I re-booted Virtual PC, and was then faced with the installation screen for the book. I whipped through that, made sure my network settings were right in the Windows Control Panel, then started in on the book.
Unlike a paper volume, this one actually made sense - especially considering the title. The initial interface looks just like a standard introductory Web page with links that show themselves when the cursor rolls over them. Of course, her actual Web site links are on the left side of the screen - but still you find the actual book material quickly. Now comes a very hard choice: do you want to read and print out the one or two page tips, or do you want to listen to Kim Komando's dulcet tones as she provides the advice? I was focused on her message, and not her voice, pleasing though it is, so I read her tips. You can browse the topics, you can search for keywords, or you can read the volume sequentially - the information contained on this CD is easy to locate.
In the Table of Contents, you get four major areas of concern: Getting Started; Keeping It Running Smoothly; The Internet, E-Mail and Online Security; and Tricky Troubles. In these four major areas you will find answers to some very basic questions that you may have: Why do homework before buying a computer? Why close Windows properly? Does clutter on my system waste system resources? What should I do about spam? What is e-mail etiquette? Why should I run a disk deframenter? How can Windows Explorer help me? And many more as well. Actually, she gives you a lot more than just answers to the 50 biggest computer mistakes everyone makes (and I do mean everyone.)
While Kim Komando's tips are generally pointed towards Windows customers, and especially those who run Windows XP, many of these are actually operating system neutral. The tips apply to anyone with a computer, though they are slanted more towards people who are new to computers or uncertain about various aspects of technology. Additionally, scattered through her pages are Bonus Tips, little extras that help clarify a specific point.
Her writing style (and I'm sure her editor helped with this as well!) are clear, concise, and she threw in a pinch of humor to keep you interested and to avoid sounding like the rest of the computer geeks out there. While I may disagree with her on some specific points, such as using PayPal (they've gone moralistic on us recently - they decide if they will transfer the funds so you can get what you thought you bought); overall, her answers will help many new, and some not-so-new people with their computer problems. And if you can't find the answer you want, go back to the home page, the initial interface.
She also included little extras back up at the top - remember the initial interface and her Web site links? Unfortunately, you've got to have an Internet connection to take advantage of these. If you do have that connection, then explore her site. Much like her TV competitors (e.g. TechTV's The Screen Savers), she offers a great deal of advice and a lot of links. One thing I like, especially for younger users, is Kim Komando's 10 Commandments for Kids Onlne; I believe younger children should know the world isn't safe (but only intellectually; they shouldn't have direct experience), and parents are there to help reduce the risk - and this is one way to stay safer until the child is old enough to understand the risks. Perhaps some of our more inexperienced members should read these guidelines as well. Still, there are many other hints, tricks, tips, guidelines, and so on buried not-too-deeply on her site.
Paragraph 4. Conclusions
Kim Komando has written a "book" for beginners that will actually help them. Filled with clear, non-technical advice to help people avoid making the simplest mistakes, I really wish I had seen this book back in 1981 when I bought my first computer. I wouldn't have made so many dumb mistakes. Of course, now that I have all the experience those mistakes gave me - I recommend this to those people who are tentative around computers or other new technology (and you know who you are). Reading the words on this CD will help many computer beginners avoid the pain of gaining experience the way the rest of us did; they'll get to make new mistakes at a higher level than ours.
Is it worth buying and reading this CD? Only you can decide, but it does get a thumbs up from me if the glove fits you. Better than many other books of the genre, you can actually read Kim Komando's The 50 Biggest Computer Mistakes (And How YOU Can Avoid Them!) without help.
My thanks to Lorena Ortega of The Kim Komando Show for sending me this copy of the book to review. It was enjoyable to see others have the same discussions with newcomers as I.
If you have any questions about this product or any other I have seen, please feel free to contact me.
Date Revised: 10 September 2005
