Steel City PC by Master Joe - Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did you create Steel City PC?

Where does the information provided on Steel City PC come from?

If maintaining a computer is so simple, why do so many viruses and harmful applications circulate in such a large fashion?

The Internet is such a valuable and useful resource. Why do you think that some people cause problems by using programs such as viruses and worms?

What would you consider to be the target audience for Steel City PC?

What does the alias Master Joe mean really? Doesn't it seem a bit cocky to call yourself by that name?

Have you done other work besides the publications listed on the Publications page of Steel City PC?

Q: Why did you create Steel City PC?
A: Steel City PC was created because I feel that anyone who uses a computer should at least be aware of the basic knowledge needed to safely use a computer. Steel City PC is designed to assist users ranging from the beginner, to the average user, to the more advanced user. My hope is that Steel City PC will make users more aware of the dangers and threats that they are vulnerable to online, and I hope that it will motivate them to take action against these threats.

Q: Where does the information provided on Steel City PC come from?
Most of the information on Steel City PC comes from my own writings. However, even I had to learn from somewhere. There are a lot of books and tutorials available to anyone who may be interested, which provide a lot of useful information about all aspects of computers. Although the content of Steel City PC is my own personal creation, some of the information consists of material that I learned from various sources.

Q: If maintaining a computer is so simple, why do so many viruses and harmful applications circulate in such a large fashion?
A: The biggest problem is that people do not know how to protect themselves from the dangers of the Internet. Steel City PC would serve no purpose if everyone was educated in computer maintenance. However, until the day comes that all users are capable of taking care of their computers, viruses, trojans, worms, adware, and spyware will continue to plague the Internet. I don't expect to stop these threats by creating Steel City PC, I simply hope to provide useful information to anyone who is interested in making their PC safer and more secure.

Q: The Internet is such a valuable and useful resource. Why do you think that some people cause problems by using programs such as viruses and worms?
A: Unfortunately, not all people believe in using good things for good. There will always be bad people in the world, and those people will always try to cause harm to good people. However, in the case of the Internet, there are weapons, such as AntiVirus and AntiSpyware programs, that can be used to combat the people who spend their time creating harmful programs to circulate the Internet. That brings me back to the reason Steel City PC was created in the first place. It's not like these resources and pieces of information aren't available elsewhere. I am just attempting to put them all in a central location and explain it in words that anyone can understand.

Q: What would you consider to be the target audience for Steel City PC?
A: Anyone who wishes to learn more about computers would be a potential visitor to Steel City PC. I can't say that there won't be someone who knows every piece of information on this web site, but I also realize that not everyone does know all of the information provided either. My hope is that one day all people will know enough information to protect their computers against threats, but Steel City PC will be here until then to guide them in the right direction.

Q: What does the alias Master Joe mean really? Doesn't it seem a bit cocky to call yourself by that name?
A: A lot of people have considered me to be cocky by using the alias Master Joe, but that is only because they do not know the story behind how I became known by that name. It was not an alias that I gave to myself. When I was around the age of 16 or 17, I used to spend a lot of time in a single chat room on Yahoo! with a single group of friends. This was around the time that I began to learn a lot about computers. One of my friends began to call me by that name, and it just stuck from then on. Now, I use Master Joe for most of the things that I do related to computers.

Q: Have you done other work besides the publications listed on the Publications page of Steel City PC?
A: I have done a few more things. For example, I used to write a weekly newsletter, which was sent via e-mail to the students of Waynesburg College. After a semester of this, it was changed to a bi-weekly e-mail, with a seminar conducted by me in the weeks which the e-mails were not sent. I received a lot of positive feedback from doing these seminars, and I enjoyed doing it as well.