FAQ
What’s happening at J2 Consulting?
We are pleased to announce the birth of jjmarcus. Everything about J2 Consulting is transforming into jjmarcus, and rest assured we are still here for you—for your gadgets and computers, in your business and your home.
The philosophy behind jjmarcus is Play | Work | Sync. We will show you how to enjoy using your tech, to balance the work you have to do with the things you love to do. We aim to give you confidence in your tech, at whatever level you desire. Get ready to be a Power User!
What’s a Power User?
Someone who can play a Mac like a musical instrument. A Power User is more productive, creates without hindrance, and has skills to show off. You’ll even be able to show the geeks at the Apple Store a thing or two.
J2, jjmarcus… What’s the diff?
The major differences that our existing clients will notice are that:
- Glenn is going to do most of our initial installation and setup work; Jonathan will focus on training.
- You can purchase our service in advance. Check out our new online store on Facebook! We’ve got some really sweet bonus setup+training bundles.
- Unscheduled support—like texts, email, and phone consultation—will be available exclusively to clients who purchase bundles in advance.
- The best way to request service, when you have a question or problem, is to email our new Help Desk at help@jjmarcus.com. This will start a ticket that our whole team can see and respond to.
We have phased out calling or texting Jonathan’s cell phone for troubleshooting. If you have any general questions, however, please do call Jonathan, or email his new address, jj@jjmarcus.com.
Where can I find out more?
First, please read this FAQ.
Soon our new web site at jjmarcus.com will be your destination for our take on the latest developments in Apple, discussion of this new “cloud” stuff, and recommendations for every kind of user.
We’ve fired up our “Play | Work | Sync” Facebook page with quick tips and tricks. Please stop by and give us a “Like,” and spread the word!
To keep everyone moving toward Power User-hood, we will hold weekly Lunch Labs at different restaurants and cafes. Stay tuned to our Play | Work | Sync page for the schedule.
Sign up for our newsletter here, to stay up-to-date on the tech news that matters to you, and to find out about our monthly specials!
What do we believe?
We believe that:
- Anyone who can read can learn to work a computer.
- Anyone who has faith in themselves, and patience in learning, can become a Power User.
- Everyone on the planet should have access to a laptop or a tablet computer, and an internet connection. (And clean water. That’s important, too.)
- Working online, “in the cloud,” is the way of the future.
Some tougher truths:
- There are two kinds of people: Those who back up all of their data every day, and those who will eventually lose their data. (See Backups below.)
- Any tech can fail. To stay happy with your tech, keep a spare. If printing is important to you, for example, keep a spare printer. If internet is important to you, keep a spare internet connection, such as the one on your phone or iPad. And if you can’t live without your computer, own two computers.
- If you don’t maintain a good, strong password on your online accounts, you will be hacked.
How do we work?
To give you expertise in your technology, we work with you in two phases, Phase I: Setup and Phase II: Training.
In Phase I, we help you choose the right equipment for your home or office, and we come on-site to put it all together and make sure it is configured to work best for you.
In Phase II, we teach you how to use it.
Please visit our online store to purchase Setup and Training sessions.
Our chief consultant, Jonathan Marcus, focuses almost exclusively on Training sessions. We can conduct Training in person or by phone, screen sharing, or live chat.
To receive unscheduled support, such as a troubleshooting phone call, clients must have pre-paid for at least two hours of on-site Setup or Training.
HOW DO WE CHARGE?
Most of our service is paid for in advance. Please visit our online store to get started.
For our Setup visits, we can estimate the amount of time required, and you can purchase that amount at the store. If more time is necessary, we’ll invoice after the fact.
Training sessions are available in packs of 3 or more 90-minute sessions. Please contact Jonathan to discuss which course of Training is right for you.
Payment must be received at least 48 hours prior to an appointment. And cancellations must be made at least 24 hours prior.
Do we work with Windows computers?
We love to make people happy with their computers, and we find that this is easy to accomplish with Macs. And, in our experience, kinda difficult with Windows. But if we need to fit the occasional PC into a Mac network, or help you run Windows in a virtual machine with Parallels Desktop or VMWare Fusion, we can do that.
Do we handle emergencies?
We help you be proactive about preventing emergencies. We can set up your systems so that, if any piece fails, you have a ready alternative.
Clients may also call us to get out of jams during normal business hours. We don’t guarantee response time, but we will help as soon as we can.
If you are experiencing such a technological emergency, we ask that you visit our page on what to do in a tech emergency.
Should I backup my computer?
All jjmarcus clients must keep active, daily backups of all of their data. We like to use the 3-2-1 Rule of Backups:
Thou shalt keep:
3 copies of any data,
on 2 different media on-site,
and 1 copy offsite.
The 3-2-1 rule applies to any piece of digital data, however minor, small, or seemingly unimportant. We have established easy, elegant, and cost-effective methods to achieve 3-2-1, and we will work with you to find the solutions that best fit your business.
We can not provide service to any individual or organization that doesn’t maintain data backups.
Serving Mac users in
South Texas and beyond
since 2003
Schedule Support
You can use this widget to book an appointment with Jonathan.