Keep your hands off my laptop. Please! [ASK MR. NOOBIE™]
QUESTION:I run my business from my home. I use a laptop for my business. My family always wants to use it because it is the fastest laptop in the house and our other computer is very slow. I don't like to let them use it. They think I'm just being selfish but I have been told that you shouldn't let others use your business computer. They think that's just an excuse—even my husband. Can you give me clear cut reasons why they should not use it for their own personal use? I would appreciate it! Thanks! - Pam from Greenwood, Indiana
ANSWER: The good news, Pam, is that you are going to like my answer. The bad news is that your husband and kids probably won't like me any more.
I whole-heartedly agree with your position on not letting anyone else use your business computer. In fact, you should see how bent out of shape I get in my house when I come back to my computer and discover someone was using it in my absence.
I can give you several reasons why you should defend your position. How many do you want?
- Your kids unknowingly click on a link and download a virus to your computer wiping it out or at a minimum, taking it out of service for a few days.
- Your husband reboots the computer and doesn't realize he should have saved that PowerPoint presentation you spent 4 hours working on the night before.
- Your kids install a new browser plugin to play their favorite game and suddenly your computer starts acting "funny."
- Your husband watches an NSFW video on your computer and it embarassingly shows up in your browser history during your next important client meeting.
- Your kids get mad at you and change your password, locking you out of your own computer, most likely at the worst time imaginable.
I could go on.
The point is, you need to protect your business computer. The computer should be as important to you as your business is.
Which is why the only true solution is to get your kids and husband a better computer. Or do what I like to do and hand down your computer to them so you can get a new one (ahem, business expense?)
Once everyone else in your family stops complaining how slow their own computer is, they'll start leaving yours alone.
Do you have a question for Mr. Noobie™? Submit your question here.
6 comments for this blog post so far...
December 01, 2011 at 12:34 pm
Michelle Hartz
If I remember correctly, also you can only fully deduct a computer on your taxes as a business expense if it is used exclusively for business. Any personal use, and you can only deduct a portion of the costs. Of course, consult a tax professional for an official take on this.
December 05, 2011 at 5:03 pm
Andrea the Realtor
Mr. Noobie...can I get you to come to my house and give a seminar to my family! Seriously!! This is my biggest pet peeve...like you, my computer is optimized because it is the sole source of my business...so HANDS OFF people! Now I don’t feel so bad being the bad guy =) Thanks!
Andrea Vadas, Realtor
Search the Indianapolis MLS FREE!
December 06, 2011 at 2:20 pm
Patric Welch
Andrea, maybe I should create a self-help DVD :)
December 06, 2011 at 2:26 pm
Andrea the Realtor
HA! Considering some of the recent self help books and dvd’s I’ve seen..at least this one would be worthwhile! GO FOR IT!!! =)
Andrea Vadas, Realtor
Search the Indianapolis MLS for FREE!
December 08, 2011 at 9:25 am
asudduth
All makes sense to me. if you ever worked in an office, did your family ever stop by just to use your computer at that location? probably not! your office is your office regardless if its on the 10th floor of an office suite downtown, or if its your kitchen table.
you should make sure your user account on your computer has a password (that only you know) and whenever you get up you should press Windows key + L to instantly lock the computer and require you to enter a password upon your return (this does NOT log you off, so when you come back everything will be exactly how you left it. (Note: if you use a Macintosh computer, the only equivalent to this is to set the screen saver to require a password when resuming and then setup a “hot corner” so when you drag your mouse to the top right corner of the screen it invokes the screen saver—if you need more info on how to do this let me know)
being security minded, I vary rarely walk away from my computer—at home or in the office without locking my computer… even if only the Cat is at home :)
December 08, 2011 at 9:35 am
Patric Welch
@asudduth (I do actually know your name but didn’t know if you want me to use it here since you always leave your comments as asudduth). Anyway…
Great advice. I used to work in an office full of pranksters so if you didn’t Windows-L your computer, you came back minutes later to find your volume turned all the way up, your fonts super-sized and your color scheme changed to “hot dog stand”.
Those were the days....
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