Interview with Blair – Founder of Geeks to Go
Geeks to Go admin
Have you ever wondered who is behind this site? What our Head Geek (as we like to call him) likes to do in his spare time? What drives him? Today is the day to find out! Because we did an interview with the man behind this amazing site full of great and free advice!
This is the first part of a two part interview. In this first part I will ask him some questions regarding age, employment, what he likes to do in his ‘free time’, and his ‘most memorable moment’ from the site. Be sure to watch for part two… Coming soon.
I’m 44 years old, married and have 2 children. I’m not employed in the IT industry. I’m fortunate to have a job that allows me to work from home. Geeks to Go is my hobby, a hobby I really enjoy. I think it’s unique, because depending on the mood that I’m in, it can be either relaxing or challenging.My wife is a stay-at-home mom. Our children are ages 5 and 2, so they keep us busy. They’re also a great blessing. We struggled with infertility for years, even trying in vitro-fertilization four times without success. Early in the process, my wife was smart enough to get us into a local adoption program. So, shortly after ending fertility treatments, we were chosen to adopt a newborn girl. Unfortunately, the adoption fell through (long story) – it was a Saturday night. The next day, Sunday, my wife discovered she was pregnant! A little over two years later my wife told me she was pregnant again! After 8 years of exhausting every option from medical help to adoption, we had 2 children in 3 years, simply on our own — simply amazing.
“Free time” – what is that? I enjoy simple things: working on projects around the house, taking the kids for a walk to the park, or a drive in the country. I really don’t watch much TV. I wish I had more time to read, my mom is a librarian. I believe in setting goals. My current goal is to lose some weight and get back into shape. My waistline has suffered from spending too much time behind a keyboard.
My dad is retired now, but he was an auto mechanic (and shop owner) by trade. Growing up I liked to tinker on cars. As a teenager, it wouldn’t have been unusual for my best friend and I to replace an engine or transmission in his garage on a weekend. Just for the fun of it. As I grew older, my tinkering turned to computers. Just as with cars, I enjoyed building my own, and tweaking them for performance. So, now I’m more likely to be tinkering with a webpage, or tweaking a server, for better performance.
Being a site admin takes a lot of time and dedication. What do you get out of it, why do you do it and how do you manage it?
I’ve always enjoyed helping others, and I also enjoy being challenged. Being a site admin presents lots of opportunities for learning new skills. The heart-felt appreciation of those helped, and friendships developed are very rewarding. As odd as it seems to most people from my generation, some of my best friends are online, and many of them I’ve never met.
It can sometimes be a challenge to manage work, family, and a time consuming hobby but I’ve never considered it a burden.
What is your most memorable event that you’ve had with Geeks to Go?
We’ve had so many events happen in the past seven years. Unfortunately, we’ve lost some great people who have passed both expectantly, and unexpectedly. We’ve also celebrated births, and even the wedding of a couple that met on the site, however; the most memorable event I think has to be that point in the first year when people started to volunteer. We had a few people on the East coast, a couple in the Midwest, someone in Hawaii, and couple in the UK. It was a tight-knit group, and it was common for one person to pick up a topic right where the other left off. Between us, we provided pretty much seamless, around the clock, coverage. A very unique experience that I doubt could be duplicated.
What is the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow?
Half that of an unladen spit? LOL, I have no idea. Can I use a lifeline?
Editor note: Link to Part 2.
