I was cooking a meal for a group that runs a company. With a world class chef in the kitchen, they were sure to find a plate the likes of which they'd never sampled before. Before I started, they came to me and said. We are anxious for this culinary masterpiece, however, we'd like for you to add a favorite ingredient from each one of us. Puzzled, I stopped and asked for an explanation. He told me that since they are not likely to ever have a world class chef cook for them, the food (they were all getting the same dish) had to include a favorite ingredient from each one of them.
Reluctantly I agreed, and waited for the list of ingredients. Brad likes liquor, so he'd like for the dish to include some Jamaican rum. Dan likes foie gras (goose liver pate) so I'll need to incorporate it into the mix. Steve is an Italian sandwich guy, so he'd like some cold cuts in the dish. Peter loves clam chowder, so he'd like some Cape Cod clams in the mix. So as I stand next to my pot in front of the stove, and scratch my head thinking of what concoction this mixture of ingredients will render. Surely nothing that I would put my name next to.
The truth is that I'm not a world class chef, but I do feel like one when I walk into a company to develop a web site. Everyone's egos needs to be stroked and their input need to be considered including fonts, colors, logos and designs, careful not to upset anyone. Like walking around an emotional mine field. Put in the wrong color, the favorite logo is not in the right position, or the favorite font is not used and you put the project in jeopardy. When the project is done, they'll go as far as to say. "I don't know why we have to pay you, we designed the whole site".
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
I'm not computer literate. I'm lazy.
I attended New Bedford High School from 1979 to 1983. I was very fortunate to have 3 computer classes, starting with my sophomore year in the Fall of 1980. I was also very fortunate to have a very nice teacher that allowed me to spend every spare second of school time at the computer geeking out, before "geek" was a trendy word. If I had a study period, I was in the computer room. If I had a substitute teacher, I was in the computer room. If I stayed after school for any reason, I was in the computer room. You get the picture.
Many will find it hard to believe that we didn't use mice, Microsoft Windows was still under development in DOS and the internet was a collection of ideas in a few brilliant minds. In order to operate a computer you needed "skills." You needed commands. Dashes, slashes, dots and cryptic acronyms were the norm. Reference books were paramount. Technical proficiency a must. Not a place for the uninitiated.
Fast forward 30 years. iPads (2010), the cloud (~2005), Google (1998), Facebook (2004) and Twitter (2006). None of these things existed when I was in school. High school or college. So the hundreds of hours I sat in computer classes (high school and college) do not apply here. So how would one learn to use such technology? You dig in. Start searching. Start pounding on keys, dragging and clicking, swiping and pinching. Using the concepts. Roll up your sleeves. Get dirty. The innovators will go on to give presentations, write manuals and reviews online. The early adopters will follow suite. The majority will jump into the fray, kicking and screaming, most of them saying: "But I'm not Facebook literate." These days all it takes to be "literate" is time. Most technical barriers have been eliminated. Time and perseverance are the only requirements.
Those that choose to ignore the developments will be left behind, slowly crippled by a lack of understanding. It's one thing to be proficient at all of the competencies. It's another to just understand. It's frustrating dealing with intelligent people who do not take the time to "understand" how "Twitter" works, for instance. They do not see why anyone else would have a use for it, simply because "they" have no use for it. Putting aside their arrogance would prove to be a great achievement. Then they could understand the reason others do things. So when I get an email that says: "Frankly, I don't understand how any of this works," that person is being 'lazy'. We all have the answers to our questions at our fingertips. The web is full of them. There's no excuse.
Fast forward 30 years. iPads (2010), the cloud (~2005), Google (1998), Facebook (2004) and Twitter (2006). None of these things existed when I was in school. High school or college. So the hundreds of hours I sat in computer classes (high school and college) do not apply here. So how would one learn to use such technology? You dig in. Start searching. Start pounding on keys, dragging and clicking, swiping and pinching. Using the concepts. Roll up your sleeves. Get dirty. The innovators will go on to give presentations, write manuals and reviews online. The early adopters will follow suite. The majority will jump into the fray, kicking and screaming, most of them saying: "But I'm not Facebook literate." These days all it takes to be "literate" is time. Most technical barriers have been eliminated. Time and perseverance are the only requirements.
Those that choose to ignore the developments will be left behind, slowly crippled by a lack of understanding. It's one thing to be proficient at all of the competencies. It's another to just understand. It's frustrating dealing with intelligent people who do not take the time to "understand" how "Twitter" works, for instance. They do not see why anyone else would have a use for it, simply because "they" have no use for it. Putting aside their arrogance would prove to be a great achievement. Then they could understand the reason others do things. So when I get an email that says: "Frankly, I don't understand how any of this works," that person is being 'lazy'. We all have the answers to our questions at our fingertips. The web is full of them. There's no excuse.
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