“You… you… Urghhhhh…!”

That was me yesterday.

I wasn’t addressing a human being, but a computer monitor.

“JUST WORK DAMN YOU!” I yelled.

I was trying to do a simple change in my email broadcasting system but for some reason it wasn’t reacting.

Not in the way I wanted it to, anyway.

Now, I’m a grown woman.

A mother of two children.

And I run my own successful company (much of it online!).

So I know very well that the computer can’t hear me.

But even after all these years running a business with all kinds of websites, email systems and software tools, I can still get very frustrated by technology.

Which is why I completely understand if you get the same frustrations.

Believe me, when it comes to tech nightmares, I’ve been there, done it, and got several T-shirts with “AAAARGH” written on them.

You see, when I started in online publishing around 1998 it was like the wild west…

There was this incredible new opportunity to tap into the internet’s amazing potential… to find information, publish advice and send emails…

New frontiers were being tested that had never been explored.

Computer brainiacs were coming up with all kinds of gizmos, tools and devices.

But this tech was something really only those people could understand with any ease.

Setting up a website… using Flash to animate images… creating email databases… taking orders and processing them.

These were very complex (and extremely expensive) to set up.

For marketers like me, trained in a world of paper and ink, it was baffling, quite frankly.

We needed coders, IT guys, software developers, designers and a huge budget to put together anything half decent and workable.

The idea that someone like me could do the tech by myself was unthinkable.

That is changing now – in amazing ways.

We now have drag and drop systems… off the peg designs… templates where you can fill in the blanks… readymade systems… interlinked platforms that allow you to host complex online courses, set up webpages, take orders and respond to customers.

It is now possible to do wonderful things without coding skills, IT experience or tech training.

However, there is something that hasn’t changed…

Technology can STILL BE A RIGHT OLD PAIN.

There, I said it.

As I yelled at my computer yesterday it struck me that despite all the advances, we can all get stuck sometimes.

In the old days, I used to think it was ME at fault with my non-techy brain.

How could it possibly be this shiny new software that was at fault?

But I quickly learned this wasn’t always the case…

However slick and professional the software is, things don’t always work straight away, even with ‘user friendly’ systems.

Once I realised this, I felt far more confident about asking for help.

Because I knew it wasn’t me being stupid, slow or ignorant.

Hitches happen.

Over the years I’ve set up and run many new systems by myself, so I know the many frustrations that you might encounter.

I know that many of you are having to get much more directly involved in tech (without the help of your company tech department if you are used to working in an office ;-)).

So I thought I’d share some advice on things that I’ve found help…

1. NEVER WING IT! When you set up a new piece of technology on your computer, like a software programme or publishing platform, don’t ‘wing’ it. Watch the online tutorials or download the PDF so that you have the instructions and steps handy.

If there aren’t instructions (and in some cases there aren’t decent ones) see if there are useful tutorials on YouTube. Chances are someone else will have figured it out.

2. DON’T PANIC. Don’t worry if it seems a bit daunting or confusing at first. Just set it up according to the instructions. And once you have done that, then TEST IT. Never assume that it’s working!

3. BE LOGICAL! If it doesn’t work, don’t assume that you are being stupid. Don’t get angry with yourself or with the computer, software or platform. These things will happen. Just think about how to sort it out, logically and then…

4. GOOGLE IT! The first thing you should do if you have problems is Google the software name or tech tool with the phrase ‘known issue’. You will often find a page listing the current issues or common problems that people are experiencing, with advice on what to do next.

If you cannot then fix the problem, use their tech support but please do it strategically.

Don’t send a huge long-winded email that takes the support team a long time to work out what you mean (I was a prime offender at doing this in the past!).

It will frustrate them (as they will be busy) and will delay you getting the answer you need.

Instead spend a little time before contacting them – working out precisely which issues you need to address.

Then, to get the best response…

“Show, don’t tell.”

By that I mean take a screenshot of the problem, or a series of screenshots to show the support person what is happening.

That’s far better than trying to explain the problem in your own words!

You can use an app like Snagit to screenshot, annotate and embellish your screenshots.

Even better, you could make a short video to show the support team the issues you are dealing with on your screen.

The great thing is that you can talk through what is happening and it records your voice at the same time.

For that, I recommend apps like Loom or Vidyard.

Both are free and very easy to operate (no need for the paid-for versions).

Whatever you do, the key is not to get stuck.

Don’t let what seems like an impossible problem ruin your progress and drain your motivation.

There’s always a way to solve it.

Just try and bypass that instinct to get upset or angry, and work through the logical steps.

Of course, if you are a member of my Course Creation Academy, and you are stuck on anything, then please do drop me a line as we are always happy to help.

So stop blaming yourself if things don’t work the first time… there is always a fix and now you have the tools to get the help you need.

And even importantly it’s vital to remember how lucky we are with the incredible online tools we have access to nowadays.

It really has made running a successful online business accessible to almost everyone with access to the internet.