Bill Detwiler: 2010 was another amazing year for TR Dojo. We won Gold at the Azbee awards for the second year in a row and we aired our 100th episode.
Now, within all those tweaks, tips, and best practices there were a few episodes that really stood out.
I'm Bill Detwiler, and on this episode of TR Dojo, we're going to count down the five most popular episodes of 2010.
Every IT pro makes a mistake from time to time, and we begin our list with an episode that was designed to help you avoid several rookie mistakes that can has you big problems.
In "Five dumb mistakes IT pros make in the field," I explain why you should never forget to document, rush blindly into an upgrade, edit configuration files without a backup, fail to get a client's explicit permission for a fix, or ever experiment on a client's machine.
And if you're wondering which mistake TR Dojo viewers see most often, 33 percent said rookie IT pros often just forget to document what they're doing.
Coming in at number four, is "Detect and remove malware with these tools." During this episode, I explain how process detectors, malware scanners, and malware removal software can help you combat malicious code.
And with over 100 posts in the episode's discussion thread, TechRepublic members were quick to add their favorite malware-fighting tips.
Now just like their favorite security techniques, IT pros are often passionate about the system-maintenance tools they use. And when we asked TR members to tell us which Windows defrag utility they liked best, the response was incredible.
We highlighted the most-recommended tools -- UltraDefrag, MyDefrag, Smart Defrag, and the Defraggler in "Four free defragmentation tools for power users" -- the third most popular TR Dojo episode of 2010.
Even before the Lower Merion County School District was accused of spying on students with laptop webcams, we were discussing the effectiveness of such photos in actually finding a stolen laptop.
In the second most-watched TR Dojo episode of the past year, "Locate a stolen laptop with Prey," we showed you exactly what one such location service can and can't do.
And while this was one of our longest episodes of 2010 (over 10 minutes) it was a hit with viewers -- as shown by the episode's 120+ thumb up ratings.
Well, we've reached the end of our Top Five list of TR Dojo episodes of 2010, and sitting at the top is our list is one of the episodes I'm most proud of and the episode for which we won our 2010 Gold Azbee award -- "Delete Flash cookies to protect online privacy."
Security is always a hot topic with TR members, but this piece really hit a nerve. Many viewers were unaware that Adobe Flash Player could be used to track their online activity. So, in this episode I explained what Flash cookies are, how they work, and how you can control them.
Not surprisingly, when I asked TR Dojo viewers if Adobe and browser developers should make it easier for users to delete and manage Flash cookies? 98 percent said yes.
Well, that does it for our countdown of the most popular TR Dojo episodes of 2010. If you didn't get a chance to watch these episodes when they originally aired, I hope you'll take a few moments to check them out now. You can find links to each episode and a complete list of the Top 10 TR Dojo videos for 2010 in the blog notes.
Finally, I'd like to take this opportunity to personally thank everyone who worked so hard this year to make TR Dojo a success.
Sonja Thompson - who edits TR Dojo and always makes me look better than I really do.
Selena Frye - who writes many of our scripts and always gives me something to say.
Mark Kaelin - who double checks our technical tips.
Chris McElhone - our camera man, sound engineer, and all-around studio ninja.
TechRepublic's extremely talented authors and bloggers, who write many of the tips we feature on TR Dojo.
And finally, to all the TechRepublic members who've watched and supported TR Dojo this past year.
Thank you all very much.
I'm Bill Detwiler. As always, thanks for visiting the TR Dojo. I'll see you again in 2010.
