MacOSG: introducing ‘Mac611 - Mac support in the palm of your hand’

Posted by Dave Merten Nov 2, 2007 at 4:00pm

By Dave Merten

With the advent of Apple’s new iPhone and iPod touch, I’ve recently developed a revolutionary new ‘mobile Mac support’ concept, and named it ‘Mac611.’ How does it work you ask? Well, say your Mac suddenly quits. You didn’t buy AppleCare with its free 3-year phone support, and it’s the only computer you have to access the Internet for help. So what do you do?

If you had a problem and needed help with your telephone/cellphone in the US, you would dial ‘611.’ Right? Well, if you have an Apple iPhone or iPod touch with Internet access, you can ‘call on Mac611’ for help by simply entering ‘mac611.com’ in your Safari Web browser. You’ll instantly have ‘mobile support’ access—in the palm of your hand—to all of Apple’s online support resources—including their Discussion Boards—along with MacOSG’s forums, to search for answers, or post your problem. MacOSG forum posts are usually answered in 24-hours or less by one of their ‘Mac knowledgeable’ members.

You will also have access to specific ‘site-related’ searches of other popular Mac ‘support’ resources, such as MacFixIt, iPhoneAtlas, iPhone Central, Mac OSX Hints, The X Lab and the ‘MacOSG Support Corner’ here at Macsimum News, just to name a few. There’s also access to nearly 200 iPhone-related Web sites, the latest iPnone news, iPhone Web apps from Apple, and a link to directly access all 95+ MacOSG podcasts, which include a lot of weekly Mac support tips via ‘Rick’s Tips & Tricks.’

So exactly how do you use Mac611? Simply follow the explanations below.

Search Apple Support: If you want to search Apple’s online support as a ‘whole,’ first tap on the drop down menu and select what ‘section’ of Apple’s support site you want to search. A window will popup with the options of, Technical Articles, Downloads, Manuals, Help or All Categories. Next, tap on the ‘Search Apple Support’ input box, and your keyboard will popup as the text in the box disappears. Simply type in your search keyword(s), tap the ‘GO’ button, and you’ll be beamed right over to the search results at Apple. Tip: Using more search keywords may narrow your search down even further.

Tap on the ‘RSS Feed’ button and you will access all the latest ‘Technical Articles’ released from Apple. This feed covers almost all Apple products.

Search Apple Discussions: Apple Discussions forums are a great support resource to search for answers to your problem. First, select how may days back you want to search from the drop down menu, then enter your keyword(s) and tap the ‘GO’ button. Once your 30 search results come up, it will also list all the forums containing matching results. There is another drop down menu at the top of the page called ‘Restrict by Category or Forum,’ where you can select a ‘specific’ forum to search. This can further filter your search results and help pinpoint an answer to your problem. Tip: When viewing search results, use the ‘horizontal’ viewing mode to increase font size for easier reading.

Tap on the ‘RSS Feed’ button and you will receive the latest posts in various Apple Discussions forums. This RSS feed is constantly changing. You can actually refresh the page every minute and get a whole new list of posts. It’s a great way to monitor—minute-by-minute in real time—problems people are experiencing with various Apple products.

Search MacOSG: If you want to search MacOSG as a ‘whole,’ including the database of ‘Random Headlines’ and ‘Old Articles’ posted daily on their front page, use this search box. Enter your keyword(s) and tap the ‘GO’ button.

Tap on the ‘RSS Feed’ button and it will bring up the latest daily Mac ‘support’ news posted on MacOSG’s front page.

Search MacOSG Forums: MacOSG forums have over 66,000 articles in their database to search from. To search the forums, first select what forum you want to search from the drop down menu, then enter your keyword(s) and tap the ‘GO’ button. If you want to filter your search even further, tap on the ‘Search’ tab at the top of the forums page.

Tap on the ‘RSS Feed’ button and it will bring up all the latest post in MacOSG’s forums.

MacOSG Member Login: Enter your MacOSG member name and password, and you will be conveniently logged directly into the forums.

More Mac Resources: This link will give you access to the specific ‘site-related’ searches I referred to above. You can also access individual RSS feeds of all the sites listed there.

iPhone-Related Sites: This link will give you access to almost 200 iPhone-related Web sites, along with all the latest iPhone news via Google’s RSS feed. You can also access Apple’s ‘Web app’ page from here, and check out all the latest apps available for your iPhone or iPod touch.

Apple Support Site Map: This link will give you access to support information on any ‘specific’ Apple product.

Discussions RSS Feeds: This link will give you access to a listing of all RSS feeds available in Apple Discussions. You can track any ‘specific’ forum’s RSS feed from here.

Added 11/18 iPhone/iPod touch Apps: This link will give you access to a listing of all the latest iPhone/iPod apps listed at Apple. There are eleven categories to choose from.

MacOSG Podcasts: This link will give you direct access to all 95+ MacOSG podcasts I referred to above.

MacOSG Support Corner: This link will give you access to all the ‘MacOSG Support Corner’ articles here at Macsimum News.

There is also a video tutorial here that MacOSG member Scot Forester—aka KCMac—produced. It’s also featured on MacOSG’s YouTube channel.

Hopefully, one or more of these Mac ‘support’ resources will help solve your problem(s)—especially if you ever need help when you’re ‘on-the-go.’

Oh, and one more thing. If you tap on the Mac611 logo at the top of the page, it will take you to MacOSG’s front page, where you can access all the latest iPhone news, along with up-to-the-minute updates from Macsimum News, MacFixIt and Your Mac Life via their RSS feeds. Navigation tip: If you tap on the Mac611 logo at the top of any other page, it will send you back to Mac611’s homepage.

NOTE: If at anytime you return to Mac611’s homepage and the ‘submit’ buttons are out of place, simply refresh the page. There seems to be a bug in Safari.

Mac611. It’s like the ‘Swiss Army knife’ of ‘mobile’ Mac support.

Mac Owners Support Group—aka MacOSG—was conceived by Dave Merten, the former ‘Focus on Mac Support’ guide at About.com. Since it’s humble beginning as ‘G5 Owners Support Group’ back in February 2004, MacOSG has become one of the world’s fastest-growing online Apple User Groups, dedicated to helping Mac users from all over the globe.

MacOSG Home
Support Forums
Become a Member
Mac611 Mobile Mac Support
Email us: admin AT macosg.com

Mac611 logo was designed and created by Cory Cooper.

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