A Bad Case of TMI
The speed of the Internet.
It's more than a little alarming. I realized the other day that I spend about a third to half my work hours keeping up.
Now, granted, I work with things online. So I have an obligation to be aware of what's going on. But it just seems a bit out of whack that it should take that much of a day spent just staying aware of what's going on, what the latest technology involves, what "memes" are current, where the "traffic" is headed and why... I spent about ten minutes delving into an article that simply told you why you were reading that article. I'm being a little facetious, of course, but the article was about an in-depth study that had been conducted to learn what social media posts will generate traffic and clicks - what time of day, what words, what subjects, whether there were large pictures or small, one or multiple images, even "infographics" or none. (May I remind you that just a few years ago "infographics" didn't even exist?)
And all of this was important, why? Because so many businesses and people these days are caught up in chasing an elusive "there" that refuses to stay put. We are paid to get people to follow a thread, or perhaps to go back to an older and more descriptive term, a bread crumb trail, that we leave out enticingly, hoping "they" will keep going - one more click, one more bite of bread crumb - until they get "there" and do "that." The "there" and "that" being whatever it is that will be considered compensable by the poor companies trying to generate more business.
A client and a friend are both trying to sell a tangible product. A thing, not an idea. In each case, the product would without a doubt sell itself if it could get placement in a store.
The problem these days is that stores, real "bricks and mortar" stores, are struggling. They don't want to take on products they aren't already sure of, and for the most part, a start-up manufacturing company, an actual producer of goods, usually can't afford the cost of getting into a store. (If you want prime eye level in the cereal aisle of a grocery store, for example, be prepared to pay a real premium!) The Internet was going to be The Solution for new businesses: we will sell direct to customers and life will be good!
But the competition for attention has become even more vigorous online than off, and many products simply don't have the time with you to explain who they are, what they offer, and why you should give it a try. And there are so many of them! Just do a Google search on "buy health foods online," for example.
In my case, I'm supposed to be clear about what technologies are rising, which are falling, where and how to find audience, readers, viewers, and how to influence them. Again, trying to figure that out when there is a new idea every hour of every day, not to mention "an app for that," and to know how to use it, where and when to use it, and with what audience, is just about impossible. And being wrong can have serious consequences for the clients above trying to sell their products. (Again, let me remind you that 10 years or so ago, if you understood what the specs were for a top-line computer, you were knowledgeable. Ha!)
This isn't a column with a solution. It's an observation, and perhaps a cry for mercy. There is so much information - this column included - that it's become almost impossible to sort out which of it is important.
Is there an app for a bad case of TMI? Let me see what I can find!
It's more than a little alarming. I realized the other day that I spend about a third to half my work hours keeping up.
Now, granted, I work with things online. So I have an obligation to be aware of what's going on. But it just seems a bit out of whack that it should take that much of a day spent just staying aware of what's going on, what the latest technology involves, what "memes" are current, where the "traffic" is headed and why... I spent about ten minutes delving into an article that simply told you why you were reading that article. I'm being a little facetious, of course, but the article was about an in-depth study that had been conducted to learn what social media posts will generate traffic and clicks - what time of day, what words, what subjects, whether there were large pictures or small, one or multiple images, even "infographics" or none. (May I remind you that just a few years ago "infographics" didn't even exist?)
And all of this was important, why? Because so many businesses and people these days are caught up in chasing an elusive "there" that refuses to stay put. We are paid to get people to follow a thread, or perhaps to go back to an older and more descriptive term, a bread crumb trail, that we leave out enticingly, hoping "they" will keep going - one more click, one more bite of bread crumb - until they get "there" and do "that." The "there" and "that" being whatever it is that will be considered compensable by the poor companies trying to generate more business.
A client and a friend are both trying to sell a tangible product. A thing, not an idea. In each case, the product would without a doubt sell itself if it could get placement in a store.
The problem these days is that stores, real "bricks and mortar" stores, are struggling. They don't want to take on products they aren't already sure of, and for the most part, a start-up manufacturing company, an actual producer of goods, usually can't afford the cost of getting into a store. (If you want prime eye level in the cereal aisle of a grocery store, for example, be prepared to pay a real premium!) The Internet was going to be The Solution for new businesses: we will sell direct to customers and life will be good!
But the competition for attention has become even more vigorous online than off, and many products simply don't have the time with you to explain who they are, what they offer, and why you should give it a try. And there are so many of them! Just do a Google search on "buy health foods online," for example.
In my case, I'm supposed to be clear about what technologies are rising, which are falling, where and how to find audience, readers, viewers, and how to influence them. Again, trying to figure that out when there is a new idea every hour of every day, not to mention "an app for that," and to know how to use it, where and when to use it, and with what audience, is just about impossible. And being wrong can have serious consequences for the clients above trying to sell their products. (Again, let me remind you that 10 years or so ago, if you understood what the specs were for a top-line computer, you were knowledgeable. Ha!)
This isn't a column with a solution. It's an observation, and perhaps a cry for mercy. There is so much information - this column included - that it's become almost impossible to sort out which of it is important.
Is there an app for a bad case of TMI? Let me see what I can find!
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