Setting Expectations

1. We are going to cover a a lot over these individual modules.
   • I’m going to share some things that you’ve heard before and some you’ve never heard.
   • If you don’t understand a concept you can make a note at the bottom of the page in the comments area and I can see if it would make sense to add it to the course.
   • If you hear a word or an idea that you don’t know you can Google for more information. 
2. This course is designed to inform you on how you can create a more secure and private life. 
3. Don’t feel overwhelmed and that you need to do everything in this course right away.
   • Listen to the ideas and modify them to fit your life.
   • Listen to this course again and again and take action on small bits of it each time.
   • Don’t do things just to do them. 
   • Make a plan and write it down. 
   • Evaluate what you think needs to be addressed first and do it.
   • Make sure your plan makes sense to you.
4. This course will try to balance convenience, privacy and security. You can decide which side you’d like to gravitate toward.
5. This course will NOT give you a product reviews, but will inform you on why you might want to use that type of product.
   • Example
     • I won’t tell you that you need LastPass or 1Password. I will highly recommend you use a Password manager. 
     • Which password manager is up to you. 
6. I will give you examples of hardware and software that I use. You can choose to use different hardware and software choices.
   • If you are currently using something that you feel comfortable with, don’t change it, continue to use it.  Unless you feel that it’s not the best for you.
7. Take ownership of the choices you make.
   • • The ideas in this course are from my 30+ years in the tech industry
     • These ideas are from research done directly around this course 
8. The idea is to create a secure and private environment with the tools you feel comfortable with, not duplicate exactly what I am using.
   • I like Mac and Linux, but you prefer and feel comfortable with Windows
   • I use Sophos for anti-virus, but you might like Malware Bytes better
   • I use my own VPN, but you might like Proton VPN better
   • I think linux is moderately easy to use, you might find it very uncomfortable to use.
   • I use a pi-hole on my home network, you might even have heard of a pi-hole.
9. The example is that it’s important to secure your coins using a hardware wallet. Not securing it with Ledger over Trezor. It’s the idea to always use a hardware wallet when you can.
   • I use Ledger because it gives me the greatest number of coins that I can store. 
   • I use Ledger because I feel most comfortable with the company being in France. 
   • We all have particular reasons why we use what we use. 
   • My intention is not to debate one over the other. 
   • My intension is to inform you and let you make the best decision for yourself
10. If you search the internet to find directions on how to do turn a feature on or off or how to disable XYZ and it doesn’t work… It might not be you.
    • In my research I’ve found that about 25% of the searches that are supposed to help me resolve an issue never worked and as I dug into it even more, they could never have worked. 
    • Authors will update the date to make it appear that it’s a recent article when it could be years old. 
    • If directions don’t work for you, maybe it’s not you but the instructions.
    • Sometimes these are in the first search results.