Let's face it: Managing the technology that powers your small business can be overwhelming. From building a website to crafting social media content to removing spyware, there's a lot you need to know.
But before you throw your office gadgets out a window in a fit of frustration, there's at least one outlet you can turn to for practical, how-to tech advice: YouTube.
If you don't have an IT guy at your company, subscribing to these 10 channels -- among the best we found -- should cover a number of your burning tech needs.
Name: iYogi
Expert on: Microsoft Windows
Number of subscribers: 524
Despite its popularity, Microsoft Windows can tie even the most savvy IT professional in knots. Enter iYogi, a New York-based computer repair company that provides remote phone tech support and promotes itself online with Windows troubleshooting videos.
Don't let the marketing scare you away. The iYogi experts in the YouTube videos provide free tips on such topics as web browser tweaks and print driver installation.
Want to keep tabs on your company's Windows 7 computers without raising employee suspicions? Here, iYogi recommends enabling a hidden administrator account.
Name: Expert Village
Expert on: Mac OS
Number of subscribers: 1,126,146
While Apple strives to make its products and operating systems as intuitive and easy to operate as possible, even seasoned users can run into problems.
For help, try this Expert Village playlist, a series of videos in which a former Apple Genius covers pesky issues that pop up in the Mac OS X operating system, such as changing screen resolution and using sticky notes. Even though the videos were produced in 2008, the solutions are still relevant.
For instance, deleting applications on a Mac might not be as straightforward as you think. Here, Expert Village suggests that you delete stray files that programs leave behind and keep your hard drive tidy.
Name: Eli the Computer Guy
Expert on: Computer hardware repair
Number of subscribers: 9,511
After watching these videos, you might think that if you asked Eli what time it is, he'd explain how a clock works.
A Baltimore-based IT professional, Eli is extremely thorough in exploring an array of topics 14from cloud services to security. On this computer repair playlist, each video generally runs about an hour.
If online viruses and other net-based unpleasantness have slowed down your Windows PC, Eli suggests here to hunt the culprits down with the free application Spybot Search & Destroy.
Name: Motion Training
Expert on: Microsoft Excel
Number of subscribers: 9,524
Mastering Excel spreadsheets can be daunting. But help is available from Motion Training's video lessons, which are short enough to watch in one sitting. The entire series has been viewed by millions of computer users who rave about Motion Training's mastery of Excel.
Though the videos date back to 2008 and were made using Excel 2000, the tips are timeless and compatible with current versions of the program.
Here, Motion Training recommends Excel's charting functions to turn a number-based presentation into an attention grabber.
Name: Lifehacker
Expert on: GTD (also known as "getting things done")
Number of subscribers: 45,222
This channel is like a Swiss Army knife of how-to content.
Produced by Lifehacker, a popular blog about unconventional ways to clear the to-do list, the videos dole out tips on how to deal with IT issues, such as cracking WiFi hotspot passwords and upgrading RAM on a Macbook Pro, along with more general advice about how to save time and be more productive.
Here, Lifehacker recommends trying Prey, a free program, to help recover a lost or stolen laptop.
Name: MobileProfessor
Expert on: Apple iOS
Number of subscribers: 428
Don't let the Dr. Katz-esque icon or hip-hop background music put you off. This channel, produced by Matt Guanti, a Baltimore-based maker of mobile device tutorials, offers useful tips on managing your cell phone or tablet, whether you're carrying an Apple or Android device.
Ranging from the basics of using an iPhone 4 to manually entering an email account into iOS, the channel covers topics of both personal and business interest.
In this four-part tutorial, MobileProfessor explains how you can pair your iPad with Bluetooth technology and make it another tool in your gadget arsenal.
Name: UseMyDroid
Expert on: Android OS
Number of subscribers: 1,171
With so many different Android phones, interface overlays and versions of the operating system, it might be easier to recite all the ways to skin a cat than to describe all the methods for using a Google phone.
This channel, produced by the website UseMyDroid.com, covers Android OS basics. Although it's using an older version of Android, the tips are still helpful for new smartphone users.
In this video, UseMyDroid examines eight ways you can optimize the battery life of your Android device, such as downloading the free Advanced Task Killer app to quit programs that are running in the background.
Name: thenewboston
Expert on: All things computers
Number of subscribers: 215,686
Raleigh, N.C.-based Bucky Roberts turned a hobby of posting YouTube tutorials into a profession, explaining everything from physics to programming languages.
Sort the videos from oldest to newest to find content that's relevant to your business. Not all of his clips focus on business issues, but his "How to Build a Computer" series and Photoshop tutorials are worthwhile. Illustrated with crude sketches and dotted with comments like "that's what she said," the tutorials have a happy hour, back-of-napkin feel. That makes the lessons memorable and the knowledge stick.
Here, Roberts suggests that the best way to keep your business computer network operating at optimal efficiency is by learning how it actually works -- everything from nodes to servers.
Name: eHow Tech
Expert on: Building a website/online presence
Number of subscribers: 20,081
Finding advice online can be easy. Finding useful advice can be a challenge. That's why many people turn to the popular tips website eHow. Its YouTube videos provide the same kind of practical information.
For example, a collection of videos with professional website designer Kelly Karnetsky breaks down Internet publishing in a way that beginners can easily follow to build an online presence.
In this clip, eHow explains how to generate revenue from your website through online advertising, donations, corporate sponsorships and other sources.
Name: Constant Contact
Expert on: Social media and email marketing
Number of subscribers: 1,366
Having worked with more than 500,000 small businesses, online services provider Constant Contact knows a thing or two about reaching customers via the Internet.
Its YouTube channel contains case studies and how-to videos, showing how social media and email marketing can attract new business.
Here, Constant Contact demonstrates how communicating with customers via social media online is important, but warns that overdoing it could end up hurting your business.
